Buying House! Dilemma on the area. Please advise

TornSoldier

While trying to breakfree from the rental ordeal, we had find a property in Rowanfield, Cheltenham that ticks majority of our boxes for the house, space, price etc. The area seemed fairly quiet at all times we had tried to drive by. And, we were proceeding with it until a colleague passed a remark of it being next to "rough" area of Hesters way etc. Since then I have tried to search more about the area, but nothing conclusive have come forward. However, I have found that our prospective area is in "40% most deprived areas" as per IMD 2015. I am not sure what that means? The reported crimes as Police.UK seemed fairly low compared to other parts of the town.

We did went and spoke to the neighbours and they seemed alright - family again with kids.

Therefore, I am not sure what to do next. In terms of Pros
1. House is spacious
2. Price is good
3. Not far from the places we visit compared to current residence

Cons
1. Busier than current place (country side)
2. Close to not so nice area

What I am most concerned is if there is a way to determine if the properties in a given area will sell or not. My concern is if we move in and !!!! goes south, will be able to get out?

Appreciate if someone could share light or experience

Regards

Sachs

People are weird about what they consider to be rough, especially middle class people. I think a lot of people lose track of what normal even is. I mean, 40% least deprived, that's basically middle of the pack.

From Wikipedia it seems that half the neighborhood are owner occupiers and have are long term social rent tenants. I'd take that over lots of private sector BTL and HMO. What you really want is stability and that is generated by both owner occupiers and long term social rent houses.

Will the Cheltenham housing market crash after you move in? Maybe but I doubt it's any more exposed than anywhere else and probably less exposed than the south east.

[Deleted User]

Agree with Sachs, what is rough to some people isn't necessarily rough to others.

I think people also get hung up a lot on past reputations. As houses have got more expensive over the years i think more and more 'normal' people have bought up in what were previously known to be rough areas because houses were cheaper, which eventually creates more of a social balance.

There will always be people though that will never be able to change their opinion on an area.

If your worried about future saleability then you can look at the sold history on RM or Zoopla to determine wether properties generally sell in the area

Cakeguts

One of your pros is a con. No 2 price is good. You have found a house which appears to be "good value for money." The reason why it appears to be good value for money or cheaper than you might expect it to be is because it is next to the "rough" area and it is still being regarded as rough because if it wasn't the house you are looking at would be out of your budget. A "good value for money" house is priced like this because it has a problem. The problem with this house is that it is next to a rough area and most people will avoid trying to live next to that rough area so houses have to be cheap to sell. There is some sort of problem in that area that is ongoing.



Having looked on Google maps it looks as if that whole area around Rowanfield is also entirely council properties too.



I would suggest that you read the local newspaper and see if there is a lot of antisocial behaviour in that area. Not all crimes are reported especially on large council estates if there are a lot of residents who are against the police. The reported crimes being low doesn't mean there aren't any it could mean that crime is not reported. Sometimes in really rough areas this is because people don't want reprisals.



I would say ask your colleague about the area as they seem to know more about it than you do.

TornSoldier

Thanks a lot for your replies.
@Cakeguts - How could you tell from google maps the properties are council properties?

Regarding the price, yes it very well might be. The Estate agent gave us an impression about the LL willing to close the property as he is abroad and wrapping up here. I looked up the LL and he seems very affluent and tbh is letting us live on rent while paperwork is sorted.

Initially we did not think about the area as we are both working and never saw any issues while driving by it. But, since we start looking for what's wrong, we are not getting clear answers.

Mrs of a colleague works in council and she said the area is good with no issues except that of schools as in catchment not all are good (2 outstanding, 3 good, 1 require improvement). However, we are planning to put DD in place close to we work at. However, I suppose the problem will come in resale or letting it out

It is so confusing to cancel or proceed on this one tbh.

Bossypants

I think the only way you can really solve this is to do some research 'in the field' so to speak. Visit the area several times, at different times of the day. Park somewhere and walk around on foot as much as possible. Sit in the local park in the middle of the day - what sort of people are there? Visit the local shops, sit in the cafes, have dinner in the restaurants. How does it feel to be there? Do these places feel like you could live there, or are you uncomfortable? Ideally have your wife walk around by herself on a Friday or Saturday evening. Does she feel safe? Etc.

