Best places to buy in Manchester for a first-timer (that isn't Didsbury)

MissMarble

We had a look at a house down Bulkeley Road the other day and it was such a lovely house - but by the time we get an updated mortgage in principle I know it will be gone! There's a Victorian terrace on Kingsland Road which looks quite nice (a bit smaller but definitely potential and cheaper) but it is closer towards the sewage works which I'm not sure about and more of a distance from the actual village. Compromises - ahhh!

I'll keep my eyes peeled in the new year as I'm sure there will be lots more properties! I think it's just good for us to view as many as we can and to figure out how much things are worth and the locations we most like! Although I'm definitely becoming addicted to checking out RightMove literally every hour.

This forum is such a great place

Help1234

Barter wrote: »

So what's wrong with Lymm?

Ah you are right I forgot about Lymm - it is very beautiful. But maybe a little on the small side?
I still think Altrincham or one of the Cheshire villages on either the Crewe - Manchester Pic train line (Sandbach, Holmes Chapel, Goostrey, Chelford, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Handforth, Cheadle Hulme...) or Stoke on Trent - Manchester Pic train line (Prestbury, Adlington, Poynton, Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme...) are the best bet.

ACG

Kingsland road is near where I went to view some houses that reminded me of shameless. I think it is the newer houses round the back of where you are looking.

MissMarble

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd give a bit of an update. We are looking at a house in Heaton Chapel which we like - however it's at the top end of our budget and needs a bit of work doing (i.e. new kitchen/knocked down wall and potential cellar conversion later down the road). We know location is a huge priority for us and we do want to be in a good place, as I know we could change things but not the location! Has anyone got any feedback on Heaton Chapel?

As you may be able to tell we are feeling confused and wonder if we should just wait until spring - but wonder if we'll get priced out of a location/type of house we're looking for and it's probably be worth a shot exploring further now even if its just for the experience! The house is on at a guide price, so I think there's some flexibility - but I do need to investigate a bit more!

Thank you again for all your help

Help1234

What makes you want to move to Heaton Chapel? Just proximity to Manchester? Have you visited Altrincham or Sale?

MissMarble

We haven't looked in Altrincham or Sale yet as nothing has particularly grabbed our attention there - still would be open to it... but we were quite impressed by HC's proximity to the city and nearby areas with bus/train

spirit

I live on the Heaton Chapel side of Heaton Norris. Tbh, any of the Heatons are nice . Lots of eateries around. Things to do. 11 mins on the train into Manchester. We have a very active Facebook group called the 4 Heatons hub. I've found all the trades I've needed for doing stuff on this house from there. Good too for finding out what's going on. In fact there is a walk organised this morning round there, so if you see a whole load of people wandering around, say hello..

Loads of stuff going on for all ages. I'm originally a southerner and moved here 8 months ago. People up here really are friendly as is the belief about northerners lol.

dobymicks

I would stick to south Manchester, Altrincham, Timperley.

or Wilmslow, Handforth, Heald green

Stay clear of Stockport, Cheadle Heath.

Beetroot24

I live in Urmston and I love it, but if I were to move, I'd probably head towards Ashton on Mersey. When the weather is better, I walk there with my kids through the Mersey Valley because it has great parks, some lovely pubs, and it's a change of scenery. It takes about 20 minutes from the Nelson pub to AoM village. It feels like you're in the countryside, not in the suburbs

Help1234

I agree you need to stick to south Manchester such as Altrincham or Wilmslow and stay clear of Stockport and areas round there.
You need to visit the listed places as otherwise you could be missing out. Rather than just looking at houses on rightmove and forming opinions off of that you need to actually get out to these areas and see which areas you like and can see yourselves living in. You can’t say nothing has grabbed you in Altrincham when you have never set foot in the area. The amenities, transport and QOL are much better there then the places you are listing.