Help please - homebuyer/seller moving to Bristol

BristolBuyer

Hi

I am moving to Bristol for a new job (date TBC but likely to be within 2 months). I have a house to sell and want to buy somewhere rather than renting but I am unfamiliar with the area and as I live 200 miles away cannot do house hunting in situ until I am actually working down there. In the meantime I need to find somewhere in to stay in Bristol whilst still retaining the house here to complete work on before selling it. I am not in a position to afford hotels as I am not getting any financial assistance to move. Can anyone recommend cheap furnished rental options in the city or self catering holiday properties who may be prepared to negotiate a cheaper rate for a monthly rather than a weekly let? Also which area’s of the city are recommended or to be avoided when I am house hunting, given that my budget is max £160k?

Many thanks

BitterAndTwisted

You could consider being someone's lodger until you are in a position to start looking at properties to buy. That way, you would be tied to a minimum of commitment, and could give notice to leave fairly quickly.

http://uk.easyroommate.com
http://www.spareroom.co.uk
http://www.flatshare.com




Or becoming a Sunday-to-Thursday or Monday-to-Friday lodger where you go back to your owned home at the weekends.

http://www.mondaytofriday.com



A lot depends on where your place of work is situated. Some parts of the city may not be easy to reach from work, and until you get there you almost certainly won't know the best areas for your particular circumstances, so it might be best to take on a rental for the first six months after you've sold so you can get an idea of the lie of the land.

Helen224488

I live in Redland, Bristol. To be honest you won't get much in Bristol for 160K. The problem with Bristol is traffic, if you live one side of Bristol and have to commute to work a short distance of say 2-3 miles can take you 1-2hrs by car or public transport. The 2 bed flat downstairs from us just sold for 325K.

Others may disagree but I would personally avoid Knowle West, Hartcliffe, Withywood, Hengrove, St Pauls and Southmead. I grew up in Southville which is nice, I also lived in Brislington which is affordable but traffic into town is hell.

Have a look on Rightmove but for 160K budget you may struggle to buy a house which is not ex-council. Houses are cheaper in Kingswood and Brislington.

Clifton/Redland is the most expensive area to live in Bristol but you can walk to town.

Where is your job located? Do you need a house or flat? How many bedrooms? How will you travel to work?

Bristol Gumtree is the best place to find a room to rent.

Another thing to consider is parking permits, we have driveway but lots of areas are bringing in these permits.

Feel free to message me if you need specific advice on a chosen area in Bristol.

jayss

Depending when you are due to arrive, if it's a little later than sooner you may be able to get a cheap student sublet, there are often lots on gumtree but most wouldn't start til June.

But follow Helens advice, Bristol traffic is hell.

meg72

I would be inclined to ask you new employer if they can advise or suggest anything here.

BristolBuyer

Helen224488 wrote: »

I live in Redland, Bristol. To be honest you won't get much in Bristol for 160K. The problem with Bristol is traffic, if you live one side of Bristol and have to commute to work a short distance of say 2-3 miles can take you 1-2hrs by car or public transport. The 2 bed flat downstairs from us just sold for 325K.

Others may disagree but I would personally avoid Knowle West, Hartcliffe, Withywood, Hengrove, St Pauls and Southmead. I grew up in Southville which is nice, I also lived in Brislington which is affordable but traffic into town is hell.

Have a look on Rightmove but for 160K budget you may struggle to buy a house which is not ex-council. Houses are cheaper in Kingswood and Brislington.

Clifton/Redland is the most expensive area to live in Bristol but you can walk to town.

Where is your job located? Do you need a house or flat? How many bedrooms? How will you travel to work?

Bristol Gumtree is the best place to find a room to rent.

Another thing to consider is parking permits, we have driveway but lots of areas are bringing in these permits.

Feel free to message me if you need specific advice on a chosen area in Bristol.

Thanks Helen, my work will be in Horfield, so looking for something on that side of the city really. Need 2 bedrooms, don't mind a house or flat but must have own parking, can't be doing with driving around looking around the streets for somewhere. Have seen some Bellway Homes flats at Patchway within budget (to buy when I am in a postion to), what is that area like?

