Areas To Seek and To Avoid near Leeds in West Yorkshire

cerberus8700

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums. I have searched the forums and found some relevant topics but nothing quite like this. 

I'm an FTB and looking to get a house with my partner near Leeds (her job is in Leeds city centre and she might need to pop into the office once in a while). We don't have a car yet but we're definitely planning on getting one as soon as we can. Our budget is 275k.

We're looking to get a house in a nice area/village where 3-bed houses are a bit more spacious, the garden is bigger and there's nature around (rivers/canals/forests/etc). I've seen some people recommend some areas like Roundhay, Alwoodley, Otley, Oakwood, etc. Some of these areas are a bit on the expensive side for a decently-sized house. I hate box rooms.

So I guess, it might make it easier as well to filter out certain areas of Leeds that are not good to live in. I know about Beeston, Holbeck, Seacroft and Harehills. Anything else?

tl;dr
Which areas would you recommend to specifically seek out or specifically avoid near Leeds in West Yorkshire that fit the following critera:

• Decently sized 3-bed house
• Has a big garden
• Near nature (rivers/canals/forests/etc). By near I mean walking distance preferably.
• An area with character if possible.

Thank you!

TripleH

Would you commute in by train?

North Leeds tends to be the nicer area although to the west you have Pudsey and Morley.

Are schools a consideration or not for a while?

daveyjp

Prices in Leeds have gone crazy in the last 18 months and availability is low, so I'd work it the other way.

See what is within your budget and see if it meets your 'would likes'.  Public transport in Leeds is poor, so anything near railway stations commands a premium.

Beeston Holbeck, Armley, Harehills are areas I'd avoid.

cerberus8700

TripleH said:

Would you commute in by train?

North Leeds tends to be the nicer area although to the west you have Pudsey and Morley.

Are schools a consideration or not for a while?

Thank you for the comment. No, school is not a consideration at this moment! 

maxsteam

If you feel the need to state that Leeds is in West Yorkshire, my opinion is that you should rent for a while while you get to know the areas that you like and dislike. It's worth visiting Rightmove and performing plenty of drive-bys before you part with your funds.

As long as you are sensible, £275k should get something really really nice.

You should learn to ignore estate agents' hype about rocketing prices and limited availability. There are lots of over-priced new-build developments with salesmen trained in how to part ignorant southerners from their cash.

glennevis

maxsteam said:

If you feel the need to state that Leeds is in West Yorkshire, my opinion is that you should rent for a while while you get to know the areas that you like and dislike.

To be fair to the OP there is a Leeds in Kent (but we all know which Leeds they are referring to).

cerberus8700

maxsteam said:

If you feel the need to state that Leeds is in West Yorkshire, my opinion is that you should rent for a while while you get to know the areas that you like and dislike. 

I can see how you got that, however, I was more emphasising that the place I'm looking for needs to be in West Yorkshire, near Leeds. Not that I was stating that Leeds was in West Yorkshire. I know what I like and dislike, but I thought asking people for their experiences that no amount of drive bys would give me about areas to live in and areas to avoid

maxsteam said:

You should learn to ignore estate agents' hype about rocketing prices and limited availability. There are lots of over-priced new-build developments with salesmen trained in how to part ignorant southerners from their cash.

Agreed! I'm not particularily looking for new builds either. But yeah, I've quickly learned to ignore what EAs say about their properties -- after all, it's their job to sell it. 

I really appreciate your input!

Kathy535

Does it have to be in Leeds itself? If you move out of Leeds to surrounding areas (especially south of Leeds) you’ll get much more for your money.  Parts of Wakefield and Dewsbury are really nice and you can be in Leeds in around 15 mins on the train or 20-30 mins on the M1 (although not in rush hour!). That’s probably similar or less commuting time than if you live in Otley, Horsforth or Guisley.

 I live in South West Wakefield, work in Leeds City Centre and I like that home is close to the M1 and A1 for travelling down south to see family.

A 3 bed semi with parking and garden in a decent area of Wakefield will be somewhere in the region of £200-250k. Detached houses from around £235k+.  I’d be looking at Sandal, Horbury, Newmillerdam, Netherton, Crigglestone, Durkar, Ossett, Midgely, Overton,  Walton.  And a bit further out are Notton, Woolley, Flockton, West Bretton, Emley. 

As always, there are good and bad parts of all of these areas.

Slithery

daveyjp said:

Beeston Holbeck, Armley, Harehills are areas I'd avoid.

Haha.

I lived in all of those places when I was a student

maxsteam

It's a sophisticated area.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=56NjXSTGtxY

steadfast123

I agree with Kathy535- Leeds is expensive and you can get a lot more for your money just outside. I live in Bradford, it’s about a 30 min drive to Leeds (longer in rush hour admittedly) and there is a train station that goes to Leeds a 5 min drive away (train journey is about 12 min). The nicest 3/4 bed semis with decent gardens are about 230 around here and neighbouring Thackley. Apperley Bridge is nice and nearer to the station but a bit more expensive. All these places are just on the border with Leeds.