Moving to Cardiff

[NiamhSS]

Hi all!

Myself and my boyfriend currently live in Essex where we have both grown up, however due to lots of reasons, one being the ridiculous price of houses here, we decided we wanted to move somewhere different! We don’t currently have children, but would obviously want to move to an area where we could raise kids. We absolutely LOVE Cardiff and after many trips there decided that is where we want to move too. We wouldn’t be able to move for a while, especially with COVID etc. But we wanted to know what areas are best to live in? We both drive, so being on outskirts of Cardiff etc is okay and but we would like to be in a area with good school catchments and shops nearby! With where we live now I know exactly what areas I would never live in and what areas I would never be able to afford haha, whereas other then my great aunt who lives just outside of Cardiff, I have no good knowledge of the best / worse areas to live in and we don’t want to make that mistake! Our budget would be around £280,000 to £300,000.

Thanks in advance!

That budget won’t go far in decent parts of Cardiff. What sort of property would you be looking for?

(This has been done several times before, by the way. Might be worth an advanced search.)

@Feminist10101

That budget won’t go far in decent parts of Cardiff. What sort of property would you be looking for?

It goes a lot further than in my area of Essex☺️🤣 Looking for 3 bedroom’s with driveway. A lot come up on Rightmove, but like i said I never know what areas are decent area’s and what areas are rough

@ODFODXmas

(This has been done several times before, by the way. Might be worth an advanced search.)

I know☺️ I’ve read a lot of them, but a lot of the ones I found were a few years old and areas are always changing and growing I find x

My family are in Westcliff and Leigh on Sea. I know what you mean.

I live 10 miles outside of Cardiff and a neighbour’s house just went up for sale - 4 bed detached, converted garage, extended kitchen for £300k.

In general Penarth, Whitchurch, Rhiwbina, Lisvane, Pontprennau, Cyncoed, Old St Mellons and Radyr are nice. In general I would avoid Grangetown, Butetown, Splott and Llanrumney. However Cardiff has such a big mix though that it's quite hard to completely rule areas out, and I spent some time living quite happily in Grangetown. Roath and Cathays have very studenty parts but also very nice non student parts.

You get more for your money the further outside Cardiff you go, but if your only requirements are for a 3 bed with drive you'll be fine.

For schools use the Wales Online checker as a guide, but the "traffic light" system is a bit skewed really as it's dependent a lot on the group of pupils being assessed at the time www.walesonline.co.uk/all-about/school-ratings

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/71745000#/

Sorry - posted too soon. This one for schools

The new Pontprennau/Old St Mellons estate is nice if you like that sort of thing I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-86510104.html

[quote ImAllOut]In general Penarth, Whitchurch, Rhiwbina, Lisvane, Pontprennau, Cyncoed, Old St Mellons and Radyr are nice. In general I would avoid Grangetown, Butetown, Splott and Llanrumney. However Cardiff has such a big mix though that it's quite hard to completely rule areas out, and I spent some time living quite happily in Grangetown. Roath and Cathays have very studenty parts but also very nice non student parts.

You get more for your money the further outside Cardiff you go, but if your only requirements are for a 3 bed with drive you'll be fine.

For schools use the Wales Online checker as a guide, but the "traffic light" system is a bit skewed really as it's dependent a lot on the group of pupils being assessed at the time www.walesonline.co.uk/all-about/school-ratings[/quote]
This is so helpful thank you!! Good to know what areas to be wary of when house hunting!

Penarth is a great town for raising kids. Excellent schools too.

We love Penarth but are aware from people / Rightmove that it seems to be a bit more expensive area also. We have seen some houses come up near Pentwyn / Pontprennau so good to know that the area is a recommended one!

Pentwyn is not great.

No problem, my husband is from Essex and I'm from the valleys but we lived and worked in Cardiff for a while (before buying back in the valleys for half the price ) so am well aware of the price differences! Feel free to ask any more questions.

What @ImAllOut said. The area around Roath park is lovely. Avoid Adamsdown- rough.
You can definitely buy for the money you have. Some lovely old terraces with original features about within your budget.

Yes agree with Pentwyn, there's definitely a thin line between many areas in Cardiff, it is difficult to tell sometimes.

Have a look at Whitchurch. Good schools, nice high street, nice houses.

Also Radyr, Rhiwbina.

Those new houses at Pontprennau look deadly dull to me.

What do you want apart from a driveway? What do you want to lice near? Pubs, cafes, shops etc?

We were priced out of Cardiff. The only areas to consider imo are Canton, Pontcana, Whitchurch, Pen y Lan and the non student parts of Roath. Good luck stretching your money to find a 3 bed with a drive in these areas.

Avoid Ely, Fairwater and Llanishen.

Splott and Grangetown are 'ok' areas. Bit rough round the edges, but not to the same scale as Ely.

Pontprennau is just a massive housing estate, your local amenities are Asda and DFS. It's close to the motorway so good if you're commuting.

Penarth isn't in Cardiff and it's not that great for kids. It's got some nice parks and a pebble beach, that's it for kids really. It's also expensive to buy.

Not sure what's wrong with Llanishen?
Birchgrove and Rhiwbina are nice and cheaper than Whitchurch, although adjacent. Pontprennau is very dull and overpriced. Bits of Canton are lovely - although bits are not! Generally, as someone said above, Cardiff suburbs (estate based ones aside which tend to be more homogeneous for better or for worse) are very mixed and it's just not possible to dismiss a whole area. You really do need to drive around a bit and see for yourself

Will be definitely going for a drive round some of the areas and get a feel for them as soon as we can, March next year most likely! Had a look at some of the areas recommended and Rhiwbina looks promising as well !

@Puppylucky

Not sure what's wrong with Llanishen? Birchgrove and Rhiwbina are nice and cheaper than Whitchurch, although adjacent. Pontprennau is very dull and overpriced. Bits of Canton are lovely - although bits are not! Generally, as someone said above, Cardiff suburbs (estate based ones aside which tend to be more homogeneous for better or for worse) are very mixed and it's just not possible to dismiss a whole area. You really do need to drive around a bit and see for yourself

Canton is a great place to live, so long as you are north of Cowbridge Rd, but the schools are not brilliant, unless you go for Welsh medium.

Radyr is lovely and definitely worth checking out! Quite expensive in parts but great schools and friendly people, also right by the M4 so quick access back to Essex for visits! Worth checking out when you visit 😊

@Feminist10101

Pentwyn is not great.

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with Pentwyn, please? I'm a new buyer looking at this area.

@Newbuyer It's just not the best. It's not terrible, but can be a bit quite rough.. no great schools really either if you're looking for that

I don’t think you’d get a 3 bed semi with a driveway for £300k in the ‘nicer’ parts of Cardiff (I’m looking myself.) More likely on the outskirts as you say eg Pontprennau. Would you consider further out the other side eg Barry?