A little bit of advice needed for good areas in Manchester ...Follow on post

[shouldiorshouldinot]

Hi everyone,
I posted a couple of weeks ago about moving to Manchester and got some helpful responses, but still need a little advice...
Previously almost everyone suggested south Manchester, sale, Hale , Altrincham, as well as the moors and parts of Stockport.
I have 4dc and like I mentioned my budget is ideally max of £310k for a 4 bed, but that doesn't seem to get me much in those areas.
I was wandering if you guys could enlighten me on Eccles ( seen lovely affordable new builds there) , which parts of Stockport and stretford and prestwich (again lovely new builds) are good in terms of schools including secondary? I'm after good family locations not too rural.
I've noticed checking school checker on right move most primary schools seem good but secondary are touch and go, although they all seem good in the south but again just more pricey.
Any help would be appreciated?
Thanks

Offerton is a definite no from me.

There is a reason that Bredbury is cheaper

You will get mixed opinions on everywhere like a PP said some people will think some places aren't worth looking at whilst others say they are but for us we love it here and have had no issues, I know some who want to pay for the postcode and get less for your money and that's fair enough. I don't think it's cheap round here it just isn't overpriced. I'm actually from the border of Mossley/Saddleworth which was mentioned up thread and pretty rural (saddleworth moors) so I have experienced both and much prefer it here

As @FloatingthroughSpace said, the big house in Urmston/Davyhulme that's been on for a year is too close to the sewage works. It's absolutely awful at times but does not spread too far. That top end of Davyhulme is to be avoided, for smell alone.

I drive by that house every day Petit, it backs onto the sewage works and doesn't look like that picture at all. It looks totally scruffy and run down in the 'flesh'

Ahh not so good if it's stinky. How about this auction lot I'm Cheadle? Looks interesting www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-79709009.html#_full-description

Prestwich and Whitefield come under Bury council who have just agreed to build thousands of houses as part of the government’s housing build. Known as the Greater Manchester spatial framework. Stockport also is building lots of houses as part of this too so if u are planning to buy and you want views, check that you are not paying more than u should as u may not have one in a few years.
Bury areas ramsbottom, greenmount and Hawkshaw are lovely but as above.
Otherwise, didsbury (tram route) and chorton are nice ( think of Cold feet tv show which is set around didsbury). sale is ok. Altrincham and timerpley in the south as you are classed as Cheshire but with routes on the tram into Manchester City Centre in 20 minutes.

May be worth a look if u are buying in greater Manchester
www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing/greater-manchester-spatial-framework/

Boothstown is about 5 miles from eccles OP. We have some friends who are carers and refuse to go to eccles unless they're in pairs! There's some new builds going up at the moment in Boothstown and quite a few houses that have been here a while up for reasonable prices.

Bakedbeans how would i know if I'm paying too much ?

OP - you've got to bear in mind that 90% of people looking for a 4-5 bedroom house have exactly the same requirements as you, e.g. want good schools, a naice area and a reasonably commute to Manchester (or Stockport in the case of many of the areas you are looking at).

So anything that is cheaper than the average, which your budget is for that size of house in South Manchester, will most likely not be exactly what you are hoping for.

Postcodes are not the most useful guide for Stockport properties, as SK6 for example covers a fairly large area, and many different communities, all with their strengths and weaknesses. Marple is a nice place to live and bring up children, but a tedious commute with terrible traffic. Romiley is OK even up and coming, less posh than Marple but nearer the motorway. Woodley and Bredbury are even nearer the motorway but much less posh and not so much of a village centre.

Side note - As Stockport is city sized but actually still a town, then the surrounding areas tend to call themselves villages, despite being of a size that most people would consider towns. Some residents also like to consider themselves to live in Cheshire, despite Stockport having been part of Greater Manchester for many decades.

Offerton has very few shops or other services, I personally dislike the Bosden Farm estate heartily, lots of small roads circling in on each other but we all have different tastes. High Lane ditto. Disley likes to think of itself as a Cheshire village, it has a few shops and restaurants, but would be a nightmare commute by road. Most affordably houses are probably along the very busy A6. It can be a pain being right on the edge of the county, same for New Mills, Furness Vale and Whaley Bridge, which are a short distance further along the A6 but in Derbyshire.

As you have rated proximity to good shops highly, most of Stockport is likely to disappoint. Stockport town centre has sadly lost many of its large shops in the last decade or so, although it still has a useful selection, my daughter likes the big Primark for example. Manchester is a bit of a trek for many Stopfordians. The John Lewis at Cheadle Royal is useful, as is M&S at Handforth Dean, both on the A34.

Urmston is very handy for the Trafford Centre, shopping mecca for many.

Have you had a chance to come and look at any of the areas yet?

1poppy1 wow thanks for the in depth reply. We haven't had a chance to come up yet but plan to do so in 2 weeks. To be honest I'm now beginning to feeling really stressed and the excitement as faded. I don't k ow if this is meant to be😟. I don't mind mind anywhere in Manchester as long as there's great schools secondary including, nice shopping centre close by, nice neighbourhood budget 300k-325k. Looks like it's too much to ask.

Poynton is very nice. This one is near the train station as well.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60376896.html

Bramhall?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56313207.html

Poynton is nice and posher than most other areas discussed but a total bitch of a commute to Manchester. Not sure how frequent the trains are. My ex was from there and couldn't afford to buy there once he left home. Chose somewhere with no soul near Warrington instead. Never could get my head round that.

Thank you guys so much I've seen some nice properties but then the secondary schools near by don't seem good

Maybe I need to check each school individually rather than relying on right move school checker for an idea?

Bramhall high is very good, poynton high is very good as are hazel grove and marple high. Cheadle Hulme schools are good afaik.

Sparklysneakers thank you I don't think i should really rely on Rightmove school checker so I'll check the schools you've mentioned.

With your budget you can get something in Urmston/Flixton. They've got excellent primary and grammar if you dc are clever enough to get into one. Alternatively they have bthcc which is catholic school and good, Flixton girls is good too, a friends dc got into knutsford and there's s school bus too. I have 2dd, dd1 goes bthcc and dd2 goes to Loreto both in Altrincham. You can get into most Trafford schools.
With M41 there are no dodgy areas imo except for the part that's along the sewage line but then I've only lived in Urmston for 3 years having moved from another country so I might totally be wrong. It's close to m60 for easy commute but then I commute to Cheadle so not sure what traffic is like to town. But with your budget you will find something in Urmston/Flixton.

Many replies on here but I would echo Urmston. Good transport links, parks, shops, things to do, good crime stats, nice community feel. This isn’t to say other places don’t have this, but you will get more for your money here, and amazing Trafford schools and grammar schools.

Thank you I think you're right Urmston and flixton is my best bets with schools. I hope I find something with my budget and needing a 4 bed

Sorry don't get disheartened, there are always going to be pluses and minuses with all areas. Good schools are, to a certain extent, what you make of them.

I think sometimes people from the South think that lovely big houses in nice areas can be bought for the price of a 1 bed flat, but the popular parts of Manchester are not dirt cheap. Just readjust to that fact, then make a shortlist of say 3 areas and arrange to view a couple of properties in each area. Good luck.

Mosley Common, Boothstown, Astley and Tyldesley all very nice and well connected. Fred Longworth & Bedford High Schools are good. I’d send my kids to either.

Is Bedford High School good these days? I would try St. Mary’s to be honest.