For what it's worth, when I moved to Bournemouth, I was told by all and sundry to avoid Boscombe at all costs. It transpired that Boscombe was actually the most convenient location for me in terms of work and amenities, so I gave it a go anyway, and found I really liked it. It wasn't as 'Nice' as some other areas, but it had a lovely village-y feel and some quirky little shops, and I never once had a problem or felt uncomfortable walking around by myself (as a young woman at the time). Sometimes 'rough' areas are genuinely to be avoided, sometimes they've just got a bad rap.

lincroft1710

The design and finish of the houses in Rowanfield screams council built. Telltale signs are terraces with passage between middle 2 houses, semis with outbuildings at side and no garage space, rendered exterior. 1950s council estates are always easy to spot. Another clue will be houses all the same colour brickwork.

N.B. this is a generalisation

need_an_answer

Hesters Way in the past has had its problems, I've not been there for at least 15 years so have no idea of the vibes there now.What you also need to appreciate is that somewhere where there is an area of council and social housing is never going to sit well with the demographic of some who live in Cheltenham.

There will always be people who feel that once a council estate always a council estate but the reality is probably that many of the properties there are owner occupied and the area whilst vastly improved will always be remembered by some as it was 40 years ago.

I do have family who privately rent in the area and they have been there very happily for the past 3 years...they have a larger than average house with great garden for their family and dog at a rent that is a chunk lower than some of the more respected Cheltenham postcodes.


You talk about living in a "deprived area postcode"...that's an interesting one,apparently I live in one too ..it actually makes no difference to my quality of life

I was bought up in another spa town where if you lived one side of the river you was posh and the other side,well it could have been a war zone dependant on whom you spoke to....40 years on and the stigma is still there a little but even the houses in the "war zone" are far in excess of average national house prices so it cant be all that bad!

PasturesNew

Buy a couple of all day bus tickets for the area, cost you about £4-5 at a guess. You say "we" so this won't be boring/daunting.... spend a lot of the day riding the bus to/from town, around the area - see what sorts get on the bus, see where they get off, see their general demeanour. Hop on and off the bus, walking here and there...

Join the local Facebook groups, see what they're moaning about/reporting/commenting on. One area I'm interested in had a "man's walking down the road dragging a sledgehammer behind him and smashing things up as he goes.... the new fence on X road has been attacked....." then the police helicopters were out. It's still on my list. Areas change road by road. That man with the sledgehammer'd have been 100 yards from a house I was considering buying... and he's not put me off.

I'm looking at the moment - I consider the terrain around the whole area. e.g. never next to a cut through/footpath as "they" will be rattling about down there after dark.

Cakeguts

TornSoldier wrote: »

Thanks a lot for your replies.
@Cakeguts - How could you tell from google maps the properties are council properties?

Regarding the price, yes it very well might be. The Estate agent gave us an impression about the LL willing to close the property as he is abroad and wrapping up here. I looked up the LL and he seems very affluent and tbh is letting us live on rent while paperwork is sorted.

Initially we did not think about the area as we are both working and never saw any issues while driving by it. But, since we start looking for what's wrong, we are not getting clear answers.

Mrs of a colleague works in council and she said the area is good with no issues except that of schools as in catchment not all are good (2 outstanding, 3 good, 1 require improvement). However, we are planning to put DD in place close to we work at. However, I suppose the problem will come in resale or letting it out

It is so confusing to cancel or proceed on this one tbh.

The first thing I always look at are the windows.


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9015674,-2.1021128,3a,75y,260.28h,95.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMWGRhzdfI-ef3cD_PFsFhA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



If you see window where there is a glazing bar at the top and then also glazing bars at the bottom of the window it is nearly always in a council house. Only councils use that style of glazing. Then there is the fact that there are roads and road of terraced houses and semi-detached houses that all look the same. If you want to find out which ones are still owned by the council look for ones with these windows and front doors that are the same on each house.

Sachs

I live in one of the 10% most deprived in the country and I like my neighbourhood. Do I leave my door unlocked? No but I probably wouldn't if I lived in the 10% richest either.

It sounds like you like the area though and your only real worry is that you won't be able to sell your house on later. This such a weird concern. You're buying an older property in a mature neighborhood of a prosperous town on the border of the West country and the Midlands.

I don't really know what you're worried about. If value drop was a concern I would be more worried about buying a million pound flat in Kensington surrounded by the 1% and not a poor person in site.

Ask your colleague does he think the area is getting rougher. Unless the answer is an emphatic yes (which I doubt) then you should buy this house you clearly like.