Houses

carolt

Well, it must be money laundering then, because you'd have to be loopy otherwise. There are much nicer houses out there in St Albans for much less money.

carolt

Incidentally, michaels, you mentioned looking for houses in Beaumont or Sandringham catchments. Friends in Colney Heath have been looking at Beaumont this week. (Within the catchment.)

Fancy:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-23314939.html?locationIdentifier=REGION^6878&sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&includeSSTC=true&_includeSSTC=on&pageNumber=1&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E6878&sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&includeSSTC=true&_includeSSTC=on

or

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-13196310.html?locationIdentifier=REGION^6878&sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&includeSSTC=true&_includeSSTC=on&pageNumber=1&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E6878&sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&includeSSTC=true&_includeSSTC=on


Both on for way way less than the 400K houses you were mentioning then. A relative snip at 230K and 260K.

michaels

Don't think you would get in to Beaumont or Sandringham from Colney Heath as it is much closer to Hatfield - very convenient for the dual carriage way tho but i fair old trek in to St Albans given the traffic when the schools are open...

lynzpower

dopester wrote: »

The Pyramid (Co-op bank HQ isn't it) is right down almost in Stockport proper, onto the motorways. I wouldn't be advising to buy down towards that side either.

Lynzpower, if you were asked to suggest a few decent areas for a youngish couple to buy a house around the Manchester area - without going out deeper into suburbia - where would you suggest? Keeping in mind I didn't agree the current asking prices were realistic. Fallowfield perhaps? Levenshulme?

Would Prestwich (North Manchester) win out over say Heaton Moor - edging into Heaton Chapel central-ish area for you (without crossing over onto the A6 side)?

Didsbury was another I put forward, but even pricier, and for me a little less relaxed. Very nice all the same.

BTW - I'm glad you were nicely taken by some of the area you looked around today Cleaver. Also I agree with you about price-jump and the 1/2 mile away from many of the nicer bits, I can see the attraction of living closer by to.

I do jest a little personally i wouldnt go for levenshulme or anywhere like that, but then maybe im a little too old for all those students :pLike every immigrant to london, occasionally i flirt with moving "home"

I dont know too too much about how areas have changed, I havent lived there for a while. Having said that I would stick with the areas I know well- they dont seem to have got worse, if anything I cant find fault with them ( unlike where I am in london where the criminal depravity sickens me and the litter stinks etc) of course it has its good points or else we wouldnt live here :cool:

my parents are in SK8 - heald green . I couldnt fault that althugh it is a bit on the quiet side. House prices reasonable in my view and cheaper than the heatons. ( altohugh further away from stockport station if thats what drives)
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-26956322.html?sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&retirement=false&pageNumber=4&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2FHeald-Green.html%3FsortByPriceDescending%3Dfalse%26minBedrooms%3D3%26retirement%3Dfalse%26index%3D30

Also used to live in Gatley- equally nice

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-20231228.html?locationIdentifier=REGION^62179&sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&pageNumber=1&premiumA=true&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E62179&radius=0.0&displayPropertyType=&minBedrooms=3&maxBedrooms=&minPrice=&maxPrice=&maxDaysSinceAdded=&retirement=&partBuyPartRent=&_includeSSTC=on&x=53&y=7&sortByPriceDescending=false&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldSecondaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

substantial houses, we used to live in a similar one the next road along - significantly cheaper.

I havnet checked the ofsteds but Id wouldnt have thought gatley/ cheadle hulme/ cheadle village/ heald green- be any different to the heatons, possibly a little better, but then I only used to know scallies from the heatons - this is some years ago though!

