Looking for flats in Edinburgh - what price range to look at?

[FrozenFlowers]

Hi - I have posted this in both Edinburgh Local and Property/DIY.

We're about to start flat hunting in Edinburgh. We are seeing a mortgage advisor on Monday, but are reasonably sure that (all being well) our ceiling price will be £175k.

Basically - I don't know which flats to look at! I am assuming anything fixed price that is £175k or under is worth considering, but other than that I'm just not sure. I don't want to be looking at things that are on for, say, offers over £170k and then finding that actually people are expecting to get £185-190k for them. Conversely, I don't want to find out that I could have been looking at flats on for offers around £180k or £185k and having a decent shot at getting them for £175k!

I know this kind of thing is quite local, and I hope once we've got a solicitor he/she might be able to give us a steer, but does anyone have any advice until then? I'd like to know what I can be looking at on the Internet to start with!

www.espc.com/properties/details.aspx?pid=291886&sid=3069271769

Something along those lines?

Some of the nicest parts are Balerno, Currie, Trinity, Barnton (v pricey), Juniper Green and then you've got East Lothian which contains towns like Haddington and North Berwick (again, very pricey).

It all depends on what you're wanting flat-wise. Do you want a garden area, how many bedrooms, local amenities close by, etc?

We're looking for two bedrooms, and not bothered about a garden. Must have a decent kitchen - we've got a lot of kitchen stuff and cook a lot. We also don't have a car and can't drive (not for want of trying to learn), so it needs to be on a good bus route into town for work. I've seen quite a few suitable flats, but am mainly wondering if it is worth looking at things on the market for more than £175k (or at least offers over £175k) or if that's just mental. My bigger fear is that I am blithely looking at flats priced at offers over £165k thinking they are well within budget, and then finding out that they aren't!

The home report is your friend - unless it is fab and there is limited supply of it's type it should go for near the home report valuation. Home reports are free and you can request them before you view a property.

Do you know Edinburgh? Want to be near town, have the city lifestyle, permit parking or out with the permit zones. Do you have kids, are schools important?

A few years ago 2 double bedroom flats in Bruntsfield with a dining kitchen was going for £250k

No kids yet, probably not on the cards for a year or two so no real concerns about schools. We live just off Leith Walk at the moment, and I know Leith a bit. Otherwise I don't know the areas we can afford to look in that well - as a student I lived in areas that would be well beyond our reach like Marchmont and Stockbridge! Lots of flats/houses I see in our bracket are in areas I basically know nothing about like Granton or Clermiston. I suppose I just need to get on the bus and go and have a look round.

Ooh that's nice. I suppose you don't get if you don't ask, and nothing to lose by asking!

Plenty of nice ones in Newhaven in that range. My mate just sold a lovely 2-bed, 2 bath main-door, ground-floor with two parking bays for near that price in Newhaven.

If you're not buying with kids in mind, definitely go for a flat not a house - you'll get a much nicer flat, closer to the town. Nice houses cost a lot!
If you didn't need a big kitchen, I'd sell you mine

Went to see this one this evening.

Flat was absolutely beautiful, nicer (and even bigger!) than it looks in the pictures. But I'm a bit worried about the area. I've always thought it seemed fine - not the most gorgeous street in the world, but not too bad, and I tend to figure nothing too terrible will happen to you on a reaosnably lit main road. But when I told my boss where I was going, he was totally horrified and said it was really horrible and rough.

The couple currently living in the flat seem very "naice" and have owned it for seven years. They said all the neighbours in the stair are other owner occupiers and they've never had any trouble. Obviously, it wouldn't be in their interests to say it was terrible though. Is it really that bad? It's the first one we've looked at and it's not totally perfect, so I'm not thinking of jumping to offer immediately anyway, but should I really rule it out straight away on basis of area?

It is more towards the leith walk end, before you get to Henderson Street. My boss was particularly concerned about the Tam O Shanter pub, which is at number 39 (flat is number 55).

The emphasis on the piano did make me laugh. I think the schedule might have said they would consider negotiating on selling some of the contents, but nothing specific about the piano. I didn't think to ask to be honest, because I can't play anyway, and once I've spent all my money on moving house I won't be able to afford to learn!

I don't think you'd use the Tam O'Shanter as your local! I would have lived there pre-kids (I lived somewhere equally scary) and would be very happy with a flat with that gorgeous kitchen. Worth visiting the street at different times if you get serious about the flat. At least it is a main road - no dark alleys, straight off bus and into the flat. It would cost more somewhere else, obviously. I wouldn't write it off, bet your boss lives in Morningside

No I definitely don't think I'd be actually going in!

He lives in Granton, which I wouldn't have thought was necessarily top of the tops but there you go.

I think I won't rule it out on basis of location, but possibly on basis of "up three flights of quite steep tenement stairs". We don't have any kids at the moment, but I imagine we might want to have one before we move again, and I don't think it would be very practical hoiking a baby up and down them!

I lived not far from there pre children (and until our first child was two). I agree that the steps would be more of a problem than the street (although helpfully elevating you above the street of course!).

I feel a bit concerned about the stairs - I haven't seen very many flats I really like so far which aren't up stairs to be honest! At least newer buildings sometimes have lifts though. We live in a third floor flat with no lift now, but it's in a newish building, and the stairs aren't very steep or windy. I suppose nightmare stairs the price you pay for lovely high ceilings, unless you get a main door or ground floor.

We paid well below asking price for a flat (3 bed, New Town, ground floor) 2 years ago. I think there are bargains to be had but we were happy to do up a real pit. I would go for the worst house on the best street. We looked at 2 new builds but they did not pass the "cough" test (or fart) and you could hear everything. Buses are brilliant so travelling in is not an issue.

I'm not sure we'll be in much of a position to do something up to be honest. We won't really have any money to speak of left once we've spent it all on deposit/moving costs/furniture, and we've got no useful DIY skills either!

"But when I told my boss where I was going, he was totally horrified and said it was really horrible and rough. "

It's in Leith, enough said.

"Granton"

Granton is about on a par with Pilton, IMO.

The days that Junction Street was a hole are long gone. Our friend had a flat there in the late '80s and it was rough then but not for years. My first flat was round the corner in Constitution Street and I couldn't believe it when it sold for about £250,000k a few years back.(we bought it for (£48,000) Other friends lived in the old bond conversions in Junction Street. It's really great location for buses to town, the Ocean Terminal is at the other end with the cinema etc, there is the baths, 5 mins walk to The Shore, 5 minutes walk to the Links, 5 mins to Leith Library.
The top floor thing is another matter. Bad for stairs but away from street noise and neighbours above you.

That flat is too high up. I'd keep looking.