Advice buying in Scotland

zagubov

jennifernil said:

I was also wondering about that, and about whether it is possible to get a mortgage to buy a house in Scotland while still working in London and not having a firm job to go to in Scotland.
Might be that OP would need to rent at intended destination for the first few months.
There is also the difference in wages to be considered when applying for a mortgage,  jobs in London generally being better paid than elsewhere.

Don't get carried away with that notion!
Most jobs here aren't paid enough extra to compensate for the higher prices/ inferior housing space and facilities.

Steerpike88

zagubov said:

Are you absolutely certain you'll be working in Glasgow itself?

Not 100% but my husband has been headhunted by a few banks and consultancies in Edinburgh. He's also been offered remote work by other companies before, he's in quite a niche area of IT, so we're really lucky. So am I actually, but I don't have as much experience as I took time out to have the kids. We also used to own a cleaning/gardening business and I have another profession I want to get back to on the weekends once the kids are a bit older. So we've really thought it through. 

superblade

Have you thought about living just outside Edinburgh? There’s lots of new developments within a 20-30min commute. New developments are the best way of buying a property in Scotland given they’re fixed price. The market for lived in houses even in towns just outside Edinburgh are going for silly prices. You’ll get the benefit of being close to work and the space you’ll get from living just outside Edinburgh too. 

Shawfair, Newtongrange, Dalkeith are all on the borders Trainline to Edinburgh Waverley and have loads of new builds going up.

Definitely look into them. We’re in Dalkeith!

scottishblondie

In the Glasgow area I'd say Bearsden, Milngavie and Lenzie are excellent areas on the north side of the city - I've had a few friends move to Lenzie after being priced out of Bearsden.  Jordanhill is kind of the gold standard for schools in the west of the city, but you wouldn't get a 4 bed with a good sized garden for £400k.  Competition is stiff for houses in the catchment.
Clarkston, Newton Mearns etc. are popular on the south side of the city and also have excellent schools.
If there's a possibility of work in Edinburgh or Glasgow perhaps somewhere in the middle?  I have a colleague who lives in Linlithgow and rates it for commuting to both cities, although he says he prefers working in Glasgow

fewcloudy

scottishblondie said:

I  I have a colleague who lives in Linlithgow and rates it for commuting to both cities, although he says he prefers working in Glasgow

@Steerpike88
I also think Linlithgow is a good shout, though you're then obvs guaranteed a motorway commute, regardless if he works physically in Glasgow or Edinburgh, just half as long! I hate commutes but I did do quite a long one by Scottish standards (Edin to Dundee daily) a long time ago, so I am probably biased.

Arfa__

jennifernil said:

I was also wondering about that, and about whether it is possible to get a mortgage to buy a house in Scotland while still working in London and not having a firm job to go to in Scotland.
There is also the difference in wages to be considered when applying for a mortgage,  jobs in London generally being better paid than elsewhere.

Are you able to continue your London job remotely?

Thankfully, my firm always has been very open to flexible/remote working, and so this is going to be my plan. I just have to commit to visiting London for a couple of days every couple of months.

@Superblade That Dalkeith, Eskbank, Bonnyrigg area is on my list to scout out further. Would love to hear more about the area. Lasswade appears to be the better high school (going by stats) - is that fair?

weeg

Parts of G20 are good value for money (Maryhill, North Kelvinside) but the schools aren't all brilliant. And TBH there are a few less salubrious parts as well. But Maryhill Park has some great houses within a good catchment. And there are some townhouses near me which are so reasonably priced you could probably afford to spend the difference on private schools. (Anywhere on the Anniesland- Maryhill- Queen St train line is less than 20 mins to queen st station which is a real bonus).

I'd also join the chorus recommending Bishopbriggs, not least because it's not too bad for the motorway. Milngavie - Edinburgh is a bit of a slog (although if you're used to London...)

I've got friends in Linlithgow and Livingstone, both of which are good for commuting either way.

jennifernil

zagubov said:

jennifernil said:

I was also wondering about that, and about whether it is possible to get a mortgage to buy a house in Scotland while still working in London and not having a firm job to go to in Scotland.
Might be that OP would need to rent at intended destination for the first few months.
There is also the difference in wages to be considered when applying for a mortgage,  jobs in London generally being better paid than elsewhere.

Don't get carried away with that notion!
Most jobs here aren't paid enough extra to compensate for the higher prices/ inferior housing space and facilities.

I have heard that is often the case, you certainly get more house for  your money up here, but  I was more thinking that if OP has an AIP for £400k based on present wages in London, then that could get reduced if wages up here end up a bit lower.

scottishblondie

fewcloudy said:

scottishblondie said:

I  I have a colleague who lives in Linlithgow and rates it for commuting to both cities, although he says he prefers working in Glasgow

@Steerpike88
I also think Linlithgow is a good shout, though you're then obvs guaranteed a motorway commute, regardless if he works physically in Glasgow or Edinburgh, just half as long! I hate commutes but I did do quite a long one by Scottish standards (Edin to Dundee daily) a long time ago, so I am probably biased.

My colleague takes (took?  we're WFH indefinitely now) the train.  It's pricey, but lower stress than driving.  Plus parking in Glasgow city centre is an absolute nightmare if you don't want to spend £10+ a day.  I can only imagine Edinburgh is worse!

zagubov

Bit of a long shot. Stirling's less rainy than Glasgow and much warmer and less windy than Edinburgh. Good access to both by train and motorway. Lots of facilities including Britain's most northerly Waitrose.
For that matter, if you're happy to drive, Torrance is a village handy for Bishopbriggs shops and  motorway connections to Edinburgh and I think it's in the Bearsden school catchment area.
But unlike those towns it doesn't have musical acts named after it.
Hey ho, you can't have it all!