Advice on buying a flat in Glasgow?

jamja

gazebo wrote: »

as a small aside, to those who class Govan as scary - like all parts of the city (and every other village/town/city across the UK), there are good areas and bad areas within Govan, not all of it is scary.

A friend of mine used to live in Govan and I went to visit him one evening and left in time to get the last underground back to the west end (rented flat - student days!). During my short walk to the station I was shot at with a pellet gun, propositioned by a cheerful drunk and generally freaked out by the scariness of the area. Just as I reached the station, a hoodied youth shouted 'Hoy, you!' and ran over to me.

I preparing myself for flight or fight, and then was shamed when he handed me my gloves - they had fallen out of my pocket - and then offered me his 'discovery ticket' to use on the underground (ok, its not transferable, so kinda naughty to offer it to me!). I thanked him (and took the ticket) and headed back to 'safer' streets.:o

19lottie82

gazebo wrote: »

as a small aside, to those who class Govan as scary - like all parts of the city (and every other village/town/city across the UK), there are good areas and bad areas within Govan, not all of it is scary.

Saying that, properties falling within the price range suggested by the original poster are in slightly less desirable parts of Govan

There are parts of Govan that have been re developed, with shiny new build properties, the same as other “less desirable” areas including Dennistoun and Bridgeton, but, as you have described, this is reflected in the property prices, which are wayyyyyy above the OP’s budget.

(£118k for a one bed flat?! – Sorry, “apartment” lol)
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-22150530.html

Although some parts of these areas are a bit better that others, they are still somewhere you wouldnt want to walk through yourself at night!

TBH I think the OP’s budget may be a bit stretched for even these places. £25 - £30k would buy you the worst of the worst in these areas, if you were lucky! There only seems to be a small number of properties within that price range and most of them look like they will be sold at auction, so could go for much higher.

I still suggest that the OP rents in a more attractive area during her stay BUT if they are set on buying in a “cheap” neighbourhood, try renting there for 6 months first to see if it’s for you.

19lottie82

JessS wrote: »

Yes- I currently live in an ex-council flat in London

Your current rental rate would let you rent a lovely property in the West End or South Side of Glasgow, i would expect.

googler

19lottie82 wrote: »

Although some parts of these areas are a bit better that others, they are still somewhere you would want to walk through yourself at night!

would, or wouldn't?

googler

19lottie82 wrote: »

Your current rental rate would let you rent a lovely property in the West End or South Side of Glasgow, i would expect.

OP, what are you paying in rent at present? Let's see what you could get in that vein.....

19lottie82

googler wrote: »

would, or wouldn't?

Apologies, Wouldn't!

YoungBusinessman

I dont get why Glasgow has such a reputation. I have never felt intimidated once on visits there, iv been out till 2 or 3am, never a problem with anyone except bouncers not letting me in certain bars because of my accent and the potential it had to "cause trouble". If you have stayed there before i say go for it. It will rent no problem if you do not wish to stay.

Claree__x

YoungBusinessman wrote: »

I dont get why Glasgow has such a reputation. I have never felt intimidated once on visits there, iv been out till 2 or 3am, never a problem with anyone except bouncers not letting me in certain bars because of my accent and the potential it had to "cause trouble". If you have stayed there before i say go for it. It will rent no problem if you do not wish to stay.

I would surmise that you've not been on a night out in deepest, darkest Govan/Dennistoun!

19lottie82

YoungBusinessman wrote: »

I dont get why Glasgow has such a reputation. I have never felt intimidated once on visits there, iv been out till 2 or 3am, never a problem with anyone except bouncers not letting me in certain bars because of my accent and the potential it had to "cause trouble". If you have stayed there before i say go for it. It will rent no problem if you do not wish to stay.

YBM - Glasgow is a great city, full of friendly people, nice bars / retaurants and parks BUT, like most UK cities, it has it's good bits and it's bad bits. We are not advising the OP not to move to Glasgow, we are just advising that she doesn't move to where 30k will buy her a property.

BigAunty

YoungBusinessman wrote: »

I dont get why Glasgow has such a reputation. I have never felt intimidated once on visits there, iv been out till 2 or 3am, ...

Glasgow's a fantastic city - great shopping, fab arts scene, good transport, loads of parks, cafes, bars and restaurants, friendly people and so forth.

But it has huge pockets of deprivation where virtually no-one works, high number of junkies and alcoholics and so on.

Scotland (unless anything has changed recently) has one of the highest murder rates in Europe (worse than the troubles in Belfast) which is concentrated heavily in Glasgow and the surrounds. It had one of the highest rates of Incapacity Benefit in the UK, with I kid you not, 1 in 5 people of working age claiming it.

And this is why I strongly advise the OP that their low budget will lead to a very low quality of life because they can only invest in a property in a deprived high crime area.