Anyone know County Durham? Specifically Stanley?

[Chipsahoy]

Relocating to the north east. Spotted a house in Stanley. Is this an area to avoid? Is it ok?
No need to commute, schools for primary and high children. Not bothered about weather as know it’s high up..
Should we view? It’s a three hour drive so wanted to check out the area first.

TIA

And I must have missed a pity me house. I'm thinking of the overgrown semi.

Street View and satellite

Ahh I see thank you.
I like this one. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97769963?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard

If you need to get to newcastle I'd recommend either Morpeth or hexham to raise a family. Beautiful places with great schools and easily commutable to newcastle.

I would also vote for Northumberland. Morpeth is lovely but if you want to be nearer Newcastle try; Corbridge, Riding Mill, Stocksfield, Mickley, Prudhoe, Wylam, Ovingham, Horsley (a bit more in the middle of no where but lovely! And only a few minutes drive to a town), and many more all worth considering. As with all places some of these have better parts than others but some amazing schools and if you research you will see what each village/town has to offer.

Look at Shincliffe and High Shincliffe in Durham.

Hexham is lovely and definitely somewhere I'd like to live. Corbridge is next door and also lovely.

I'd move to Northumberland in a heartbeat.

We lived in Langley park. I would avoid Stanley if I'm honest. North Durham academy isn't great. The parking is an issue and people drive like tits down the maintained pad past Asda towards the main roundabouts etc. Shops are decent though!

Honestly, I absolutely would think about renting for a while. Means you'd be chain free and in a v string position when the rugt thing comes up. I know its a ballache but if you're completely unfamiliar with the area its probably best. In terms of Durham, Nevilles Cross is great with good schools. Newton Hall has a lot of housing stock if you don't mind 70s Estate style.

Avoid Stanley.

Try Sunniside - not much farther but nicer. Good location for Emmanuel College.

Thanks.
Renting is best I know but if we repay mortgage early we have a hefty fine...

Done a bigger search

Really like this one
4 bedroom detached house for sale
Frosterley Drive, Chester Le Street, DH3

This is huge, livable but dated, but would scrub up well.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/72262716

If I have my bearings right, this is a lovely bit of bishy www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77932140

This is on an estate in Durham (a nice estate - Newton Hall that has already been recommended) but a really good plot. Small park down the road and decent sized coop round the corner. Lots of greenery amongst the identikit 70s houses. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77550933

Amazing house. Decent part of Sunderland.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88324807#/

I’d definitely go north, OP, and Tyne Valley as a PP suggested, between Wylam and Hexham. Corbridge is my favourite of the places on offer there (but is probably also the priciest). Hexham is a town whereas the others mentioned are villages.

There’s also Tynemouth on the coast, although not sure if your budget would stretch as it’s fairly des res. Seaton Delaval is okay but nothing wildly special. Has a nice National Trust property close by and a community arts centre, when such things can open again, and isn’t too far from the coast at Seaton Sluice.

Or slightly further north again there’s Morpeth, which is quite nice, or Cramlington which is mainly residential but does have a small shopping mall and a Vue cinema, and has good transport links although not on the Metro line.

@PickAChew I like the fosterley drive one. But always discounted it because of the steam. Flooding worries but also my job for ten years was doing the searches for housing. That one will come up with a flood risk, making it difficult to get insurance.

Bishop aukland one is nice. Slightly concerned kitchen is small but I am going to look at that further. It’s perfect otherwise.

We adore the Sunderland one. We were talking about that one the other day but feared it was too built up and worried it wasn’t a nice area.

@OnlyTheLangoftheTitBerg we adore Northumberland. Love Hexham and Morpeth but cannot find anything within budget that doesn’t have a tiny garden. If something is likely to come up we would wait. Also concerns of flooding in Morpeth.

Terrible area? Why so cheap otherwise?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97093280?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard

It's Teesside, which is fairly cheap, anyhow, even the good bits, and right next to a very busy main road.

Enormous garden, mind!

This is a lovely estate and although it looks close to the busy road, the way the houses are built/gardens laid out the noise isn’t intrusive. I lived on a nearby road as a child. My parents still live there. Those houses have always been highly sought after.

The Sunderland one that PickAChew linked is in a nice quiet area (I lived just round the corner from there!)

Thanks all

Oh I like that Normanby one, that garden! Normanby is nice. It's just a cheap area in general down there but so many benefits. I used to work in Middlesbrough and lots of colleagues lived in Normanby. The Teesside area is great, amazing beaches (Marske and Saltburn are fantastic), close to lovely walking around Cleveland and North Yorkshire.

How is it living in Newcastle?

Thornton Crescent, Blaydon
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-96288722.html

Honestly in your situation I’d rent for 6 months to a year.

We did that as we where a 100% on exactly where we wanted to live in an area.

What we found was certain things that on the outset where redlines really weren’t and other things we thought didn’t matter did.

In the end be bought about 10 miles from our original plan and got a much better house location than we could afford.

It was so worthwhile renting to get a really good feel for an area and also plenty of time to see what’s on and coming onto the market.

We have to pay a hefty fine if we repay the mortgage so I don’t really want to rent.

I also have no idea where to rent? Our boys need to stay in their new schools, I cannot move them twice.
This relocation is a must for my health so we cannot wait until they are older.