Is it just Bristol that is this ridicuous?

DRP

easilydistracted wrote: »

Prices have been on the up in Bristol but they've only been thus insane since last summer. 275k for a house in Bemmie??? Crazy. I sold mine in December 2015 for about 75k more than I bought it for two years before, although I'd spent a few k doing it up. It was in Greenbank in Easton which is a very leafy but really urban area. It used to be a really undesirable area a while back. I would buy there over Bedminster in a heartbeat. I'm in the midlands now so a bit out of touch but at the time the agent was sure Bristol was in a bubble. Bristol market is also incredibly seasonal so if you can wait till end of August/ early Sep there will be less on the market but less competition. That was my experience anyway, though it was my first house.

Southville and parts of Bedminster/Ashton have been hugely gentrified in the last 5 or so years - North Street is a whole different place compared to when I moved there in '98. Bars, theatres, bakeries, good schools. It is also very strategically placed close to the centre- a pleasant walk across the river, with easy access to the country, the M5 the M4, Bristol airport, and also very close to Clifton, by foot or by car without the cross-city traffic (via the gorge).

I sound like an agent, but it has lots of advantages (subjectively speaking) over the traditionally trendy/popular places like Easton and St Wrburgh's.

easilydistracted

DRP wrote: »

Southville and parts of Bedminster/Ashton have been hugely gentrified in the last 5 or so years - North Street is a whole different place compared to when I moved there in '98. Bars, theatres, bakeries, good schools. It is also very strategically placed close to the centre- a pleasant walk across the river, with easy access to the country, the M5 the M4, Bristol airport, and also very close to Clifton, by foot or by car without the cross-city traffic (via the gorge).

I sound like an agent, but it has lots of advantages (subjectively speaking) over the traditionally trendy/popular places like Easton and St Wrburgh's.

True to a point, I lived in Windmill Hill till I moved to the place in Greenbank. I wouldn't call the yummy mummyville that is North Street Bemmie though. The house that the OP posted seems like its proper Bedminster to me, but things change quickly. It seemed to me people that could no longer afford Gloucester Road moved to North Street, causing people to no longer afford North Street and move to West Street which slowly got a bit nicer. Perhaps its continued to move on since I've been there.

It's the same centrally really. Greenbank has changed a lot because everyone got priced out of St Werburgh's and moved there instead. This then caused people not to be able to afford Greenbank and move into wider Easton.

Greenbank's better connected to most places than anywhere else in Bristol, but Bedminster is still pretty handy. Both have the benefit of being close to the centre which is probably the reason for the premium. Car based commuting in Bristol was pretty hellish in hindsight. Still miss the place though

Samsonite1

One thing I notice about Bristol is that the trendy places that were "rough" not so long ago have gone up a lot in price. When I grew up in Bristol, Sneyd Park was the most expensive area in Bristol and you can get a decent property for a relatively decent price today (comparing today's prices to 20 years ago). It makes you think about value for money or at least at some point, an area will have peaked in terms of value.

hanb

Thanks all! Interesting points.


We are considering Easton but as an area we're still unfamiliar with we need to spend some time there. Maybe spending the summer looking at areas and hoping for the market to calm a bit in 3 months or so might be a good plan!


The two viewings I had arranged for Saturday - the one in Easton seemed a surprise to the tenant when I knocked on the door!!


I'm tempted by South of the river because I know and like it, as mentioned it's got a lot going on over there but it really does feel like a bubble. Driving to the failed viewing on Saturday, Easton high street certainly didn't have the same feel but then it could be more like North Street in a couple of year.


Or maybe I should give up on being a grown up, it seems hard!

cashbackproblems

Its the same in South East London (and outskirts), anything commutable gets bided up and I made 7 offers at asking or above last year and lost out.

But now, sellers are asking too much and things are not selling as quickly, demand has died since the stamp duty change but there is a huge lack of supply and anything reasonably priced flagged on everyones RM alerts and gets snapped.

