First home in Manchester location advice

[Sultanm12]

Hi guys!
So as the subject really. Me and my partner are looking to buy our first home in Manchester and we're looking for some advice on location or any other need to knows when it comes to buying houses or the mortgage process etc. I've read a few threads on here and there's a lot of discussion, which is insightful, but nothing has been cleared up for me to help my search.

So, I'm working from home at the moment but I am expecting to return to my office, which is just south of Knutsford, in March/April. My partner has finished her master's and is looking for a job which we assume to be near Manchester city centre. So, I was thinking if we live in between Knutsford and Manchester the commute for both of us won't be as painful.

We're looking for a 3 (or more) bed, preferably detached, in a quiet, diverse, safe area. And of course reasonable public transport links to Manchester city centre and ease of access to Knutsford by car. For 250k. Too much to ask?

Safety is my main requirement really. We like our own space to ourselves hence why we want a detached house in a quiet area. But I know that might not be possible with our budget.

We're looking at either side of, but not including, Wythenshawe (sale, Altrincham, Stretford - Cheadle, Wilmslow, Heald green, possibly Stockport?).

I know some people suggest renting first to get an idea of different areas and different streets but I feel like that is infeasible in our situation. We did live in Rusholme for 3 years as students and it wasn't amazing haha.

If anyone would like to share their opinions, tips or even an example property on Rightmove or something, it would be greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately houses in South Manchester come at a premium so £250k will not get you a 3 bed detached unless you were looking to compromise on area.

Sale, Altrincham and Stretford all come under Trafford Council and house prices are high partly owing to the grammar school system in place so you do pay a premium for that.

Bare in mind the flight path when looking at houses in Cheadle and Heald Green. Have you considered Edgeley? It’s a hotspot for first time buyers but again is impacted by the flight path. Train links are excellent from Stockport and will take you to the city centre in under 10 mins and to Knutsford in 30 mins.

Maybe Handforth? Lots of new builds going up from what I remember (I’m north Mcr but nip to M&S occasionally!) - there might be a decent shared ownership or Help to Buy deal going on?

There are a few 3 beds on right move in Cheadle for that price but you might want to check out which parts they are in.

@FManc

Unfortunately houses in South Manchester come at a premium so £250k will not get you a 3 bed detached unless you were looking to compromise on area.

Sale, Altrincham and Stretford all come under Trafford Council and house prices are high partly owing to the grammar school system in place so you do pay a premium for that.

Bare in mind the flight path when looking at houses in Cheadle and Heald Green. Have you considered Edgeley? It’s a hotspot for first time buyers but again is impacted by the flight path. Train links are excellent from Stockport and will take you to the city centre in under 10 mins and to Knutsford in 30 mins.

Thank you for your reply!

I've noticed any detached are usually in Wythenshawe and I've heard that isn't a great area, hence why I was looking at the surrounding areas. I'm sure there maybe some nice streets inside Wythenshawe however.

I didn't actually think about the flight path, that is something I would need to consider when viewing houses to see how bad it is. As long as the noise isn't noticeable from inside, I don't think I would mind.

I'll take a look at edgeley now, thank you for the suggestion. I've considered Stockport. I've noticed a lot of properties available in the area. I've heard mixed things about Stockport however. I did used to work in Stockport B&Q a few years ago but never really got around to see what it's like.

@SweatyBetty20

Maybe Handforth? Lots of new builds going up from what I remember (I’m north Mcr but nip to M&S occasionally!) - there might be a decent shared ownership or Help to Buy deal going on?

Thank you for your reply! I forgot to mention Handforth, that is on my list! I've only seen it on a map and in statistics however, I've no idea what it's like in person.

@JiltedJohnsJulie

There are a few 3 beds on right move in Cheadle for that price but you might want to check out which parts they are in.

Thanks for you suggestion. I've not visited Cheadle either but I've heard generally positive things about it. Do you know which areas should I be avoiding?

You’re going to really struggle to get a 3 bed detached in a nice area of south manchester.

Even the less nice areas, you’ll struggle to get a detached because not many small detached houses exist. From a quick look, there’s a few in wythenshawe, Salford and Irlam that meet the criteria.

Honestly though I’d go for a nicer area and not detached. Something like this?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/78153037#/

Do you know which areas should I be avoiding? not really sorry. I used to work there and had a BF there but that was a looong time ago...

@Sultanm12

Stockport encompasses quite a large area really. Stockport Town Centre has been in decline but is now undergoing massive investment and the Old Town especially has been revitalised with loads of new bars and eateries. The actual suburbs of Stockport are either all fairly or very affluent; the Heatons, Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Davenport, Hazel Grove, Romiley, Marple etc.

We’ve recently moved to Davenport and like a lot of Stockport it feels very suburban but we’re on a quiet road on a large plot which is what we wanted. Bare in mind that cost £400k+ and it’s only a 3 bed semi. South Manchester prices are insane when compared to the rest of Greater Manchester.

You’re best looking towards Stockport/Cheadle way but you might still struggle to get a detached for that budget.

We moved two years ago to south Manchester and had to up our budget to £300k for a three bed semi thats liveable but still needs a lot of updating, we didn’t view any detached houses as none were within our budget at all, house prices round here are pretty insane tbh

Macclesfield? You won’t get detached but you’d get a decent sized semi.