When ( yes I did really say when:eek:) we eventually relocate, more than likely we would head out to the burbs "up top" in the stunning peak district, such as edale, new mills, disley or even further in ( OH liked bakewell) probably slap bang between stockport and sheffield.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-13452675.html?sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms=3&pageNumber=1&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2Ffind.html%3FsearchType%3DSALE%26locationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E18107%26radius%3D0.0%26displayPropertyType%3D%26minBedrooms%3D3%26maxBedrooms%3D%26minPrice%3D%26maxPrice%3D%26maxDaysSinceAdded%3D%26retirement%3D%26partBuyPartRent%3D%26_includeSSTC%3Don%26x%3D56%26y%3D11%26sortByPriceDescending%3Dfalse%26primaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26secondaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26oldDisplayPropertyType%3D%26oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26oldSecondaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26newHome%3D%26auction%3Dfalse

only downer of the peaks is that gardens arnt up to much ( obviously) but the above would be what sort of thing wed look at - good value too IMO.

If we could afford ( doubtful!) we also like Alderley Edge and Wilmslow but doesnt everyone its a lovely place up there, went for a walk up to the edge the other day again and as ever blown away with these beautiful corners of the "grim north":cool:

carolt

michaels wrote: »

Don't think you would get in to Beaumont or Sandringham from Colney Heath as it is much closer to Hatfield - very convenient for the dual carriage way tho but i fair old trek in to St Albans given the traffic when the schools are open...

Nope. Had a look at the stats for schools for a friend who is finding it v had to negotiate all the paperwork - information overload! She's in London Colney, so I had to give her the bad news she was in the catchment for fairly pants schools...

See:

http://www.hertsdirect.org/docs/pdf/s/schdirsec.pdf

which shows this table for Beaumont school:

Name of Parish 2008 2009
Rule 4 and 5 Rule 4 and 5
Applications Allocations Applications Allocations
Colney Heath 45 29 42 22
Harpenden 1 0 0 0
London Colney 13 0 11 0
Markyate 0 0 1 0
Sandridge 9 2 15 1
Shenley 4 0 2 0
St Albans 151 83 167 62
St Stephen 4 0 2 0
Wheathampstead 3 0 0 0

(Sorry, lost the formatting, but you can locate it yourself.) Basically, it shows that just over half of those from Colney Heath got in, the same proprtion as those from St Albans. The school is just to the north of Colney Heath. You can work out where you need to buy precisely; the website helpfully tells you the furthest distance children who get places live from the school.

HTH.

michaels

OK

Looking at this:
http://www.hertsdirect.org/infobase/docs/pdfstore/secoutturn0910 P32

It suggests that Rule 4 was the lowest ranked rule under which anyone got in to Beaumont last year and that the max distance (by approved route) for this rule was 1571m (about a mile) and Google maps suggests the property is 2.1 miles from the school?

I'm not sure if the parish of Colney Heath also covers properties a lot closer to St Albans?

carolt wrote: »

Nope. Had a look at the stats for schools for a friend who is finding it v had to negotiate all the paperwork - information overload! She's in London Colney, so I had to give her the bad news she was in the catchment for fairly pants schools...

See:

http://www.hertsdirect.org/docs/pdf/s/schdirsec.pdf

which shows this table for Beaumont school:

Name of Parish 2008 2009
Rule 4 and 5 Rule 4 and 5
Applications Allocations Applications Allocations
Colney Heath 45 29 42 22
Harpenden 1 0 0 0
London Colney 13 0 11 0
Markyate 0 0 1 0
Sandridge 9 2 15 1
Shenley 4 0 2 0
St Albans 151 83 167 62
St Stephen 4 0 2 0
Wheathampstead 3 0 0 0

(Sorry, lost the formatting, but you can locate it yourself.) Basically, it shows that just over half of those from Colney Heath got in, the same proprtion as those from St Albans. The school is just to the north of Colney Heath. You can work out where you need to buy precisely; the website helpfully tells you the furthest distance children who get places live from the school.

HTH.

fc123

Cleaver wrote: »

Well, I'd only be spending quarter of a million pounds and who expects direct access to all of their rooms for that small amount of money? We all know you need to spend a third of a million to have access to all of your bedrooms. Ye gods.


