Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Should I buy a house somewhere a bit grim?

110 replies

AllByMySelfDontWannaBe · 16/11/2020 04:55

I need your thoughts and advice! Might be long, only read if you're interested in property and towns 😁

I am mid 30s and would really like to buy somewhere and get on the ladder. There are two places I'm looking to buy in and cant decide what would be best.

Option 1 is a medium sized town set to become a small city. It's local to me. This is a former industrial town that has, in the four years I've been in the area, really upped its game. Once scruffy and kind of in a post industrial slump, it has built a new tech and start up hub it has filled, it has a university and design school, it is in a very strategic part of the country with excellent links to some key places. Just things like when I arrived in the area there wasnt a single coworking space, there are now three. There are big works going on to clean up and polish the old buildings, make over the streets, etc, you can see the standard of shops and services are slowly gentrifying.
Disadvantages: the region is industrial not exactly enchanting, its isnt a place that gets my heart singing, it still has a faintly "grim" feel in parts as it is in the process of being regenerated. Also risk of it NOT taking off.
Advantages: I can afford a 3 bedroom house with a garden in the centre, or a 2 bedroom at the low end of my budget, and the way things are going I think I would make a good profit when I sell. Also I have friends locally. I do feel a little affectionate towards it.

Option 2 is a well established, well heeled buzzing small city in a beautiful part of the country. It's one of the most expensive places to buy in, it's a very romantic location and idyllic city. Buying here my property would definitely hold its value, but I dont think I would make money on it. I have always wanted to live here.
Disadvantages: At the top end of my budget, I would only be able to afford a one bed flat. I also dont know the region at all, this is all based on dreaming! Dont know anyone here.
Advantages: Fulfilling a bit of a dream, property will hold value.

I cant decide whether to go for option 2 straight off the bat, or whether I should start off with option 1 as it would be financially easier, plus in a place I know well, and aim for option 2 later. Location isnt an issue re work. I think ordinarily I would head straight for option 2 but covid triggered a few MH issues in me and I have slightly cold feet about rocking on up somewhere I dont know anybody until this has all blown over. That's a minor issue though!

What do you think? Anyone got any anecdotes to share?

YABU: Buy in the dream place
YANBU: Buy in the grim place

OP posts:
liveitwell · 16/11/2020 08:25

Brighton.

  1. you don't need a 3 bed house if it's only you. A 1 bed flat is perfect.

  2. house prices will still rise in Brighton. My family live there and theyve made plenty of money on housing over the past 10 years. You make good money in good places.

Original poster
AllByMySelfDontWannaBe · 16/11/2020 08:31

It's really interesting reading your replies, thank you!

Thanks also to the posters who got what I meant, I mean in terms of vibe and economy not in terms of scale.

Option 1 is grim as in a bit tatty around the edges even in the centre, but its definitely not "stabby" or high crime. It was just forgotten once manufacturing and industry declined, and now they are drawing on tech, the university and the excellent location to try and get it back and up and running. I can definitely see the huge potential in this place, but I think it will be a long game!

OP posts:
LillianGish · 16/11/2020 08:31

Buy the one you want to live in in the place you want to live - that way it doesn’t matter what happens to property prices (anybody’s bet in the current climate) because it will be your home and you can live in it. Also do you want to go to the top end of your budget or would you rather spend less and keep a bit of money in your pocket? Areas are so subjective - only you know where you will be happy living. I live in an apartment in central Paris - we could cash in and move out to a house with a garden and it’s become a bit of a joke in the family that anytime we visit anyone who lives outside I immediately get onto the property websites to see what we could get for our money. But I know in my heart of hearts that nothing would persuade me to leave the city - I love stepping outside and having it there on my doorstep. It’s worth more than a garden in a faceless suburb. I have no idea where you live and you are being quite cagey about it for whatever reason, but if property two was by the sea for instance (you mention Brighton as a comparison) then I’d probably prefer that to a garden in an industrial town.

MaudesMum · 16/11/2020 08:38

When I was looking to relocate a few years ago, I spent quite a lot of time researching the place to see how well I'd fit in to it. So, I looked up Whats On guides to the town, and lists of clubs and societies and so on. There was one place which I had been keen on, but disregarded after realising that there seemed very little going on which would interest me - it was a city with quite an elderly population, and the activities seemed to reflect that. It would definitely be worth checking out Option 2 in that respect. If it has high property prices, who now lives there, and would you fit in?

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 16/11/2020 08:44

Option 1 = pre rejuvenation Sheffield on a slightly smaller scale.

House prices in some areas of Sheffield are just insane. I live in Sheffield. It is NOT as described by the op, a lot of postcodes are in open countryside😡

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 16/11/2020 08:46

And nor is it ‘grim’. Lots of it is actually beautiful with graceful Victorian suburbs. Sir John Betjamin described one of the suburbs as the most beautiful he’d seen. The University is stunning.

CaptainMyCaptain · 16/11/2020 08:49

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

Option 1 = pre rejuvenation Sheffield on a slightly smaller scale.

House prices in some areas of Sheffield are just insane. I live in Sheffield. It is NOT as described by the op, a lot of postcodes are in open countryside😡

Yes, parts of Sheffield are lovely. I think I heard somewhere that it has one of the highest rates of millionaires and also one of the Universities where ex students tend to stay on in the area. There are some grotty areas, it's true, but it's very close to the Peak District and great communication links to the rest of the country.
CaptainMyCaptain · 16/11/2020 08:49

I know the OP isn't actually talking about Sheffield, obviously.

