Housing NorthEast

chris1988uk

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question but here it goes.

I have been trying to talk my girlfriend into moving in together and want to look at average costs for housing, gas, electric and such.
I know roughly i would be looking at £400+ for rent.

andy123321

Hi!

We currently rent a 2 bedroom flat.
We pay:
£475 rent
£90 council tax
Gas and electric vary depending on time of year - last bill we paid was only £120 for the quarter
£26 Water (we are on a meter)
Contents insurance if you're renting - we pay about £15
Food Bills (different for everyone) we are fortunate enough to eat out with parents etc half the week!

A-Northeast-Home

What are the areas that are recommended as pleasant to house-buy & live in the Northeast (Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland)?

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas which are the nicest areas to live in, in the Northeast region?

My OH & I plan to move to the area. We want to buy a 3-bed (or 2-bed) house.

We are both graduates, plus have post-grad. qualifications. We both have a successful career in a professional capacity as senior executives; my OH is also a part-time University lecturer.

This is a permanent move so want to make the right decision as we plan on living there a long time.

We are thinking of buying somewhere in the southern part of the Northeast i.e. the county of Durham or just north of it, as the top part of Northumberland will probably be rather further away from our work location than we'd like i.e. petrol from there to work would be costly. However, as where we choose to live must make us feel safe & at ease, we will live further north if necessary.

We aren't rolling in it i.e. don't have "loads of dosh" so have to be sensible re house prices & what we can afford! ,-) But will pay for what we want if necessary; plus would always choose to pay for a quality area rather than a large home.

We are not local to the Northeast (one of us is a southerner, the other is from the Midlands), but have both lived in various different places in the UK. And we assume/hope that regional differences won't be a problem if we live with house owners whose lives are similarly focused.

So we are looking to settle into a nice area where we feel relaxed.

Any advice as to where to live, or indeed where NOT to live?!

Or, in fact, if anyone knows of any other forum that might help/specifically deals with this kind of issue?!

by A-Northeast-Home

sgun

House prices in the North East vary vastly depending on the area. Town/country? Budget? Need reliable public transport? etc etc, then we may have more of an idea. I think you probably need to do a few visits and get the feel of some areas.

calicocat

A-Northeast-Home wrote: »

What are the areas that are recommended as pleasant to house-buy & live in the Northeast (Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland)?

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas which are the nicest areas to live in, in the Northeast region?

My OH & I plan to move to the area. We want to buy a 3-bed (or 2-bed) house.

We are both graduates, plus have post-grad. qualifications. We both have a successful career in a professional capacity as senior executives; my OH is also a part-time University lecturer.

This is a permanent move so want to make the right decision as we plan on living there a long time.

We are thinking of buying somewhere in the southern part of the Northeast i.e. the county of Durham or just north of it, as the top part of Northumberland will probably be rather further away from our work location than we'd like i.e. petrol from there to work would be costly. However, as where we choose to live must make us feel safe & at ease, we will live further north if necessary.

We aren't rolling in it i.e. don't have "loads of dosh" so have to be sensible re house prices & what we can afford! ,-) But will pay for what we want if necessary; plus would always choose to pay for a quality area rather than a large home.

We are not local to the Northeast (one of us is a southerner, the other is from the Midlands), but have both lived in various different places in the UK. And we assume/hope that regional differences won't be a problem if we live with house owners whose lives are similarly focused.

So we are looking to settle into a nice area where we feel relaxed.

Any advice as to where to live, or indeed where NOT to live?!

Or, in fact, if anyone knows of any other forum that might help/specifically deals with this kind of issue?!

by A-Northeast-Home

These areas are further north than durham , but the areas i like are:

Corbridge if you fancy small village,a few pubs/eating places, quiet, inland.

If you fancy more rural...ovington or ovingham, horsley, long-horsley.

I love the coast up here and have recently moved. Not to my dream location , but close.

If i had my way i would be living in Tynemouth or cullercoats( but they are not the cheapest areas)as the coast up here is lovely. Not Whitley Bay though. Tynemouth village has some fab bars and restaurants all within walking distance of eachother. This can however get busy in the summer, so i would want to live within walking distance to the hight street not right on it. I also tend to go out early and leave early in the hight of summer. Good routes into Newcastle , on bus and rail networkrks if public transport is wanted. And ....the air is just fantastic and fresh. However...in the winter you can be living in a bit of a wind tunnel at times. Fab if you like walking a dog or are into boarding or surfing.

The beaches up here are sand by the way.