Houses then: they're too expensive. I'm becoming a bear. Someone get me some salmon to catch. Brit, I'm with you, 50% off by Christmas. Inflation is theft. You're all debt-junkies.

Sorry, another random, waffly thread today. Doesn't really matter, I think there's only 7 people reading anyway.

I sympathise with anyone wanting to but at the moment (because it's the right time in their life...nothing to do with the market)...I wouldn't know what to do at all.

Are you going to sell the flat? If so, why not put it on and see what happens...then go house hunting again if it sells...then you could rent in a location for 6 months to see if it suits.

My dear neighbour died in Brighton recently and the house will be up for sale soon. OK, great location and massive garden, sea view but it is dated, needs some serious work ; the plastic windows have condensation inbetween the glass etc etc but it's only 3 bed detached, tiny drive and garage...nothing amazing....just a solid family home.

We were wondering what it will go up for. One neighbour guessed 900k as they come up so rarely.

Crazy money. Her Hubby was a pro gambler (horses mainly) and she never worked (nor had kids) and she was a spiritualist...a proper one.
They bought it when they were in their early 30's on a mortgage.

The bad feeling I have is the whole inflation thing......I just wish I could explain it better.

dopester

Lynz - I think many areas around Manchester have their share of scallies. Even posher Wilmslow sees a bit of it, what with the Colshaw Estate. All areas around here seem to have a mix.

You're right. It could be worth Cleaver taking a look at Heald Green, Cheadle. Or into Sale, Timperley and Altrincham maybe. Or a bit further South Manchester into Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, Wilmslow. As he is fairly new to the area, I'm sure he'll carefully consider these and what is right for them both before buying a house.

Partly I was being influenced in suggesting Heaton Moor - edge into Heaton Chapel as a fairly pretty and decent area for a young couple, within a fast trip to and from Manchester. It's only 10 mins on the train to Mcr Piccadilly from Heaton Chapel train station

Alderley Edge. Very nice indeed. We sometimes take the dog for walks in the national park up there on nice days. Steeped in legend. Prices though. Top end area. A bit more travelling out by car and by train from Mcr, which is fine if you don't mind it. That would be about my maximum travel distance limit if heading into and out-of Manchester every day.

My hope is Cleaver takes a good look around to consider things (and wait for value readjustment), before settling on somewhere like Prestwich - or at least at current asking prices. Going up North Manchester past Strangeways and into Crumpsall and then Prestwich? Or surrounding Mcr areas like Eccles, Urmston, Failsworth, Openshaw. No thanks. They aren't terrible areas or anything. Just a little bit bleak for me. It just seems a bit cheerier and alive (and even warmer) on the South Manchester side to me.

dopester

fc123 wrote: »

We were wondering what it will go up for. One neighbour guessed 900k as they come up so rarely.

Crazy money. Her Hubby was a pro gambler (horses mainly) and she never worked (nor had kids) and she was a spiritualist...a proper one.
They bought it when they were in their early 30's on a mortgage.

The bad feeling I have is the whole inflation thing......I just wish I could explain it better.

Keep us informed fc please, but I have to be honest in admitting some of your recent anecdotal stories don't strike too much fear into me about any inflation threat for the value of houses.

fc123 wrote: »

Anecdotal for the thread; friend of DD. Nice house, say 700k peak, he redundant (aged 50) and in good job still but not as much pay.
2 kids in pay schools.
One with my DD and they want to her carry on with 6th form...serious money though....so....
Decided to downsize to another area, perhaps release 100k?. House goes on market ......and hasn't sold.

What next? Reduce?

I will update as it's a real tale of our times...the 'wealth' in the houses turned out to not really be there. He's an accountant type so wouldn't MEW...not that type.

fc123 wrote: »

UPdate; Dropped to 600k and sold.

They are going to STR if it goes through too....which surprised me.

lostinrates

Because the whole schoolthing is never an issue for us I find the discussion of school ctchment areas fascinating and new.