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MissMarble
Posts: 69 Forumite
Hi everyone,
My partner and I are looking to (hopefully) buy our first home at some point in the not too distant future in Manchester. I wondered if there are any Manchester-based forum dwellers who could shed some light on good places to check out for buying in as first timers?
We've looked at 5 properties so far - in Urmston, Preswich, Heaton Norris and in central Stockport. Out of those, the areas we liked the most were Urmston and Preswich as they had a nice community, things on our doorstep and good houses. Since last looking in Urmston, I've noticed house prices are rapidly increasing which is a little concerning for first time buyers!
Having lived in Rusholme for the past 6 years, we are ready to move away from this area. We are keen on having a house with a bit of character, in a good/up and coming location with amenities around us i.e. cafes and shops as well as being easily commutable (or as best can be) into Manchester city centre. Where we currently live, it's not in the nicest of areas and so I feel location is pulling on our heart strings - but we would like somewhere we can put our own stamp on things and hopefully make a bit of a profit too.
Our budget is around £220,000 - £250,000 (absolute max) and I know this can buy us a bit more in areas slightly out of the hot spot perimeters and very little within them! We'd be looking at 2 - 3 bedrooms or 2 beds with room for a loft conversion (for my boyfriend's office/man cave).
We are also looking at areas such as Monton - also Walkden (although I've heard conflicting views on this location), but if anyone has any specific areas where they feel would be worth exploring or even avoiding, I'd be keen to hear.
As an avid-viewer of Location, Location, Location I also feel I may need to pull in Phil & Kirsty for their help too!
But for now, thank you in advance!
My partner and I are looking to (hopefully) buy our first home at some point in the not too distant future in Manchester. I wondered if there are any Manchester-based forum dwellers who could shed some light on good places to check out for buying in as first timers?
We've looked at 5 properties so far - in Urmston, Preswich, Heaton Norris and in central Stockport. Out of those, the areas we liked the most were Urmston and Preswich as they had a nice community, things on our doorstep and good houses. Since last looking in Urmston, I've noticed house prices are rapidly increasing which is a little concerning for first time buyers!
Having lived in Rusholme for the past 6 years, we are ready to move away from this area. We are keen on having a house with a bit of character, in a good/up and coming location with amenities around us i.e. cafes and shops as well as being easily commutable (or as best can be) into Manchester city centre. Where we currently live, it's not in the nicest of areas and so I feel location is pulling on our heart strings - but we would like somewhere we can put our own stamp on things and hopefully make a bit of a profit too.
Our budget is around £220,000 - £250,000 (absolute max) and I know this can buy us a bit more in areas slightly out of the hot spot perimeters and very little within them! We'd be looking at 2 - 3 bedrooms or 2 beds with room for a loft conversion (for my boyfriend's office/man cave).
We are also looking at areas such as Monton - also Walkden (although I've heard conflicting views on this location), but if anyone has any specific areas where they feel would be worth exploring or even avoiding, I'd be keen to hear.
As an avid-viewer of Location, Location, Location I also feel I may need to pull in Phil & Kirsty for their help too!
But for now, thank you in advance!
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Comments
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Hi
I’ve recently bought in the Swinton/worsley area and we love it. We are close to the new busway which makes getting into the city centre easy. Really good but busy Motorola’s links too.
We are between worsley and Monton both good for bars/pubs/food and walks too. It’s well within your budget and worth a visit and look around. Monton itself is more expensive as it’s an up and coming place (apparently) and transport links aren’t great currently
I know people in Urmston it definitely is another of those that are increasing in price.
Visit some areas of interest , look at houses in your price range and go visit the areas they are in and look at the estates/roads/streets get a feel for them. Research what’s nearby too.
I knew the area well luckily so it was a no brainer for me. Good luck0 -
I'm an Eccles lad and I'd head for Monton if I was moving 'back home.'I am a mortgage broker. You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a Mortgage Adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice. Please do not send PMs asking for one-to-one-advice, or representation.0
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Urmston, Prestwich and Monton would be my top spots.
