internal vs external stairs

Discussion in 'What to buy' started by eng, 24th Dec, 2015.

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  1. eng

    eng Well-Known Member

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    What would make a better rental given that everything else is equal. For a queenslander highset home, would you go for internal stairs or external?
    Both properties are located in a couples, family friendly area.
    I would appreciate if you can share from experience rather than a hypothesis.
     
  2. Property Twins

    Property Twins Mortgage Brokers & Buyers Agents Business Member

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    Didn't factor in actually. It wasn't even a consideration when purchasing.

    We got ones with both internal and external stairs and just external stairs.

    Did you get a rental appraisal as to whether one is preferred over the other? Are they both built out at the bottom?
     
  3. eng

    eng Well-Known Member

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    @MsAli I hadn't thought about a rental appraisal. From memory one has stairs at the front, the back and internal stairs inside. Whereas the other only has the front and back stairs.
    Not sure which would rent better, but with Logan becoming more multicultural/younger families/intergenerational living I would imagine this would be an important consideration.
     
  4. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    If you are looking a highest house with stairs to the top level front and back, does that mean the bottom level is completely separate?
     
  5. eng

    eng Well-Known Member

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    @wylie yes it does.
     
    Last edited: 24th Dec, 2015
  6. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    Main issue that I have seen raised has been security.
     
  7. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    I looked at a few, for the smaller old style I think outside, for larger with legal height under in a good inner city area, inside is better.

    Otherwise, as a rental probably no big diff, except outside could aid in dual living.
     
  8. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Is dual living legal where this house is? If not, then you've got a problem.
     
  9. strongy1986

    strongy1986 Well-Known Member

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    Im gonna say that if there is only external stairs then the property most likely is not legal height
    If it is legal height and posssible for dual occupancy then i think no internal stairs is a benefit - makes it feel more like a seperate flat
     
  10. eng

    eng Well-Known Member

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    Though it looks good on paper, as long as they can get around the house, legal height isn't going to deter people from renting and living there.
    I'm not sure external stairs add that much appeal. Most families would want to live under the same roof even if their kids are in their teens. Only separate families would want their own privacy.
     
  11. strongy1986

    strongy1986 Well-Known Member

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    Thats why i said its good if its for seperate rentals
    So is it legal height or not. It does affect resale and bank valuations
     
  12. eng

    eng Well-Known Member

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    Thanks @strongy1986 they're both not legal height. Where would this sit in terms of resale and bank valuation?

     
  13. JesseT

    JesseT Well-Known Member

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    I have a 5 bedroom highest in Waterford west, external stairs only both front and rear, legal height lower level.

    During open homes we received a lot of feedback that tenants would have applied if it had internal stairs, mostly larger families.

    In the end a family rented it with the grandparents downstairs, probably a better setup for this kind of dual living situation but leasing would have been much easier with the internal stairs, also when the time comes resale would be easier.

    If dual occupancy is ever going to be part of your strategy I think external would be great, for me I decided it wasn't worth the risk and hassle when great yields are already possible so chose to have a single lease, in which case internal stairs would have suited better, I may add them down the track.
     
    eng likes this.
  14. flightcrank

    flightcrank Active Member

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    not really always the case.

    This is how houses in queensland were built back in the day. the stairs were always external to a large degree.
     
  15. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    A no brainer - enclose the stairs or move one set. Every punter is looking for a easy value-add & this one is staring at you.

    A client of mine had a shop with dual access and a flat upstairs. He found it difficult to find tenants as you needed to go through the shop to get to the unit.

    A simple rejig got the shop separated from the rest of the property.
     
  16. strongy1986

    strongy1986 Well-Known Member

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    It really depends what suburb you are in when looking at dual occ

    Inner city will work really well
    Around logan and other outer suburbs its not worth the hassle

    Horses for courses
     
  17. strongy1986

    strongy1986 Well-Known Member

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    I agree they are largely external

    However i also have the opinion that the majority of lower levels on highset homes are not legal height

    when i walk into them the structural beams are only 6ft high
    yet advertised as dual occ!
     
  18. Michael_X

    Michael_X Mortgage Broker Business Member

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    If it's a highset, it will most likely have external stairs regardless, at least at the rear of the house. So it's really a question of internal stairs.

    I find internal stairs as @JesseT mentioned is favoured by larger families and if the two properties aren't legal height, then I would be going down this route as opposed to trying to get them completely separated.

    I wouldn't be spending extra money to block off internal stairs either. You will eventually just find the right family for your house setup.

    Cheers,
    Michael
     
    eng likes this.

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