Value of Mass Concrete Houses (Orlits) compared to Brick / Block

[Poppet]

If a house is made from mass concrete (sometimes called orlits) are such houses of a similar value to a comparable brick or block house? Comparable in terms of size, plot, location, condition etc, but constructed from brick or block?

Does the fact that it is constructed from mass concrete adversely affect the value?

I asked this question to an auctioneer, (by the way, he was not selling one), and he said it would not affect the value...

 

[money man]

POPPET, be very careful about houses built in-orlit which i believe is the term used. Number one you will have great difficulty getting lender to lend more than 50/60%. I know a friend of mine is trying to sell on for the past 3 years and cannot sell it because even though people want to buy it they cannot get a mortgage for it then finding out that its in -orlit puts them off too. stay well clear.

 

[Poppet]

Thanks money man

There was a house which I enquired about which was on an estate where all the houses were of mass concrete construction, and I asked this auctioneer if there would be any problems getting a mortgage and he said there wouldn't.

I then phoned other agents in the area to ask if they were aware of lenders not wanting to lend on houses in the estate and all of them said they knew of no problems. The purchasers were always able to secure mortgages on the houses in the estate, even though all the houses were of mass concrete construction.

So I wonder if lenders have different attitudes to orlits/mass concrete in different parts of the country...?

 

[propertyprof]

correct money man - many lenders in the UK wont mortgage them

 

[extopia]

Thanks money man
I asked this auctioneer if there would be any problems getting a mortgage and he said there wouldn't.

With all due respect to you and to the many honest auctioneers out there...

Don't ever seek mortgage advice from an auctioneer or estate agent. Especially in Ireland.

 

[Leo]

Orlits seem to be very much a UK phenomenon, and buildings using this method are listed in the UK Housing Act 1985 under defective properties aparently, hence the difficulty of arranging a mortgage there.

Where about is this house? I know Dublin corp certainly built a lot of mass concrete housing, and I've never heard of anyone having any difficulty arranging a mortgage on them.

 

[delboy159]

I bought one of the corpo houses built from mass concrete and had no issue getting a mortgage - I didn't even know there could have been an issue to be honest.... In fact, I'm so impressed with the sturdyness and warmth of the house (even though it's 80 years old) I'm looking at using ICF if I build my own home in the future - which i see as a modern, better version of the old mass concrete...

 

[Poppet]

With all due respect to you and to the many honest auctioneers out there...

Don't ever seek mortgage advice from an auctioneer or estate agent. Especially in Ireland.

I also asked other auctioneers in the area and they also said there is no problem obtaining mortgages on the houses in the estate. All the houses there are mass concrete construction, and several decades old.

 

[Poppet]

Orlits seem to be very much a UK phenomenon, and buildings using this method are listed in the UK Housing Act 1985 under defective properties aparently, hence the difficulty of arranging a mortgage there.

Where about is this house? I know Dublin corp certainly built a lot of mass concrete housing, and I've never heard of anyone having any difficulty arranging a mortgage on them.

It's in the west of Ireland.