Ground Floor Flats?

ankspon

I live in a block of 8 and have gas,my flat is ground floor and it's easier with shopping and nipping out for a ciggy.We also make use of the communal garden in the summer,no-one else bothers.

de1amo

when i bought my top floor of 3 levels i was led to believe by a developer frind that the top floor was better--better light --no one above me--and points mentioned before about noise from other neighbours.--when i came to market it the agents said the market was limited because of the stairs--the retirees dont want them--families prefer the ground floor--just limits the market to young professionals who can afford a second buy flat--but they can go for a house in the same price bracket!

Chinkle

It's horses for courses really. Some people prefer ground floor for ease of access and maybe a garden, others worry about security and/or don't like hearing their neighbours coming and going, or noise above or from the street. And others will go for higher floors for the reverse reasons. I also find that higher floors get better light which is a big consideration for me.

Storage heaters would put me off slightly as I think most people find their not as good as GCH, but this is something you could change.

ankspon

What area of the country are you buying?

beecher2

Is the flat hard to the pavement, or is there a front garden? I lived in a ground floor flat which had no garden which meant that teenagers sometimes sat on my living room window ledge which was incredibly annoying. It was also quite dark in comparison to my present 2nd floor flat, and I personally wouldn't buy one again.

Incidentally I was told that top floor flats were most likely to be burgled as the burglar have more time to hear someone returning to the property. You also have the hassle of roof repairs to content with, and the stairs so I'd always stick with 1st and 2nd floors.

I'm in a block of 8 with gas - think it is only new builds which don't have gas. would definitely put me off as electric costs a fortune.

de1amo

i can voucher for the leaking roof problem-my ceiling is collapsing in while the fight goes legal for repairs--and i live in a block that owns the freehold.--in my block where there is no passing traffic on the ground floor i would have preferred to have bought the gff in retrospect!-my aging parents dont like coming to see me because of the stairs as well.

ankspon

Mine is a new build with gas

tim_n

Storage heaters are fine for those who feel the cold, but with only an option to turn them on and not regulate the heat, the only option is to open the window to cool down.

I remember having them in a small top floor flat, they had two settings "on" and "off". You had to correctly judge the likely temperature the night before and also to remember to turn them on. If I wasn't renting, I'd certainly not have bought a house with them in.

Peterxxxx

I once had a storage heater where you could adjust both inputs and outputs and so gradually increase the heat over the course of the winter. I loved it as there was constant heat all the time - though it would normally fade by early evening until it warmed up again a few hours later. And lovely and warm in the morning. But this was a very small flat. Probably less good of an option in bigger flats/high ceilings.

goggle

my friend bought a ground floor flat last year. She wanted a 1st floor (less banging doors, more secure for female living alone & not *too* many stairs for carrying shopping etc up) but when she saw this one it ticked every other box. The design of the block is great - her living space is at the side/back so well away from the communal front door & she has no prob with banging doors. She has access to the external space via her rear door, though she doesn't use it at present. The block is set slightly back from the road so there aren't people constantly walking past her window & the car parking is either at the front of the block or just across the road from her rear door.
She has had probs with a water leak from above, but you have to expect *something* to go wrong at some point ...