Best place to live within commuting distance of Belfast

caz2703

Morienos wrote: »

Bangor. Easy commute on the train and currently since we're apparently closed you could just buy Main Street for your 400k budget.

And still have change Sure at least we have a Sainsburys now to make us all feel warm and fuzzy at all the shops closing in the town.

Everyone will have their own opinion as to what's best so I guess the OP needs to give us some more info on what they want for their money. Do they want a big house and garden, a desirable postcode, quick commute into Belfast, city life, country life??

Personally because of where I grew up, I am a North Down girl at heart. If I had £400K I'd much prefer Cultra, Holywood or down as far as Helens Bay. The other side of the Lough isn't my cup of tea but then that's because of where I grew up.

Oh and you can't go wrong with having so many good schools in the East Belfast/North Down area - Sullivan, Strathearn, Bloomfield, Campbell (trying not to laugh having met some of their old boys). Oh and if you're loaded you could always send your kids (if you have any) to Rockport :eek:

I have to admit, being out in the sticks of Bangor, I miss the handiness of East Belfast. You are within 10 minutes of the beach and close to the M2/M3/M5 to escape the city for the day.

leftieM

Pythagorous wrote: »

I'd be interested to hear why you think Malone is worth the extra premium? Thanks

As another poster said, all views are subjective and your reasons for buying somewhere will also be subjective.
I said Malone because, as someone from outside of NI, I don't personally like the segregation in the city. The only parts of Belfast that are genuinely mixed, in my experience, are the Stranmillis/Malone/Lisburn Road parts of town. By mixed, I mean that your children and you would have friends and neighbours from both sides of the community. That may not be important to you, of course! We all look for different things.
I don't live in BT9 by the way, but my children go to school there.

Fathero3

As well as BT9 (Stranmillis/Malone/Lisburn Road), BT8 seems to be pretty mixed too.

wanchai_2

OP - where do you live at present? Have you tried any of the commutes into Belfast?

OH and I rent in BT9 and are currently considering moving after we get married. We LOVE the area and being so close to the city centre, but we are wondering if we would get more house for our money elsewhere. But we have no idea where to look!

D.A. wrote: »

Lisburn! An 8 minute commute by train at rush hour, 15 minutes or so by car outside rush hour, 2 good schools, reasonable shopping (but still no flippin Asda...).

Although it's rubbish after 6p.m.

And that's a no-no for me!

Pythagorous wrote: »

Looking anywhere up to around the 400K mark. Cultra looks lovely, but probably over-priced for what you get. At the moment I'm thinking Ballyhackamore, Holywood, Belmont, Stranmillis and Malone. Would be interested to hear people's opinions on these areas or others that I haven't listed.

Er, those are all in Belfast except Holywood!! :rotfl:

Why the premium for Malone? Because it's the nicest part of Belfast imho. Also very handy to the city centre, M1, Outer Ring, Lady Dixon Park, Lagan towpath etc etc.

smcqis

Good places outside of Belfast down the motorway like Templepatrick and Parkgate, both quiet excellent spots 15 min drive into belfast centre

Mistral001

leftieM wrote: »

As another poster said, all views are subjective and your reasons for buying somewhere will also be subjective.
I said Malone because, as someone from outside of NI, I don't personally like the segregation in the city. The only parts of Belfast that are genuinely mixed, in my experience, are the Stranmillis/Malone/Lisburn Road parts of town. By mixed, I mean that your children and you would have friends and neighbours from both sides of the community. That may not be important to you, of course! We all look for different things.
I don't live in BT9 by the way, but my children go to school there.

I do not think you should bring sectarian issues into this thread. It is perhaps too easy to make generalisations and if you get it even slightly wrong it could cause offense to a lot of people.

trebor21

Its a valid point when considering where to live for some, I hardly think what was said was in anyway secterian!

saverbuyer

Yep I agree all valid points and exactly what I think about the area having lived there for years.

SnowyOwl_2

Mistral001 wrote: »

I do not think you should bring sectarian issues into this thread. It is perhaps too easy to make generalisations and if you get it even slightly wrong it could cause offense to a lot of people.

I've got to agree with LeftieM. The plain but painful truth is that our society is still a divided one. Saying so is not a sectarian or bigoted statement. There are some areas where the impact is less, other areas which are staunchly nationalist, others staunchly loyalist. Ignore those boundaries at your peril when purchasing a home.

Fathero3

What elephant, what room?

:shhh: