Fence Houses is terraced streets and post-war semis, the kind of village where the housing stock does the talking rather than any high street parade. Rows of freehold terraces dominate, the sort of streets where a For Sale board still means something modest and attainable rather than aspirational — this is a place people buy into, not escape to. The numbers back that up: a median house price of £135,000 sits well below both the regional figure and the national average of £281,000, even though it runs about 20% above the wider County Durham figure. Terraced homes here sell for a fraction of the national terrace price, and with 46 freehold sales against just 4 leasehold in the recent sample, this is overwhelmingly a village of outright ownership rather than managed flats or new-build estates — only 4% of stock here is new build. On schooling, Dubmire Primary, Woodlea Primary and Lumley Junior serve the area; none carry a published Ofsted rating in this data, but the area's overall schools grade sits solidly mid-table nationally. With a median age of 39.8, slightly younger than the national and regional norms, this reads as a village of established families and long-term residents rather than a magnet for new arrivals. Green space is genuinely present — sixteen pockets totalling nearly 13 hectares, a slightly better ratio per head than the national average — which matters more here than a restaurant scene, since eating-out options aren't a defining feature of this data. What stands out instead is the safety picture: violence and sexual offences account for nearly four in ten recorded incidents, a heavier share than you'd want to see, and the overall crime rate runs about 12% above the County Durham average. Yet the trend is described as improving, and the broader safety grade still lands comfortably above the national average — so this looks like a place recovering rather than declining, not one to write off on a single year's headline. Connectivity and nightlife are the other soft spots, both rated only around the national average, which fits a village built for living quietly rather than being out late. This suits people who want affordability without compromise on space — a freehold terrace or semi at a price rarely seen this close to Tyneside, in an area whose overall character grade sits well above the national norm despite the safety caveat. It's a place for those already rooted in County Durham life, not commuters chasing fast broadband or a buzzing evening out. If the safety trend keeps improving as it has, the trade-off looks increasingly like one worth making.