Cardiff advice please 19 November 2006 at 8:20PM in Wales 60 replies 8.9K views

mollymunchkin

The OH has been offered a job in Cardiff so a move is now on the cards. Has anybody got advice on the different areas? We will be looking to buy a house and prefer a village/suburb type area. We have a 2 year old son so family friendly too and near good schools.

I thought Rhiwbina or Whitchurch areas look nice. We currently live in Pembrokeshire and will be making trips up to have a drive round but wanted to narrow the search down a bit first.

We will have about £200k to spend on the house and would prefer a semi if poss.

chelle

Also do you need access to public transport etc.

If I was you, I would rent first in an area, and then look at buying, as the area you choose may not be right for you.

I know Rhiwbina is nice, I do not know
Whitchurch well. Llanishen is also nice (boarders Rhiwbina), and has a good selection of schools and shops.

Some areas are very expensive (Cyncoed, Lisvane), and some are full of apartments (the Bay is a huge apartment area).

Do you want your child to go to a Welsh school, church school, or English Speaking school, as that is also a consideration.

Chelle

mollymunchkin

Thanks for your reply Chelle. OH's job is in the city centre and there's no allocated car park so would prefer to be within cycling distance or on a bus/train route.

Regarding schools I would prefer non-Welsh speaking and non-religious.

Off to search for houses in Cyncoed and Lisvane now to see just how much they are there.

pavlovs_dog

the most obvious question is how much can you afford, and how much house do you need for your money?

cardiff is a fab city, but obviously being in the middle of it all comes at a price - your money will go much further on the outskirts. as well as districts of cardiff, dont forget to consider the vale of glamorgan - penarth, barry, sully, dinas powys etc.

i would second the idea of renting for a little while and getting a feel for the area. either that, or come for a good few days to have a scout around.

any specific questions that you want answering at all?

Dan29

Hi mollymunchkin. Rhiwbina and Whitchurch were the areas we were looking in a couple of years ago. We settled on Whitchurch because it has a slightly more sociable villagey feel than Rhiwbina - e.g. more pubs and restaurants.

To be honest if you find any semi's for £200k they'll probably either be on Northern Avenue (dual carriageway) or in Coryton (borders Whitchurch but is not as nice IMHO). We're at the Hospital end of Whitchurch rather than the Common end and mid-terraces are going for £220k-£230k. Having said that, sales seem to be slower than a couple of years ago so hopefully there are some bargains out there to be found.

As pavlovs_dog says, if you have any specific questions, ask away

mollymunchkin

Thanks for the advice given. Much appreciated :T

But :eek: at the prices of the mid terraces! We live in one at the mo and parking is a bit of a nightmare and were hoping to get away from that, but I guess we might have to put up with it for a while longer.

I can't wait to get up there and have a drive around and hit the estate agents.

secretdancer

My family and I live in a 3 bed semi in Whitchurch and love it. We're at the Common end! Great access to shops, pubs, schools, city centre, etc... We've two little 'uns so appreciate the need for a family friendly area, off road parking, schools, parks near by, etc. Whitchurch has it all. Price is a problem though. Next door but one's 3 bed semi went for 237K last month.

Other areas worth a look are Heath and Lakeside. Both family friendly but price may be a stumbling block again.

You should learn to love Cardiff. Lot's to do for the kids and yourselves. It is a growing city but a ten min bike ride and you're out of the city and in the countryside.

lisa76

If you wanted to be that bit further out of Cardiff, then Barry is OK. Some areas are rough, but there are some nice bits. House prices vary but you could find a very nice one for around £200000 - in fact the one next door to my Mums has just gone for £187 with lovely views of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Barry is on the bus route (25 mins) and the train route (20 mins) to Cardiff.

There are some nice schools as well - Romilly Infants School has just had the second best report in Wales for it's standard of teaching. My daughter will be going to a Welsh school, but had she not been then this would have been my next choice.

We're on the beach and have some lovely parks around, and Barry Town is getting a well deserved re-vamp, so hopefully some nice shops will arrive soon.

It might be a bit far out for you, but if you'd like any info then feel free to ask.

Rachie_B

If he is willing to commute you can get waaaaaaay more for your money further down towards Llantrisant / Bridgend area

eg Broadlands,Llanharan areas - new builds 4 bed detached for just a touch over 200k !!! so if you only need a 2 or 3 bed you will have loadsa change from ya 200k budget

still close enough,few mins from M4 but not in the thick of things

My hubby used to work in Cardiff and we live in Bridgend area

jiblets1

The commute from Llantrisant etc isn't very nice, junction 32/33 can be nightmares. But it is a nice area and much cheaper. We've just bought in Caerphilly, it's a small town that is quite sociable and is a moderate commute over the mountain to Cardiff centre. (180k for a 3 bedroom end link with garage)

Back to Cardiff central, Llandaff is also nice. But obviously the best areas are quite expensive.

Good luck!

tinkerbelluk

Another area to think of is Radyr. Great transport links into cardiff and a nice little village.