Greater Manchester - where would you buy?

[willkie]

DP and I have both lived in Manchester for about 5 years - neither originally from the area (I'm not even originally from the UK) but we really like it here and want to buy a house together.

Trouble is, where?! We both work at the university so it's important that we live within a bus/tram commute from Oxford Road. Car is just too much of a faff with parking permits, no guaranteed parking, etc. And trains seem to be a bit of a PITA...

We've been looking at areas for what seems like forever, but there's just always something! Part of the problem is that because neither of us have roots here, there's not an easy area we can decide on to be close to family or whatnot. We could live anywhere. We just want to live somewhere nice with an eye on starting a family in the near future, so good schools, safe area etc. is a big plus.

Areas we like:

• Didsbury (obviously - but so expensive, tiny housing bubble, seems impossible to even get viewings and I'm not willing to put an offer on a house as soon as I step through the door to be able to buy it...)
• Heaton Moor (so pretty, lovely community, yet expensive)

Areas we've crossed off:

• Ramsbottom (lovely but the commute seems impossible)
• Dobcross (so nice but too isolated)
• Wilmslow/Alderley Edge/etc (not for us)
• Chorlton/Whalley Range (ridiculously expensive for the area and hipstery)
• Withington/Fallowfield/Victoria Park (too studenty)
• Altrincham/Sale - (just not a fan.)

Areas we're just not sure about but could def be a possibility:

• Worsley/Roe Green - we just don't know too much about! They seem nice, how are they for families? Does anyone know?
• Burnage - proximity to Didsbury, more house for your money, very nice bits to it, well-connected, I assume there's good schools nearby?
• Levenshulme - not so expensive but has a very nice community feel to it; well-connected, can get a lot of house for your money, but not sure about schools?

Sorry, I know this is a small novel - hope that there's anyone that could give advice!!!! Where do you live in Manchester, and do you like it?

Based on everything you've said I think heaton mersey (bit cheaper than moor but same area) or cheadle hulme/bramhall - both feel a little bit less 'town' than I suspect you'd ideally like, but a diff feel to sale/timp etc. Maybe east dids could work - but I don't know the schools

If you were looking at schools in the short term then sale is a good compromise in terms of price/schools/tram. But as you don't need schools today I wouldn't buy somewhere I didn't like?

Impatientismymiddlename & RCheshire - thanks!

Bromley cross?

Ooh! here maybe, or here.

Levenshulme does have some lovely houses and I've got mates who have bought there recently but they are all professionals without kids. Personally I'd move right right out and get the train into Oxford Road Station... which is exactly what I am doing.

Urmston - good schools, train goes directly to Oxford road, near to Trafford centre (if you like that kind of thing), nice town centre. Fairly quiet.

Stretford. Near Metro, town and close to Chorlton for trendiness.

Urmston and Flixton. Nice houses, good parks, good schools. Decent shopping centre. Not hip and happening but a solid area with a few hip and happening folk dotted about. 10 mins on train to Oxford Rd.

Roe Green is lovely. Good for families, had a very village feel to it.

Worsley is nice, but expensive - and a PITA is the motorway cloggs up.

Boothstown is nice, very village like feel again - right on the edge of the city and close to the countryside. Good for families that like being out and about.

Astley gets my vote, far enough out to still get the benefits of the city but not the busyness of it. Good schools and transport links, nice people!

re: Anatana that second one is saved on my Rightmove :) :) Where do you take the train from? (don't worry about answering if you don't want to out yourself!)

Also in terms of travel to work, look at travel times rather than distance, e.g train to Oxford road from further away may be quicker than train to Piccadilly that's closer. Same with bus.

We are in Heaton Chapel - probably on our way further south (only by a few miles)because we need to move and our house budget isn't as big as yours. But it is a fab place to live - 7 minutes and 2 stops from Manchester on the train, good bus routes, plenty of community stuff going on but not 'small town', walking distance to bars and restaurants and good schools. There is bit of pressure on school places in Heaton Moor but I believe there are plans for a new school locally and it isn't a problem in Heaton Chapel as far as I know.

Have lived in Levenshulme too. Very different vibe but know lots of people happily bringing up children there. Big pressure on primary places, more transient population and a bit more urban than Heaton Moor. Loads of good community stuff and a really diverse population and again good transport links.