Helen224488

I used to work at Fairfield High School in Horfield. I commuted from Brislington, actually didn't take me that long 30 min drive. Horfield is not the best of areas in Bristol but there are far worse. Horfield is close to Fishponds, Eastville and Easton which are not great areas either. To be honest I don't know much about Patchway except it is close to Filton. My boyfriend lived in Filton and got broken into several times!

I think it would take you ages to get from Patchway to Horfield especially in rush hour. Gloucester Rd A38 is mental traffic. Also Bradley Stoke not that far from Patchway has cheap houses but not great. Huge development of new houses all ontop of each other, not much to do there. It got the nick name of 'Sadly Broke' because of all the repossessions.

I can't think of any nice areas near to Horfield which are affordable to buy. Horfield has a council estate like most areas but also has some new build. I would say the area of Horfield is no worse than Patchway.

If you want to rent in a nice area close to Horfield I would suggest Redland, Henleaze, St Andrews or Ashley Down. St Andrews and Ashley Down are close to Gloucester Rd shops. I hope this helps a bit.

Ciderarmy1987

we have brought a house in Fishponds/staple hill area and really like it here, we have lots of good shops within walking distance and a few(not loads though) nice restaurants/pubs near by. We are able to park right outside our house what ever time of day we get home. we brought our house last april for £160k and got a 3 bed mid terrace.
Part of the reason that this area doesnt have a great reputation is going back 20-30 years and also that it has really bad schools but the vast majority of these have been taken over by the John Cabot federation and are now doing really well.

I would definitely recommend looking in this area; however there does seem to have been a massive increase in asking prices in the last 6 months (around 25-30K) so might be that you will need to look at 2 beds instead of 3s.

dannim12345

Hi,

I've lived in Bristol all my life and currently looking to buy (I still live at home at the moment so no rush). Bristol is expensive and if something is well priced in a good-ish area its going really quickly at the moment.

Areas to avoid include - Southmead, Lockleaze, St Pauls and Easton. These areas are quite near Horfield.

In terms of Patchway, its just a big housing estate not sure in terms of crime etc though. They are building quite a few new estates now. I would say its really far out of Bristol centre so could be a bit of a pain, a taxi back from a night out would be £25+. Its near 'The Mall' though (which a a big area with shops, restaurants, cinema etc. Depends what you are looking for really.

I think it would be worth renting a room for a few months (as previously suggested) to get a better idea of Bristol.

DRP

dannim12345 wrote: »

Hi,

I've lived in Bristol all my life and currently looking to buy (I still live at home at the moment so no rush). Bristol is expensive and if something is well priced in a good-ish area its going really quickly at the moment.

Areas to avoid include - Southmead, Lockleaze, St Pauls and Easton. These areas are quite near Horfield.

In terms of Patchway, its just a big housing estate not sure in terms of crime etc though. They are building quite a few new estates now. I would say its really far out of Bristol centre so could be a bit of a pain, a taxi back from a night out would be £25+. Its near 'The Mall' though (which a a big area with shops, restaurants, cinema etc. Depends what you are looking for really.

I think it would be worth renting a room for a few months (as previously suggested) to get a better idea of Bristol.

^^agree
I have lived in Bristol for 15+ years

Sorry can't advise on cheap options for rental apart from those al;ready suggested -

there are lots of good & bad areas in Bristol within a small radius and travel/public transport is very very bad (patchy at best) so it would be advantageous to rent somewhere first so you can experience the practicalities of the commute etc

ceh209

I live on that estate you mentioned, but in a house by a different builder so can't comment on that particularly. They're building loads so no rush to get in, I agree with others - rent and check out the areas first.

Been here ~15 months, haven't experienced any crime. Taxi back from the centre of town on a Friday night is £23.

Commuting to Horfield from here would be easy. Parking is difficult anywhere in Bristol but buses from Patchway to Horfield are relatively good.

Not sure if you'll be travelling back to where you live now regularly aswell, but the north side of the city i.e. where you're looking is the best option for getting on the motorways aswell.