Falmouth Close, Macclesfield
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71405556.html

I live in Timperley which is a little cheaper than Altrincham but here 2 bed terraces are going for £300k.
For 3 beds with your budget you are looking at terrace or semi in some of the more peripheral areas: the Manchester overspill estates in Handforth or Wimslow; Baguley or parts of Cheadle / Stockport. There are newish built houses around Wythenshaw but research carefully before committing yourself.

I know you say renting is not feasible but if there is any way you can change that, I'd really recommend it. You're looking at quite a large area with very few options for what you what. For example, Rightmove has 849 properties within 5 miles of Knutsford - when you put in a max budget of £250k, 3 beds and detached, that goes down to 11! You're going to be looking at (sorry) the less desirably areas of the region just because South Manchester / North Cheshire is so expensive, so its a big leap to buy straight away in an area that you're not entirely sure about.

3 bed semis are going for 350k in my area of south Manchester. Even complete doer uppers go for 280k.
Why rule out Wythenshawe? The location would actually be good for your needs. Sure some bits are not good but the streets my friends live on are fine and quiet. The tram now runs through this area which I think will drive up prices in the long term because the connectivity has improved. Of course you’ll get some people that will rule Wythenshawe out because they are council / ex council houses but I think it’s worth a look.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to share their thoughts.

I think I will need to sacrifice the detached house and go for a semi or terraced for now. I think a nicer area means more to me than a detached house.

@FManc thank you for the list of areas. I'll look more into those areas now.

@BitchIAmFromChicago Macclesfield seems a bit far if my partner needs to commute to city centre.

@Timperleybell would you recommend any areas in Timperley? That was on my list but I have been told it's similar to Wythenshawe.

@Africa2go you're right it is a big step to go straight in. I really don't think we'll be able to rent different places and then buy one. I'm more than happy to take my time and view different places and take the advice of people such as yourselves who have more experience than me. I'm not in a rush to buy so I've got time.

OP Wythenshawe and Timperley are completely different - whoever told you Timperley is like Wythenshawe is way off the mark! Thats the problem with advice from other people (in real life or on MN), everyone's a little bit subjective, projects their view etc - one person's idea of a nice, quiet area is someone else's idea of hell. If you're ruling out renting maybe see if you can find an AirBnB or something similar (Tier rules allowing) for a few nights so you can actually stay in the area, test out the commute, see how it feels to go out at night, what amenities are close by etc.

There was a thread on Timperley fairly recently. Its a nice area if suburban and family orientated a lot more affluent than Wythenshaw. In general the areas closer to Timperley village and Navigation Rd / Timperley met stations are favoured. The area around the Bromwood estate on the southside of the bypass is cheaper and less desirable, further from public transport etc.
Timperley has a few restaurants a mix of pubs and 1 trendy? bar. For more night time economy you're looking at Altrincham or Sale but there fairly in reach.

Macclesfield is for able to the city centre. I've done it when I lived there. The train is 20 minutes. It's got a lot more life to the town and is more affordable than most of the places you're looking at.

Commutable not for able

Timperley definitely different to Wythenshawe. Very family, very residential. I lived there for a bit but after moving away I’m glad I did because being hemmed in by park road, a56 and Stockport road to the south is actually a nightmare for getting out of the area. I think that came up on the other thread. If and when traffic in Manchester returns to normal you need to be on the road by 7.30am at the latest to avoid rush hour.

I think an AirBnB is a great idea! I might try that.

@Timperleybell

There was a thread on Timperley fairly recently. Its a nice area if suburban and family orientated a lot more affluent than Wythenshaw. In general the areas closer to Timperley village and Navigation Rd / Timperley met stations are favoured. The area around the Bromwood estate on the southside of the bypass is cheaper and less desirable, further from public transport etc. Timperley has a few restaurants a mix of pubs and 1 trendy? bar. For more night time economy you're looking at Altrincham or Sale but there fairly in reach.

Thank you for the information. That is really helpful. What section is the thread under? I'll have to take a read of that thread. I haven't come across it yet but that could be because I don't know how to navigate this site!

@floofycroissant

Macclesfield is for able to the city centre. I've done it when I lived there. The train is 20 minutes. It's got a lot more life to the town and is more affordable than most of the places you're looking at.

That's a lot shorter than I thought it would be. I did see houses in Macclesfield and they're a lot nicer for the price when compared to the ones in Cheadle sale etc. What is Macclesfield like for diversity?

@Ohthatsgreat

Timperley definitely different to Wythenshawe. Very family, very residential. I lived there for a bit but after moving away I’m glad I did because being hemmed in by park road, a56 and Stockport road to the south is actually a nightmare for getting out of the area. I think that came up on the other thread. If and when traffic in Manchester returns to normal you need to be on the road by 7.30am at the latest to avoid rush hour.

Who doesn't love Manchester traffic! That doesn't sound great. I can work from home some days during the week, even when things return to normal, so I'm not massively put off. But I'll definitely keep that in mind when looking at location. Thank you.

Surely you can still buy in Stretford for under £250k??