Burnage not great IMHO, although a few possible roads. Also worth looking at Cheadle, but no train station.

It may be worth considering buying a 3 bed semi on the borders of Heaton Moor/Heaton Norris that is priced under the stamp duty threshold. IMO the way stamp duty is currently calculated its keeping the lid on prices on these properties. There is mounting pressure to change the system and you would then be in a great position, either to move or to extend. You would also have more options regarding one of you working reduced hours after you have children. Saying that, you have to watch and wait and be quick off the mark. The property market is unbelievably fast (think 24 hours on market!).

Would you consider a new build? There are now houses going up in Heaton Moor that are selling like hot cakes and I think are potentially a good investment. Area is brilliant - about 3 minutes from the train station and not much further to local bars etc. Hard to buy a new build in a chain but easier as a first time buyer. They are well within your budget.

The first house Anatana linked too is right in the middle of 'studentville' and I would think hard about bringing children up around there. I say that as someone who has lived around the south manchester area for 20 years, through student and post grad years and now with primary aged children. There really are nicer places to live with just as easy access to the city.

Sorry, that comment in the last paragraph was about the 2nd house linked.

You can base yourself near a train station in urmston or flixton. Bus route from there also good 15 goes past universities or 255 past ox rd macdonalds. It's not far to drive to stretford tram. I love urmston, very convenient for Trafford centre, good schools, better value for money than alty or sale.

If I were to look at stretford it would have to be stretford chorlton border (nicer) around Longford park, or possibly where it borders with urmston otherwise it's a non-area due to horrible stretford mall.

Would not live in burnage, friend of mine just selling up there, tis bit rough.

I know you said you didn't like sale but I noticed done very nice houses sale moor way and couldn't be more convenient for tram.

nomorelostweekends thanks, great post!

We had a look at those Heaton new builds (I'm assuming you mean Heaton Manor) but found them awful :( I know we sound horribly fussy but a lot of the time new developments are finished in really particular ways that we just don't like and you have to pay extra for a type that you can pick fittings for, (which already annoys me - "oh, you can only choose your kitchen cupboards if you go with the Hemingway or Belleview, not the Shakespeare...") they lean towards 'twee' a but, seem built really close together, etc... When we cane off the development and walked past some of the other (older) houses down there en route to the trainstation they just look so much better. We'd actually love a new build but some are just awful! We LOVE the Urban Splash type of build but they don't often do houses...

I might send you a DM sometime if you don't mind to ask your opinion :) wealth of info, thanks!

Urmston and flixton are great for commuting to Oxford rd

Good access to schools and in Trafford so you have access to the grammar

Plenty of shops and parks and a good variety of housing -especially for your budget

To throw you a curve ball, DP frequently visits Manchester University on business. We live in one of the many very "naice" Lancashire villages on the Manchester to Southport train line.
Gorgeous countryside, great schools, very cultural, safe communities. Google Parbold village.

A couple of my friends who work at the uni live in Levenshulme and love it. The commute by rail to Oxford Road is minutes, the area has some increasingly trendy cafes and bars, and some of the houses are really quite huge for the price. I think places there are likely to increase in value over the next 10 years.

I have friends in Trafford too, which is also really nice - they have a wonderful old Victorian place with tons of space and original features.

Defiantly DM me if you think it will help, i am an utter property bore at the moment!

Just read your post and noticed that you have a very similar taste (about the area!) to us! ;)
We're a small family with a young child. We're looking at Didsbury and Heaton moors at the moment. I am just wondering whether you've chosen a place yet. We haven't decided yet though... I will be very interested in hearing where you've ended up if you don't mind!

Worsley is lovely and Broadoak Primary School (technically just in Swinton) has an Outstanding Ofsted report. The part of Swinton south of the East Lancs is good too. The major drawback is that public transport isn't up to much.

There are some lovely houses in your budget in Worsley, including around Roe Green.

Darn - didn't realise this was an old thread!

did you buy and where?

Another vote for Flixton or Urmston. Most schools are good or outstanding and the Grammar schools and quite central so you could live anywhere and be with 1.5 miles if the school (important for entrance criteria).

Train stations both have free parking and lots of parks and green spaces. Great place for kids to grow up. And lots of mums and toys groups too.

Should have said, used to live there before having to move away. would move back in a heartbeat.