RelightMyPfizer · 16/11/2020 08:54

Even pre rejuvination (an it is only partial) Sheffield attracted professionals and had very nice centralist areas to live

I used to work in a professional role in Sheffield
Most of the office walked to work (up to an hour so 3 miles ish). Even more walked home on a nice summer evening (so a bit further)
They had been students and then bought houses, there are many decent and pricey areas in Sheffield because of the students.

Meruem · 16/11/2020 08:56

I find it a bit sad when house buying comes down to how much money you can make from it. To me it’s about buying a home where you can be happy and live a nice life. For that reason I’d be more inclined to say can you be happy in a 1 bed or would you prefer more space? What area fits better with your lifestyle? I personally would look at places in both areas and maybe have a shortlist of properties in each, then decide.

doublehalo · 16/11/2020 08:58

House over flat any day of the week.

pigcon1 · 16/11/2020 08:59

My first flat was not in what would have been considered a good area, but I loved it and it was a good buy.

If you are buying a family home it would be important to me that the area was safe but not necessarily beautiful.

zatarontoast · 16/11/2020 09:03

It depends on how long you plan to stay. If it is likely to be your forever home, then go for 1. If it is a stop gap then go for 2 as it is more liekly to increase in value.

Fluffybutter · 16/11/2020 09:08

I remember when everyone who lived in a “grim” part of London suddenly had more money than they knew what to do with because the Olympic stadium was built near by and their property prices quadrupled !
If it’s up and coming then it could be a brilliant investment and the bonus of a bigger house and a garden versus a small flat.
No brainer for me .
Good luck

amusedbush · 16/11/2020 09:12

DH and I live in an area that isn't considered particularly desirable. He grew up here and then rented a flat ten minutes from his parents when he moved out, and I moved into it with him 7 years ago. It's definitely "tatty" around the edges but I quite like it. Our current house (three bedrooms, front and back garden, set off the main road in a nice, quiet square) was valued at £72k when we bought it last summer - before we renovated it top to bottom. Call it £90k all in to buy the house and do it up.

If we moved even five miles away we'd be looking at double that for a similar house.

If the less desirable area gets you more house for your money, I'd go with that. The council has been pouring money into our area over the past few years and now we even have a wanky brunch place nearby, much to my delight Grin

stschiap · 16/11/2020 09:12

I'd go for 1.
You've got friends there already. You can get a bigger property with garden.
Dreams are often disappointing in reality - you've perhaps built this other place to be fabulous and it might not be. Everywhere's shit if you're lonely.

Fluffybutter · 16/11/2020 09:14

@Meruem

I find it a bit sad when house buying comes down to how much money you can make from it. To me it’s about buying a home where you can be happy and live a nice life. For that reason I’d be more inclined to say can you be happy in a 1 bed or would you prefer more space? What area fits better with your lifestyle? I personally would look at places in both areas and maybe have a shortlist of properties in each, then decide.
But it’s not sad ,Houses are an investment ! I don’t let the emotions side come into it too much until I look for my “forever home” . Things change , life changes and what may be your dream home now may not be in 3 years time and if you’ve bought a 1 bed with it much scope then you’ve not got much to play with. It’s sensible to know if you have a chance of selling easily and for a profit .
WingingWonder · 16/11/2020 09:14

Op consider your life stage in this-
How long do you plan to live there- could you rent it et is there a hospital nearby which always has rental demand etc
If it’s a joke you intend to be in for foreseeable consider schools etc in mix or you’ll have to sell before you want to if the area isn’t working for you
Ive lived in both- my experience view would in hindsight be-

  1. Wait to buy- market unpredictability globally atm
  2. Life where brings you joy- short term
  3. But and rent out the ‘house’ now if you wanted to invest now
I made a lot of sacrifices to get on the property ladder early and went fir the nicer area option- however- some friends bought the smaller house in 1 and then kept it when they met partners etc and rented it- ending up with best of both worlds... Also If you have a choice, never ever life somewhere you don’t feel safe Never live somewhere the police consider lively Assume if you buy you might be there longer than intended because of life!
Fluffybutter · 16/11/2020 09:14

*with not much scope

WingingWonder · 16/11/2020 09:15

Wish there was an edit- joke = place!!!

Christmasbiscuit · 16/11/2020 09:17

1 sounds more appealing to me.

CheetasOnFajitas · 16/11/2020 09:21

Are you currently single? If you want to meet someone, maybe you should live in the one which you think makes that most likely? It is a hard one to judge though and may not be as straightforward as “this location has more sports clubs (insert your interest) than the other”.

Hopefully Covid will be a distant memory in a year or so but, right now, I’d be very careful to buy a property that you actually like spending time in. For a single person you might actually feel you are rattling around a house, get fed up with maintaining a garden etc.

Lily193 · 16/11/2020 09:21

Option 1. Living in a 1 bed flat in a city would be far beyond grim to me.

DoYouMeanMe · 16/11/2020 09:21

I live in a place not dissimilar to your Option 1. I do live in a very nice part of it though. Lovely and green and also safe.

There are option 2 type places within commuting distance that I could have moved to but of course they are also more expensive.

My town is friendly and down to earth and institutions like universities and design schools bring in people from all over and give more vibrancy. I wouldn't move now.

You'd have to really love the more beautiful place and your surroundings to put up with a small flat and no garden in these times, I think.

JoJoSM2 · 16/11/2020 09:21

I do think the Brighton/Sheffield thing seems a bit of an unfortunate parallel for what you’re describing in your OP.

Other than that, if you’re single, I’d just get a flat in the town you like. It sounds like you’d enjoy the environment a lot more and you don’t need a 3-bed house unless you have 2 kids. I do agree with PP suggesting to rent first, though.