URGENT - Brighton - Advice from anyone in Lewes Rd area

chugalug

Surely if you just want somewhere nice to live then it doesnt matter too much about the resale value of the flat - not for the moment anyway!! IMO if you live in a city you're bound to get lots of goings on - I love it. Yes there are drug problems here and street drinkers (and brothels!!!) but it all adds to the character of the place. On the plus side, because the authorities are aware of the problems there's a lot of money put into prevention. I'm in Kemptown by the way (or camptown as its known locally). So if you want any local info, let me know!!!

Woby_Tide

unless you are buying the brothel I wouldn't worry, it would get closed eventually, but even if you were buying it, the mortgage could be paid off in no time

EagerLearner

Thanks guys - feel so much better now! We've been in Brighton for over 10 years and know that that part of town is not ideal but my OH works in that area so it'd be much more convenient than our current rented flat. The Lewes road area is not amazing or anything, but there you go - we just want a place of our own. Will be noisy, and hopefully no-one knocking on our door! (btw, Chugalug - we have lived in St James' street and I now work @ the Steine - what fun times when I lived in KT!)

Woby - sadly we wouldn't have that *additional income* to pay off the mortage ;op but we can see they bought that property a few years ago and I will BET their mortgage pig is very happy indeed, as would be their bank manager!

From a gals point of view I also don't like the fact that my other half will be walking past that place every day to get to work, very seedy... would you believe the website for them even tells you you can park for free for one hour outside and that there's a bus stop nearby?

I could whittle on, but next weds will be the crunch point, will just have to wait.

Thanks again all!

EagerLearner

Stompa

chugalug wrote:

I'm in Kemptown by the way (or camptown as its known locally). So if you want any local info, let me know!!!

I spent a couple of years living in Kemptown as an undergraduate (although that was 30 odd years ago) and it was a great place. A few years ago though I saw the area described as the gay capital of Britain. Now when I was there my landlord was gay (and VERY camp) but apart from that I was completely unaware of any gay 'goings on'. So is this a recent phenomena, or was it all going on back then but just very well concealed?

Stompa

meanmachine_2

The whole of Brighton is Camptown, surely.

AFAIK Kemp Town has a few gay bars in the vicinity, hence its name.

To be honest, Brighton is a very diverse place anyway - a mix of trendy, poor, gay, drug addicts, very poor, local chavs, prostitutes and Z-list celebrities.

A very odd mix, and very much in its own bubble, property wise.

The big problem I have with it - despite the noise of the place - is that there is almost no employment down there, unless you want to get a gig as a social worker.

It's done well while the economy has bubbled long, but given local wages are so low, it reminds me a bit of Cornwall in how overinflated prices are.

However, I doubt that, in two years' time, prices will be any lower than they are now. So you should be OK.


EDIT: Also, aren't there plans for a new rail link from Brighton? If so, that will help support the property market, I'd have thought.

I tried commuting from Hove for a short while and it was a nightmare - never again.

EagerLearner

Ah, Stompa *bless*! Kemptown is definately a camp town and has been for at least the 10 years I've been here - and what a bright little starlet it is! This town is known the world over - the gay pride parade happens every summer here (early August ish) and there are many openly gay bars, hotels, restaurants and more - it's a lovely place and just near the beach. However, very expensive - we couldn't afford prices there as it's very up & coming area, I reckon in the next few years prices will go up even more.

EagerLearner

EagerLearner

MeanMachine - you're right, it's a very strange place work-wise and there's plenty of care work & hotel work but the rest has crap wages, presumably because so many want to live here. I spoke to a job agency who said just that - people from London etc are prepared to get lower wages to live down here in trendy Brighton, therefore anyone looking to live here almost has to take that as fact. But I do love the diversity and can't imagine living anywhere else... we considered Newhaven and Peacehaven, but the added cost of Valium per month to live with that fact was more than the mortgage savings we'd have made... So off to lovely lewes road for us, hey it must be up and coming!

Jokes aside - does anyone know anything about the re-development of the 'Barracks' on Lewes road? This could increase property values locally... hopefully moral ones too!

EagerLearner

Stompa

EagerLearner wrote:

Ah, Stompa *bless*! Kemptown is definately a camp town and has been for at least the 10 years I've been here - and what a bright little starlet it is! This town is known the world over - the gay pride parade happens every summer here (early August ish) and there are many openly gay bars, hotels, restaurants and more - it's a lovely place and just near the beach. However, very expensive - we couldn't afford prices there as it's very up & coming area, I reckon in the next few years prices will go up even more.

OK, thanks for the info. I have a bit of a soft spot for the place and I'd love to move back, but sadly finding work would probably be near impossible

Stompa

EagerLearner

Stompa - I know what you mean, I'm hanging on to my job at the mo for sure as when I was looking for a new job it took 3 weeks and I was lucky - others have taken much longer.

EagerLearner

EagerLearner

Well, our survey took place this Wednesday, and as we suspected, the surveyor would not approve it for mortgage as he was already heavily biased against the area where the property is located. In our heart of hearts we thought this may happen, but knew we had to carry out the survey to find out for sure.

In the interim our landlady had said we could stay for another 6 months if things did not work out. When they did not work out (Thursday), she said the rent would increase by £65 per month ie we stayed!!!

On Friday she said we had to decide by Saturday morning!

Friday night, she texted us to say we needed to sign paperwork at the agents Saturday morning at 9am!!!! We were away from home and knew 9am would be a tight fit.

We called her Saturday morning to say we were on our way to sign the paperwork, and she changed her mind and said it was a bad idea, that she’d prefer to rent to private tenants as she would not have to pay the agency fee, so she’d earn more cash. We arrived at the agents 15 mins later and he wouldn’t allow us to sign the paperwork.

We are now in a situation that we need to find a 1 bed flat in Brighton pretty quick – before 5th June – but all flats seem to be available ‘immediately’ and not in 4 weeks.

Needless to say, I have cried several times and slept very badly. It’s been such a turn of events from the beginning of the week to now, I can’t believe it. We will probably have to leave it a year now before trying as first time buyers again. I do not recommend this process to anyone, and can only advise that anyone considering buying should only go for the property that ticks ALL THE BOXES and be sure that is definitely the property you want…

I’m now off to open a bottle of wine and hope not all landlords are greedy, backstabbing slumlords! If you are a landlord/landlady and want to prove you go against this rule, please PM me!

EagerLearner