Buying an ex LA house on a council estate over private

RelievedSheff

Just to add a bit of the other side of the story our last house was an ex council 2 bed semi on a smaller council estate in a northern city.

On the face of it it was a alright area. But living there proved to be a nightmare. We had absolute nightmare neighbours which were the biggest problem and the build quality of the house was atrocious. 

We ended up stuck there for 13 years because house prices dropped very shortly after we moved into the property leaving us in negative equity. It took us until a few years ago before we had gained enough equity in the property to finally move out of there. House prices on that estate are still not rising as quickly as other areas have been. They are not a deal over what we part exchanged the property for 3 years ago which considering the price rises elsewhere is not a great sign. If we had not moved when we did 3 years ago we now couldn't afford to live where we do now. House prices here have risen very quickly in comparison.

Based on our experience of living in an ex council property we would not be willing to risk it again. But as with anything it all depends on your neighbours. Perhaps we were unlucky, who knows?