Help! Concrete house?

Cakeguts

Jewels&binoculars wrote: »

How rude.

Because an ex council house is only just within our budget. We can't afford anything more, obviously.

It isn't actually rude it is just a question. I personally would buy a smaller house in a better area than one there simply because just looking at it on Streetview put me off. There is a small ex council estate around the corner from where a friend lives where I would be quite happy to buy a house but it doesn't look like this one. This one looks like a bad area. Also there seem to be a lot of houses changing hands near the house you are looking at. Why? If people like living there why are they all trying to move? What do they know that you don't about the area?

moneyistooshorttomention

There is an innocent reason why they may be trying to move - ie the houses are semi and maybe they've got enough money together to move up the ladder to a detached.

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

There is an innocent reason why they may be trying to move - ie the houses are semi and maybe they've got enough money together to move up the ladder to a detached.

One other function of the sold prices section is that it shows the turnover in an area.

Doesn't matter if it's private, ex-council, Wimpey no fines or Bill Bovis's best, a low turnover suggests places where people enjoy living and like to stay put.

Our old road was like that; not the poshest, but a large % left in a box. (Not me though! )

Davesnave

i_want_to_believe wrote: »

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63995710.html


Is the house next door?
If it is it states concrete construction.

Concrete construction isn't the end of the world. It depends whether the construction method is regarded as 'defective' by lenders. There are concrete houses, like Wimpey no fines, which are mortgageable, though the lender may insist on a detailed survey.

MoneySavingMission

it will be on the home report.
Its called non-traditional build if that proves to be the structure. If neighbours have mortgages then you'll likely be fine securing one.

konark

Render was used on council houses in the 1940s-60s to cover poor quality bricks which were much cheaper than facing bricks. Internal walls and the inner skin may well be made of 'concrete' blocks but this isn't what is meant by 'concrete construction'; this refers to a form of pre-fabrication using large pre-cast slabs which often deteriate due to rusting in the internal steel reinforcement.

stator

konark wrote: »

Render was used on council houses in the 1940s-60s to cover poor quality bricks which were much cheaper than facing bricks. Internal walls and the inner skin may well be made of 'concrete' blocks but this isn't what is meant by 'concrete construction'; this refers to a form of pre-fabrication using large pre-cast slabs which often deteriate due to rusting in the internal steel reinforcement.

Or poured concrete which is traditional structurally, just with concrete that is poured in-situ instead of build out of concrete blocks.
If somewhere said 'concrete construction' I would work from the assumption it referred to poured concrete

Cakeguts

All in all a house best avoided I think.

davidmcn

MoneySavingMission wrote: »

it will be on the home report.

Home Reports are a Scottish thing.

Dan83

I bought an ex council concrete mid terrace house in August 2011.

Knocking external walls down and putting curtains rails up is a pain, but other then that, no other problems.

Never had a problem getting a mortgage on it either.