Our first home was in Prestwich, when we looked for our second we looked for them in the above areas.
Yes Urmston house prices are going up at a rate (we've just bought there!) so buy sooner rather than later - also to preserve the current low interest rates.0 -
Worsley/Monton/Walkden are all pretty good as far as I'm aware, though it's been a while (I now live the other side of greater Manchester) so I'm not sure of house prices etc.
Stockport isn't bad. It's definitely a quick, easy commute into Manchester on the train. And I've friends who found Heaton Norris to be their perfect location.
Best advice is to go spend a day or so wandering around the areas you're considering. A lot of the feel of an area is very subjective, so it's worth going yourself to have a look. You could also check out the bus/tram/train routes in and out of Manchester while you're investigating.0 -
TBH, I'd look around Whitefield, but only because I know around there..
Maybe something like this? http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65853038.html
Or more towards Sunnybank - http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62042878.html
Take a trip to Slattery's if you need persuading to leave near there!0 -
Once you are out of 'studentville' (Rusholme, Fallowfield, Withington and Didsbury) you don't actually miss it much and when we returned to visit friends found it quite dirty and unpleasant in a way we hadn't noticed when living there!
I would avoid Walkden personally and whilst South Swinton/ Worsley are nice, there isn't much there is terms of shops pubs and restaurants.0 -
I would live near here. http://www.littleboroughlocal.co.uk/ It is a little village. There is a train station with a service that goes from Manchester to Leeds and stops here. So you can get to Manchester and Leeds. There are a few restaurants the village is only small. A canal which has canal boats on it from time to time. It is right on the edge of the countryside. Close by is a large lake called Hollingworth Lake. It is becoming more popular/ getting more expensive.0
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What didn't you like about Stockport, was it the area or the houses?
If you'd still consider Stockport, other areas to look at are Heaton Mersey (on the border of Burnage/Didsbury so best of both worlds with the added bonus of Heaton Moor bars and shops - Heaton Moor itself probably a bit pricey as it's mostly larger houses, plus a lot of rented with large houses converted into flats), and Davenport, Woodsmoor, Offerton and Great Moor.0 -
Hi everyone,
Wow - thank you so much for your replies! It's great to hear your thoughts and experiences - plus knowing we are all sort of locals!
Would anyone recommend parts of Salford? I've always thought against it, but I know there are some places which seem quite popular with first time buyers - I just don't know where they could be!
I think we will find a map of Manchester and go through with a couple of pens, highlighting areas we love, are interested in and ones we would rather avoid. Hopefully that way we'll be able to be quick to decide and get moving!
I also thought of Levenshulme as I know with the market and some nice neighbourhoods it's meant to be on the rise. My problem is how we can never find those roads and in some ways it reminds me a bit of Rusholme which I am keen to avoid.
I think we probably just need to look harder and like @clairesilverspar said to get out there and walk around! After going on viewings we like to wander around, but I think making an afternoon of it would be great. We did so in Urmston after viewing a lovely house (first one we ever saw) and grabbed a hot chocolate at the top of the road - which was awesome!
Would anyone also suggest going into estate agents and speaking with them directly - rather than relying on RightMove? I'm not quite sure how it all works and have mainly relied on calling for viewings and that's it. If so, can anyone recommend any good estate agents?
Thanks so much once again 0 -
dammitjanet wrote: »What didn't you like about Stockport, was it the area or the houses?
If you'd still consider Stockport, other areas to look at are Heaton Mersey (on the border of Burnage/Didsbury so best of both worlds with the added bonus of Heaton Moor bars and shops - Heaton Moor itself probably a bit pricey as it's mostly larger houses, plus a lot of rented with large houses converted into flats), and Davenport, Woodsmoor, Offerton and Great Moor.
It was mainly the area - it was off one of the most popular roads in Stockport, but there was very little amenities around. We viewed a terrace house and it had a lot of potential (I loved the dining room) as well as loft space - but I think the location just wasn't for us. I've heard quite a bit about other parts of Stockport (including Edgeley) so think we will keep those in mind too!0
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