If asked the question “Where do you aspire to live in 15 years’ time?” what would your answer be? Legal & General posed that very question to a number of 18 to 54 year olds in the UK and of 47% stated their ‘dream home’ as a three bedroom semi-detached house with a garden. Now, I wasn’t personally included in this questionnaire but if I had been, my answer would have more likely been a ‘5 bedroom detached house with a garden + gardener!’ (3 bedrooms for me & the hubby + the 2.4 children, one bedroom for guests and one for the hubby when he’s in the dog house)!
A semi-detached home seems to be the height of suburban living but after 15 years of working like a dog, do you really want your hard earned cash to go on a house which shares one wall with potentially noise polluting, up all night, party animals? If this is a question about realistic goal setting, then a house with a garden is a reasonable expectation but why semi-detached? If you’re happy to have a neighbour, why not a terraced property? Why not a flat?
Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of different types of living in the UK.
Terraced House
Terraced houses are a row of identical houses which stand next to each other and aside from the ‘end terrace’, share two walls with neighbouring properties. The terrace house was originally considered a working class home due to the advantage of it being much easier to afford than semi-detached or detached houses in the same area. However, with the building of new terraced homes in wealthier areas they were rebranded as ‘town houses’ and became more desirable. These days terraced properties are located in a variety of areas, and not simply those associated with the working classes. Though many don’t have a garden, there are those that do, and others which benefit from a small yard at the front and back of the property. The main disadvantage of a terraced property is the proximity of your neighbours. Many of the older terraces are quite substantial and you would need to be kicking up quite a racket to disturb anyone but more recently built terraced may suffer from ‘paper thin’ walls, meaning privacy is compromised. The greatest advantage to a terraced house remains the cost – they are still substantially cheaper than other types of housing. Focusing on Manchester, over the past year terraced properties account for the most sales.
Apartment/Flat
A flat is a self-contained home on one floor with a shared entrance but despite being on one floor you can find flats large enough for a family to live in. The advantages of living in a flat are that most include some form of enhanced security such as resident activated entry to the building, or a door man. Flats are often much cheaper to rent than houses and the Council Tax banding is usually low so make great first time homes. Many flats are located in city centres which would be unheard of (or ridiculously expensive) for a house, making it easier to commute to work (and the pub). However, there are some disadvantages including the prospect of multiple noisy neighbours (above, below and next door), increased service charges, limited car parking, no garden (this last one could be viewed as an advantage to some though).
Semi-Detached
A semi-detached property is basically two houses which share one common wall and are a mirror of one another. In the 1930s this type of property was favoured by the middle classes who didn’t want to be associated with the terrace houses of the working class. A semi-detached house is currently and has for some time been the most popular type of property in Britain.
One advantage of a semi-detached home is that you only have one neighbour so there is a higher level of privacy, plus most semi-detached have both a front and back garden. Disadvantages to owning a semi-detached property is that you must consider your neighbour before carrying out any extensions or large scale renovations to your home, and you’re responsible for the maintenance of your side of the property.
Detached
A detached house is exactly how it sounds – completely detached from any other property, and this usually means your home is built on a lot large enough for a large garden and a garage.
The principal advantage to a detached house is that you have no neighbours; you can make a fair bit of noise and you won’t be bothering anybody! Additionally, you will also own the land your house stands on and building regulations permitting, you are free to build on that land.
There are disadvantages to owning a detached property though: you are responsible for the upkeep of the land as well as the property. Furthermore, detached properties tend to be much more expensive. Figures from 2013 detailed the average asking price for a detached house in the UK was £330,000 (BBC).
One advantage of a detached house is the fact that the free space surrounding the building is private to the owner and his family. Depending on local regulations and codes, you can do whatever allowable extension or modification you would like to be done in your house. You would not have to worry about getting a permit from a landlord to do renovations. You would not need to pay property management fees like those paid by condominiums and townhouse dwellers.
The disadvantage is that all repairs and maintenance of the house and lot is at the expense of the owner. Every site improvement like adding a patio or a pool or a garden is at the expense of the owner too. Note that maintaining the upkeep of the lawn costs a dent to the owner’s pocket too.
Now let’s all acknowledge that if we’re talking ‘pipe dreams’, many of us would imagine a huge mansion with stables, acres of land and a team of staff to cater to our every need. BUT if it’s a realistic aspiration that you’re after (and I prefer to live in the now), what we actually need is just a place to hang our hat, that’s comfortable, clean and close to work; a place that has reasonable transport links and decent schools. So, whether you fancy hanging your hat in a semi or a flat, we have properties to suit all desires (and even some that fulfil the aspirations of 49% of you). Take a look at our website or contact us by telephone, Facebook or Twitter.
