Help me find an affordable place to buy a house

gettingtheresometime

BlackBird75 wrote: »

I have family in Newport.
Yes, the tunnels are a bottleneck at times, but work has now started on the new M4 to bypass the tunnels.

I've always found Newport ok.
Which areas would you avoid?

Ringland for a start.

homeless9

Just going on Taylor Wimpey's website and looking at the houses for sale in many of these locations that you guys have recommended, it amazes me what I can buy compared to Guildford and the surrounding areas here in the South East.

Approx new build prices around where I live:

4 bed: £450,000 - £500,000
3 bed: £380,000 - £450,000
2 bed: £310,000 - £380,000

Whereas the locations mentioned by you guys all offer new build properties, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms between £150,000 - £220,000. Wow - I'd be mortgage free instantly / very quickly. I could afford luxuries like Sky TV, at least 1 holiday per year (probably 2 or 3), maybe I'd get a Dog, save and invest for a early retirement.... whereas in the South East I'd be working until retirement, only be able to afford 1 holiday a year (max), no pet Dog, no money to invest. And the only way I will be able to get a 2, 3, or 4 bed house down here is through Shared Ownership, which is competitive and difficult to get accepted for due to having to work or live in the borough in which the homes are located.

Lots of locations to consider.

Murphybear

Madmel wrote: »

Sorry Money but you are wrong. There are a number of properties under £220k in Exeter. Yes, a lot are terraced (no idea if the OP would be interested) but some in reasonable areas with gardens, a garage and off-road parking.

Plus you're not far from the coast and Dartmoor which is beautiful for your days off:D. I'm a bit biased, could you tell?

Do you have days off?

If you have the time, you need to spend some time in some of these places, even an overnight stay. Being able to relocate anywhere makes it much more difficult.

I have another suggestion - Milton Keynes. It's a fairly young city, good communications and things to do. Lots of properties in your price range. It tends to be a love it or hate it place. When I got a job at the OU we moved there. I loved it, OH wasn't so keen so we bought a bungalow in a village:rotfl:

This is turning into an interesting thread, I look forward to reading the other suggestions

Crashy_Time

With Travelodge etc. so cheap and widespread now it is possible to spend time in many parts of the country cheaply getting a feel for areas, but if you are used to London or living in the centre of a big city many places will be a culture shock IMO, especially after 5-6pm.

Towser

Residents of Derby are the country's best-off in terms of disposable income, according to a study of household finances.

Workers in the East Midlands city - which is strong in transport-related industry such as aerospace engineering giant Rolls-Royce - enjoy an average spending power of £1,456 per month after they have settled their fixed outgoings.

That is £200 more per month than the British national average thanks to a cost of living that came in second-lowest among 30 UK cities, according to a study by finder.com.

The survey compared average city salaries against local rent and other standard monthly outgoings for 30 UK cities, calculating the disposable income of city residents after deducting tax, bills and other necessary general outgoings such as travel and food.

It discovered that the average British person gets to keep £1,083 per month after expenses and tax with the average monthly wage coming in at £2,073, while the average essential outgoings, such as rent, travel and food, total £990.

Reading residents (included in the survey despite not having city status) earn significantly more than the national average, at £2,473 a month, keeping roughly £1,287 after bills and making it the second highest-earning location, after London.

University town Reading has a large academic population, as does Southampton which comes in third, with a disposable income of £1,264.

Scottish cities Edinburgh and Aberdeen come just below the top three with Milton Keynes, Belfast and Swindon also featuring highly.

At the other end of table, the residents of the buzzy seaside city of Brighton limp in last with just £751 a month after essentials, almost half the amount of those in Derby, a massive difference of £705.

This is due to Brighton having the fifth highest living costs (£1,170) but also the seventh lowest average salary (£1,921).

Norwich comes just below as the second worst city for disposable income. It has the lowest monthly salary in the study (£1,762), leaving locals with just £872 of spending money every month.

Plymouth comes in third with locals receiving on average of £937 a month. Manchester and York finish the worst five cities with Portsmouth and Exeter just above.

Despite Londoners' earning the highest wage, they also, unsurprisingly, have the most bills and so feature much lower on the overall list.

Derby is the city that has highest disposable income, an average of £1,456 per month
Derby is the city that has highest disposable income, an average of £1,456 per month

Their disposable income is £1,095, only £12 above the UK average in the study. Their monthly outgoings of £1,629 are also over £350 more than any other city.

Hull is the city with the lowest outgoings of any city in the UK at just £767 per month.

However, residents have a lower monthly wage of £1,816 which means their disposable income is £1,049, below the study’s UK average.

Jon Ostler, CEO at finder.com, said: 'If you're considering moving to a new city, it is important to have an idea of the cost of living there.

'It may seem counter-intuitive, but this analysis shows that a lower wage offered in a different city doesn't automatically mean you have less money to spend, and could actually see you keep more.

'If you want to keep a closer eye on what you're spending, budgeting apps are useful tools to track your outgoings. This will ensure you don't overreach financially but can also help you grow your savings or spot ways that you can easily save money.'

Towser

OP What about Derby?

Towser

DE22 postcode is the least deprived in the area of Derby.

Owain_Moneysaver

Towser wrote: »

... the least deprived ...

is that a euphemism for "not completely mank"?

Crashy_Time

Just wait a while, they will be cheaper across the country pretty soon I think.

Beans27

trailingspouse wrote: »

Giggling here at the idea of Norwich being a Northern Town. All depends where you're starting from I guess!!


I'm NOT going to suggest moving oop north. Absolutely not.

Wonderful characterful Edwardian townhouse over 4 storeys for £225,000, 2 mins walk from train station (central Leeds 19 minutes), walking distance to doctor, dentist, hairdresser, vet, pubs, restaurants, Post Office, chemist, supermarket, coffee shops, etc etc etc, yards from the Leeds Liverpool canal (world heritage site), and easy access to wide open countryside. Nope - not going to say where it is. We don't want everyone moving here...

Can I hazard a guess - Saltaire :j
OP, suggestions of Leeds and Sheffield sound good for you