I don't see it changing, low interest rates and big demand (with immigration adding to the population), after the June vote to stay in, prices will just go up more due to higher confidence.

eastonian

hanb wrote: »

Easton seems to be on the up before it's actually picked up as a place but we shall see!

St George is another place that seems reasonable but that would be the end of the walking distance plan

Easton (or Greenbank at least) has already had it's "up & coming" period over the last 2 years - now a good deal of the better/larger houses are going for £300k+ where I am in Greenbank.

I'd suggest looking at St George / Whitehall, lots of nice houses around there and town is walkable if you're near the Bristol & Bath cycle path - would you consider cycling? Also parts of Fishponds nr the cycle path are worth a look - bigger (slightly newer) houses and perfectly nice area - Eastville & Oldbury Parks are great green spaces, and there are some nice bars & food places opening up on Fishponds Rd now (Lounge, Burger Joint etc).

buggy_boy wrote: »

The best properties ive ever bought have been deceased estates or person going into a care home, they usually need a so much work that a lot of people are put off, but as long as the structure is sound the rest is not to bad if you know what your doing.

Very much agree with this - we bought 3 years ago from a lovely old lady whose husband had died, and was moving in with her family as the house was too big for her. It needed a lot of work (total renovation / redecoration), which was hard work, but we've finished now and got a house we could never have afforded otherwise.

eastonian

hanb wrote: »

Driving to the failed viewing on Saturday, Easton high street certainly didn't have the same feel but then it could be more like North Street in a couple of year.

St Marks Road hasn't changed much in the last couple of years, but Sweetmart is pretty awesome, the Thali & Maitreya Social are good for food and Eastern Taste is ok for a curry. The Greenbank pub is doing pretty well as a hub for the area but is always busy now, as is the No.12 Deli.

There are a some other decent new/existing cafes & shops around the area, and some OK pubs which range from dirt cheap (Whitehall Tavern) the more earthy/musical (Plough).

It's certainly no North Street, but the area has definitely seen the creep of improvement / gentrification over the last few years which will no doubt continue. I like the community vibe round here and

easilydistracted

hanb wrote: »

Thanks all! Interesting points.


We are considering Easton but as an area we're still unfamiliar with we need to spend some time there. Maybe spending the summer looking at areas and hoping for the market to calm a bit in 3 months or so might be a good plan!


The two viewings I had arranged for Saturday - the one in Easton seemed a surprise to the tenant when I knocked on the door!!


I'm tempted by South of the river because I know and like it, as mentioned it's got a lot going on over there but it really does feel like a bubble. Driving to the failed viewing on Saturday, Easton high street certainly didn't have the same feel but then it could be more like North Street in a couple of year.


Or maybe I should give up on being a grown up, it seems hard!

That viewing sounds very Easton to be honest :rotfl: don't buy in Greenbank or Easton if you really like south of the city. They're very different. The Southville/ Windmill Hill/ Victoria Park areas are pretty white very middle class coffee culture places. Central is a lot more diverse but being gentrified by hipster types. Its edgy and you still have to be careful where you park your car but has so much going on. Depends if you want trendy vegan pub food and jerk chicken round the corner from each other or a nice cappuccino and a baby sensory class in easy reach.

When I bought my old place the survey showed a number of signs that the attic had been a cannabis growing room and the outhouse a drying room. I rang the agent who said 'Oh yeah, vendors a musician, welcome to Easton' and that was the entire explanation :rotfl: I hope the area doesn't change too much.

In answer to your original question I think that a lot of the people who got priced out of London have come to Bristol and its not the same in a lot of places. although all areas have their hotspots.

As your thread gave me a fit of nostalgia and I was curious I had a look and nearly fainted at the current prices. If I was looking at up and coming places and around 250k I'd go for this:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42019380.html

Or this:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41551461.html

Or something like this if you only need 2 beds:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41551461.html

You could always find cheaper less pretty versions!