As you know, the UK is about the same size as Oregon (94,526 vs 97,073 square miles) but the population of the UK is the same as Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico combined! And of those, 1 in 8 live in London, making it one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
However, that doesn't excuse developers, who have created some of the most unpalatable properties in the world.
To be fair, the Victorian homes are extremely attractive, often on beautiful, tree-lined streets with attractive gardens. But after the war England seemed to have lost the plot, and in their zealousness to rebuild as quickly as possible, they created mile after mile of lifeless streets full of brown pebble-dash exteriors or monolithic council flats, with absolutely no character or charm. They might as well have just left the rubble--at least it was interesting. Jess and I even consided a house next to a cemetary because it was an improvment over most streets!
That said, you can't broadbrush areas like you can in the US, because a perfectly lovely street might be right next to a perfectly horrid one. Couple that with a lack of a buyer's agent, and we practically have to view every single property in north London! Google Street View has been invaluable.
So far we've viewed 2 properties, driven by 13, and looked online at many more. On Sunday, Jess saw a listing for a lovely Grade II-listed* cottage right on the river Colne. It had been listed for 2 months; I called Monday afternoon to find they had accepted an offer that morning. So the search goes on...
* Equivalent to the National Register of Historic Places
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