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Original poster

edinburgh - which bits are nice to live... advice

32 replies

newscotland7 · 17/10/2019 20:53

i am thinking of moving to edinburgh and just wondered bits are nice to live. i guess it would be nice to be fairly central... maybe a couple of miles from the centre. i've read edinburgh is a pretty safe place to live... but other mumsnetters may have more knowledge and i'm not megarich so maybe could not afford the most pricey parts of the city... just a bit clueless at the mo... thx

OP posts:
linentowel · 17/10/2019 22:45

What’s your budget? That will determine a lot. Do you have kids that need school? Where will you be working?

EmmaC78 · 17/10/2019 22:49

What is your rough budget and what size property do you need?

Original poster
newscotland7 · 17/10/2019 23:53

1bed flat... maybe 130k max... working from home... no kids...

OP posts:
linentowel · 18/10/2019 07:44

That’s a pretty small budget. Look at Leith are or Clermiston to be close to the city. Otherwise you’d be best going a bit further out to Musselburgh, Dunfermline, South Queensferry or Portobello type areas.

Take a look at ESPC for property.

pinkglitterdust · 18/10/2019 08:00

Have a look at this great property I found on ESPC - 210/1 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5BH espc.com/property/35786840

pinkglitterdust · 18/10/2019 08:02

This is a 10 min walk to town centre and has a lot of things around it and is a fairly good area xx

Ellabella989 · 18/10/2019 08:06

Edinburgh is very expensive so you might struggle with a nice area with your budget unless you go further afield.
Decent areas within 2-3 miles of city centre that MAY be in your budget if you are happy with something tiny like a studio - Leith, Marchmont, Liberton, Gorgie, newington.

Ellabella989 · 18/10/2019 08:08

Also worth noting that in Edinburgh they have “offers over” when buying property and this can end up bumping the price right up (my parents house was on the market for offers over 220k and it went for 260k for example)

Veterinari · 18/10/2019 08:29

@pinkglitterdust
If the OP’s max budget is 130k she can’t afford a property at offers over 130 which will likely go for around 145-150.

Op you need to check home report values not the listed offers over price. Most homes go for 7-15% over the offers over the home report.
If your max budget is 130 i’d Suggest looking at properties listed in the offers over 100-120 bracket, and put in lots of bids

Original poster
newscotland7 · 18/10/2019 08:32

Decent areas within 2-3 miles of city centre that MAY be in your budget if you are happy with something tiny like a studio - Leith, Marchmont, Liberton, Gorgie, newington.

What are these areas like?

OP posts:
pinkglitterdust · 18/10/2019 08:54

That was just for a rough idea of what things are like in Edinburgh. Clearly she wouldn't have been going for it anyway since it's up for sale now and presumably she isn't putting offers in now if she has just started thinking about it.
I do live in Edinburgh about 10-15 direct bus to town in a nice area. If you have any qus ur welcome to dm me.
Like others have noted tho offers over can go a lot over. I just had a relative put an offer in a flat that was offers over 140000 and went in the region of 180000 so keep that in mind when looking at prices x

Original poster
newscotland7 · 18/10/2019 09:01

Have a look at this great property I found on ESPC - 210/1 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5BH espc.com/property/35786840

Leith doesn't look too pricey... i just wondered what people's thoughts were...

OP posts:
applesandpears33 · 18/10/2019 09:29

Where are you working/studying? The city centre area is quite wide so if you were working/studying at the west end I'd suggest different areas than if you were working/studying at the east end.

Leith has undergone quite a transformation in the last twenty years. The area has a bit of a buzz about it. Other people will be able to advise about particular streets. I have friends that lived in Bonnington Road and as far as I am aware they never had any problems.

Original poster
newscotland7 · 18/10/2019 09:31

Work from home....

Leith has undergone quite a transformation in the last twenty years. The area has a bit of a buzz about it.

I've read that...

What are areas like Gorgie like in comparison?

OP posts:
GrouchyKiwi · 18/10/2019 09:34

Gorgie's fine. I lived there when I first moved to Edinburgh. There's not much going on, but it's close enough to the centre that you can get to anything interesting, and it's very well served by buses. Plus it has a fantastic Sainsbury's that I still miss 11 years later. Grin

Ellabella989 · 18/10/2019 09:39

I used to have a flat in Leith and it’s quite an up and coming trendy area with nice pubs and cafes etc. I’d say it’s nicer than Gorgie but Gorgie is probably better placed with it being a 10-15 min walk to the West End

feelingchange · 18/10/2019 09:52

Just be careful of some of the flats in Georgie it's very much mouse central in some of the blocks of flats but for the most part it's an ok area, big selection of shops and nearby supermarkets. Slateford just next to gorgie is nice too. I used to live in Musselburgh and loved it, only 5 min on the train from the city centre but you have a wee beach and a river.

Original poster
newscotland7 · 18/10/2019 10:04

Thanks for this - very helpful.

Leith seems interesting...

What do people make of these other areas?

Leith, Marchmont, Liberton, Gorgie, Newington.

OP posts:
applesandpears33 · 18/10/2019 10:15

Marchmont flats tend to be bigger and quite a bit more expensive. Nice area but is lacking a good supermarket close by. Newington flats may be a bit smaller and more affordable. Likewise Gorgie. Both Gorgie and Newington are better for supermarkets. I don't know Liberton that well but it is a bit further out. If you like the seaside have you thought about Portobello or Musselburgh? Abbeyhill or Meadowbank may also be worth considering if you want to stay central.

Ellabella989 · 18/10/2019 10:35

Newington is fab and there are so many amenities. Marchmont is the nicest of those areas but probably also the most expensive with it being so close to the Meadows (huge park) and also being close to Bruntsfield and The Grange (both very expensive areas). Marchmont is also a very studenty rental area.
Liberton is a bit more in the suburbs but only a 10 min bus journey into the centre. You would probably want a car if you lived there as not many amenities closeby

Original poster
newscotland7 · 18/10/2019 10:43

Leith has undergone quite a transformation in the last twenty years. The area has a bit of a buzz about it. Other people will be able to advise about particular streets.

What about Dickson Street?

OP posts:
LoopyGremlin · 18/10/2019 10:50

I would say Leith is better than Gorgie. Lots of 1 bed flats but £130,000 will be tight. As others have said, be careful of offers over. Realistically you should be looking at no more than £115k to allow for 10% over. I don’t think you would get anything in Marchmont for that budget.

GrouchyKiwi · 18/10/2019 10:59

I agree that Leith is better than Gorgie.

Dickson Street is nice, from what I remember, though being so close to the park might be difficult. When we lived in Dalmeny Street the park was a place where people got up to shenanigans.

Ellabella989 · 18/10/2019 11:02

Dickson Street is fine. Agree with a pp that you need to look at properties that are around 115k maximum with offers over to get it in your 130k

dickyduckydido · 18/10/2019 11:08

I grew up in leith and it has undergone a transformation in the last 20 years but also still has a couple of rougher areas. I would probably be happy to live there but I know people and places well whereas someone new might think them a bit run down. Dickson street is well placed for buses both on Easter road and leith walk but the houses there are a real.mix of traditional tenements and ex council properties