Morpeth and surrounding areas , bit more lively than Corbridge , more shops, more nightlife. Not sure how the nightlife is there though to be honest.

Really you need to come up for a week or two and have a good look around the place as there are lots of other lovely villages.

Happy hunting.

PurplePow

A-Northeast-Home wrote: »

What are the areas that are recommended as pleasant to house-buy & live in the Northeast (Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland)?

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas which are the nicest areas to live in, in the Northeast region?

My OH & I plan to move to the area. We want to buy a 3-bed (or 2-bed) house.

We are both graduates, plus have post-grad. qualifications. We both have a successful career in a professional capacity as senior executives; my OH is also a part-time University lecturer.

This is a permanent move so want to make the right decision as we plan on living there a long time.

We are thinking of buying somewhere in the southern part of the Northeast i.e. the county of Durham or just north of it, as the top part of Northumberland will probably be rather further away from our work location than we'd like i.e. petrol from there to work would be costly. However, as where we choose to live must make us feel safe & at ease, we will live further north if necessary.

We aren't rolling in it i.e. don't have "loads of dosh" so have to be sensible re house prices & what we can afford! ,-) But will pay for what we want if necessary; plus would always choose to pay for a quality area rather than a large home.

We are not local to the Northeast (one of us is a southerner, the other is from the Midlands), but have both lived in various different places in the UK. And we assume/hope that regional differences won't be a problem if we live with house owners whose lives are similarly focused.

So we are looking to settle into a nice area where we feel relaxed.

Any advice as to where to live, or indeed where NOT to live?!

Or, in fact, if anyone knows of any other forum that might help/specifically deals with this kind of issue?!

by A-Northeast-Home

So... Sunderland?
It’s cheap, and not far to get to Newcastle and Durham if needed. It’s also on the coach so has some decent beaches.

artyclarty

It really depends on the budget and the type of property/lifestyle you are after.

If you are after the quiet life, there are lots of little towns and villages out in the middle of nowhere (or more accuratley where there were good coal seams!) some nice, others complete dives.

Also you should take into account where you will be commuting. If you are out in the middle of nowhere, you can add a lot of time to your journey if the weather is bad in winter.

Or if you prefer city living you have Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland*, Darlington and at a push York. I say the last one as I know a lot of people who commute either way, generally to the universities.

*You just have to watch out for the Mackems...

A-Northeast-Home

Hi sgun. Thanks for advice. Re your queries:

(i) Country towns (or villages); NOT cities; preferably not immediate suburbs but will consider)

(ii) Budget: whatever a 3- or 2-bedroom house costs; we'll stretch budget if necessary to get the right area. Hence would aim for a 3-bed, but will get a 2-bed if necessary. We know what we can afford (have already looked at 2/3-bed houses online): we can see houses & prices online at estate agents' websites but there is never REAL info on what the area is actually like! ,-)

(iii) Semi-detached house (or detached - we should be so lucky! LOL!); NOT terraced

(iv) Train station would be good (to get to Newcastle city & Durham city), & of possible buses too for occasional more local [bus = more environmentally friendly than car!] journeys/trips, but we have a car for most days.

(v) Areas: Durham [county], Tyne & Wear, Sunderland, Northumberland. Oops, I had forgotten to include Sunderland too (I had forgotten my mental image of a complete map of Northeast!) when first posted this message!

Subtle info on what the area is actually like is NOT something that estate agents tell us - LOL!; & we haven't got 5 years of residency, an experience which would have taught us the true nature of the area. So personal knowledge of the area is what we're looking for! :T

by A-Northeast-Home

A-Northeast-Home

Hi calicocat & artyclarty too

GREAT advice! :j Exactly what I was looking for! I shall look into those areas.

Thanks again

by A-Northeast-Home

A-Northeast-Home

Hi PurplePow

Oops! Yes, I had forgotten to include Sunderland too (I had forgotten my mental image of a complete map of Northeast!) when first posted this message! Yikes!

So add Sunderland to the list of locations:
Areas: Durham [county], Tyne & Wear, Sunderland, Northumberland.

by A-Northeast-Home

Derwent

Depending on how open you are to commuting, there are some very nice small market towns around the area such as Hexham, Morpeth & Alnwick. These are all about 25-30 mins train ride into Newcastle city centre.


Even in the city area itself there are some very nice rural suburbs such as Ponteland, Throckley, Rowlands Gill, Ryton, Crawcrook, Monkseaton.


Then within the city there are Jesmond and Gosforth, which although only a mile or so from the city centre have a "village" feel to them with their own local amenities.