First time buy LEEDS

orangecrush · 22 October 2017 at 6:16PM

I'll admit to knowing nothing about south Leeds! Rothwell seems to be on the wrong side of Leeds for a commute to Bradford, so I'd suggest checking out the commute at the time you'd be doing it. It is a lovely looking house but is quite far out; I think I'd find it a bit isolating.

Horsforth has really good schools, and a lot for kids, but I had a quick look and there's not very much on the market at all, regardless of budget. It seems weirdly quiet. Yeadon and Guiseley are nice areas too, Yeadon and Horsforth kind of merge into one, but Guiseley is a bit further out and the traffic there can be awful.

Pudsey is good value though mixed housing stock. Along with Farsley and Rodley it would give a shorter commute to Bradford but still reasonable commute to Leeds.

How far will you be moving? Would it be worth renting for 6 months while you figure out where you want to be? We did this but rented for 4 years lol. We first tried to buy in Sept 2015 but didn't get very far. Took a break and started again in Jan 2016 and there was lots more on the market. Not sure if that's a general thing or just a one off, but renting would give you a chance to find out!

Charlotte09 · 22 October 2017 at 7:22PM

We're actually renting now and have been for a while. So in a good position that we're in no rush to be honest as our current place is great for current work, leisure etc. So yes perhaps best to just keep waiting then while market picks up?

As Christmas is getting closer I'm assuming very little people would want to move as well.

About-time · 22 October 2017 at 7:34PM

It all depends what you're after - if you're happy with a short commute, I'd look at Wakefield. You're talking 15-20 minutes to Leeds city centre, and there are some nice areas.

Areas like Lofthouse, Stanley, Sandal, Outwood are all worth a look and you might get more house for your money. We live in Altofts and that's nice too.

Of course, if you thrive on the Leeds nightlife and feel the need to be within spitting distance of the city centre, then it probably won't be your thing.

T0mmyh · 22 October 2017 at 7:58PM

Hey,

We were previously in your situation and went for the nice house in a less nice area! Was a big mistake and cost us just over £40k when we sold it (bought at height of market in 2007)

Have since grown our family and moved to a much nicer area.. I know you just looking in leeds.. but if your looking for good schools etc you might want to consider South Milford, Monk Fryston, area.

For Example http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51160827.html

You might not get everything you want in a house.. but you will get a lovely community and area for a family!

Natbag · 22 October 2017 at 9:39PM

I live next door to Rothwell and it's an easy 15-minute drive into Leeds, and you're also straight on the M62 to connect to the M606 for Bradford. Laughing that the north Leeds estate agents said it wouldn't be an area for them, well of course they would say that! Rothwell has some lovely restaurants too, Dill and Bay, Salute and Zoya are among my favourites. Agree at looking in the areas nearby as well, Lofthouse, Thorpe, New Forest, all great value, access to good schools and really easy commute to both Leeds and Bradford. South Leeds is far better connected to the motorway networks than North Leeds is. You'd get more for your money, but of course it just depends if the area suits you/your plans.

MillyMolly01 · 23 October 2017 at 10:08AM

To be honest, for the kind of house you’re after, you’re probably around £100k short (minimum) if you want to be in a decent area of North Leeds. As others have pointed out, many houses may be described as Chapel Allerton, Roundhay etc. but that is just estate agents stretching the truth somewhat. Lots of the “best” areas border some of the not so nice areas and estate agents use this to their advantage when compiling the sales particulars.

Anyway, I’d say no chance with your budget. You’re best sticking to the better areas in the perfectly-fine-but-cheaper-areas in south and west Leeds (Rothwell, Rodley, some parts of Pudsey for example). If your partner is working in Bradford then west Leeds may be more convenient. Once you’ve been on the ladder a few years, and providing Leeds house prices continue to rise as they are currently, you can think about moving to north Leeds when you have kids, if you so wish.

LittleMrsThrifty · 23 October 2017 at 1:25PM

I'd strongly recommend that you look for a job in Leeds first before buying anywhere. Shipley isn't far away at all - plenty of people commute from there to Leeds every day. I realise it can be harder if you are working shifts and reliant on public transport but it should be do-able at least for a few months. Once you know where you'll be working you can decide where to base your search.

Traffic in West Yorkshire at rush hour is horrible. You don't want to find that the house you've bought is just the wrong side of a set of traffic lights or roundabout that can take 20+ minutes to cross.

orangecrush · 23 October 2017 at 2:44PM

You're really not 100k short of a house in North Leeds. That's daft. Roundhay and Chapel A have ridiculous prices on part because they're surrounded by deprivation and you want to get as far away from those as possible. But north Leeds is a lot more than Chapel A and Roundhay. Also, ignore the suggestion of East Leeds for a better commute to Bradford... Honestly no idea how that would work. You'd have to go through/ around Leeds first to get to Bradford. Crazy plan. South could well be a great bet, though.

A colleague actually just mentioned that she's bought a house in Rothwell, after another one of her friends did... It seems like it's growing in popularity!! The one thing she did say was that the motorway was hell on earth at rush hour. But then most of West Yorkshire is hell on earth at rush hour

Hopefully if you're on shifts you'll avoid that. It was a gorgeous house too.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!

Beans27 · 23 October 2017 at 2:51PM

orangecrush wrote: »

But then most of West Yorkshire is hell on earth at rush hour QUOTE]

I was so happy when I changed jobs and stopped having to drive around Leeds every day, getting the train is so much less stressful!! (even if it is like sardines on the way home)

OP, see you live in Shipley so you know the places mentioned in my previous post :-)

orangecrush · 23 October 2017 at 3:10PM

Haha Beans we started driving to work as we were fed up of not being able to get on the train!! Half the time the conductor stuck his head out the door saying "Don't bother folks, not gonna happen". We move about a lot and honestly Leeds is the worst place we've lived for public transport.

Charlotte don't let that put you off!! It is great despite that, come join us lol

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