First time buy LEEDS

Natbag

No problem! I've lived in Leeds all my life, all different areas, so hopefully I can help
Sadly, I think if something is looking a bit too good to be true, it usually is.
Maybe you have been looking too high and too low, and have yet to consider something in the middle? Your budget would buy you a really nice, large, almost new home in some pretty decent areas, or brand new even. Have you considered a new build? There would be no work to do once you'd moved in, and you can have a say on what's fitted.
I'd definitely recommend spending a day driving round areas you are considering to get a feel for where you'd like to live or definitely would not like to live. Then you can narrow your search down a bit.

Natbag

Charlotte09 wrote: »

I'm going to view this property tomorrow and booked few others in areas mentioned in North Leeds. So I can get a feel of the difference. Right now I'm getting anxiety!

Ah don't be anxious! There's a lot to weight up and you do right to go have a look round to get a good idea and starting point.
Also regarding properties like the gorgeous home, it may seem like there's no work to be done, but it's not a new property so there may be hidden upgrades/repairs/maintenance that are needed - which is where your survey comes in. Newer homes are less likely to need major works doing, but as with any lived-in property it may not be to your ideal standard/taste.
Definitely don't compromise on area though. Everything else can be changed. The Beeston home is beautiful, but the area for me really doesn't tick any of the criteria you mentioned in your first post.

LEJC

Charlotte...I dont live in the area...but the general saying runs for wherever you buy.

you can buy the best house in the worst street/area...or the worst house in the best street.

You can improve the property...but can have very little influence on the area you live in terms of regeneration etc without a lot of others becoming involved.

Go look tomorrow,and pick several different times of the day to travel round the nearby streets to get a feel for the place....friday and saturday evenings....sunday mornings etc.

A lot is personal preference and some people do find that there is a great community spirit in some of the less affluent areas, but others find it hard to adjust to being part of.

that particular house is very well done and very under your budget...but there is more to buying a house than what the internal area looks like....

Charlotte09

Hi guys

Just update... we drove around lots of various Leeds areas today literally from morning till evening. Excellent advice!

Regarding Beeston property... vendor had clearly worked immensely hard on house, however you guys were right. Stepping outside and around the streets just wasn't for us.

We went to see another house in Roundhay area which was deemed as highly sought after by estate agent. However all the ground floor windows except the front had metal bars on. Looking at fellow neighbours they had the same. I asked the agent about it but she didn't say much. I'm assuming it indicates safety issue?

Natbag

Glad you've had a productive day!
Metal bars would ring alarm bells to me. Do you have a link to the property? I'm thinking the area is more Oakwood than Roundhay, which isn't anywhere near as good.

Charlotte09

Ahh maybe. Have a look please and let me know;

Purplebricks.co.uk/property-for-sale/3-bedroom- semi-detached-house-leeds-172105/#

Yeh definitely especially when you can see fellow neighbours are doing it too!

Natbag

Yeah, it's off Roundhay Road but Roundhay itself is much further up, this is actually between Oakwood and Harehills, and I would definitely recommend staying away from Harehills.
https://goo.gl/maps/fFr11Jfuo122
Saying that, the neighbourhood looks presentable enough on Street View, and Chapel Allerton is nearby which does tick the boxes you described in your first post.

orangecrush

Hi Charlotte,

Excuse me jumping in, but I was exactly in your shoes around 18 months ago so I thought I'd chip in! We were new to Leeds too and we're being sold on Chapel Allerton and Roundhay by agents, but the houses we could afford were in the dodgier areas like Gipton (which is really close to the property linked above) and Chapeltown.

In the end we bought a wildcard do-er up-er in Horsforth for around your budget (that we're still working on... It needed a total overhaul) and we haven't looked back. We have everything we need here - cafes, food shops, farmers market, a park, sports clubs...) and it suits us perfectly. Having said that, we are in our 30s, and don't mind the sleepy neighbourhood and slight monoculture (we go in search of diversity elsewhere!).

Just on the other side of Horsforth station is Cookridge and there are some lovely big houses there, but there's a bit more of a mix of housing stock so you need to be slightly more careful which streets you're near ; having said that they're nowhere near as bad as e.g. Harehills or Chapeltown!

I'm not sure how old you are, or what sort of area you're looking for, but just north of Headingley there can be some real bargains. My husband nixed the area as he works at the uni, but as long as you stay north Headingley may be worth a look if you prefer a more vibrant community.

Where are you going to be working? And how do you plan to commute? Leeds is transport hell for us, and how we'd get to work was a huge influence on where we would buy. Good luck!! And hope the anxiety gets better!! I hated house hunting for the same reason so I totally sympathise!

Charlotte09

@Orangecrush thanks for your insight! Yes I am sure I am not the first one to begin this rollercoaster in house hunting. They say buying your first home is the one top stressful things in life after getting married haha!

Me and husband are early 30s planning a family soon, so for us schools & vibrant area would be good. We're no longer the "night life" seekers but at same time want to enjoy restaurants, outings, things to do etc in an area. They don't need to be on our doorstep but at same time not too far so I can comfortably take out my baby/toddler myself in due time

At present husband works in bradford just before m606 so he would definitely need good motorway links. Whereas I'm more flexible and moving to Leeds I would have to find a job there. But I am very comfortable using public transport so working in other areas using train from Leeds has been good for me.

We saw another house in Rothwell yesterday and it really ticked all our boxes for house criteria. Very spacious and exactly what we are looking for. However the area seemed quite far out from Leeds and nothing being closeby. Asking two North Leeds estate agents they said it wouldn't be an area for them.
//m.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/45319274
Any opinions?

Ragtimeplayer

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/photos/45319274

That looks lovely. I think its in a nice area and well worth a buy