Comment welcomed on purchase for a property in Exeter

[Clover2021]

I am looking for a new build in Pinhoe / Cranbrook / Alphington. Could you share related information and living experience in above areas?

Hi Clover we are in the same situation, but only looking around Pinhoe and Cranbrook. They both look nice, but in Cranbrook the Houses seem a bit bigger and better priced, for us at least. But we don’t know either of them. A lot of negative feedback from Cranbrook though but when we went there to view one house it looked good to us, all new and lots of space for walking the dogs, ect. Pinhoe its busy and we want to avoid sitting on the top of the motorway (noise) but nice houses and Sansbury close.

Hi Mia, good to know that you are interested in Pinhoe & Cranbrook as well. Agreed that it is an advantage when Sainsbury's (+ Aldi) is close. I was wondering some of developments are far away from the motorway (noise + dust). For Cranbrook, a bit curious what negative feedback was it about.

Well someone was saying the other day that its only one road to go anywhere and it gets busy, the houses are all crammed and on the top of each other. If im honest I didn’t get that impression. Maybe it could just be de fact thats its a new development and some people dont like them. Im also trying to find out more as we need a house for the next 5 years, and want it to be in a nice spot. Any feedback from your side?

I live in Cranbrook and love the country park and the community feel. There aren’t many shops (yet) but Pinhoe is close and Honiton not far away for the Lidl/Aldi fix. Happy to answer any other questions!

I am not too worried about traffic cram while we have train accessible. But flooding seems to be a higher risk at Cranbrook than at Pinhoe. Did Storm Bella tell you anything? I heard much about this. In addition, local amenities are not sufficient for now. Maybe 5 yrs later is a good timing as everything will be well set. For me, I target at 2021 or another next. While houses are dominant in each development, some apartments are available. Do you think house is usually better?

@Clover2021

I am not too worried about traffic cram while we have train accessible. But flooding seems to be a higher risk at Cranbrook than at Pinhoe. Did Storm Bella tell you anything? I heard much about this. In addition, local amenities are not sufficient for now. Maybe 5 yrs later is a good timing as everything will be well set. For me, I target at 2021 or another next. While houses are dominant in each development, some apartments are available. Do you think house is usually better?

I meant "I haven't heard much about this".

Hi Fluffythefish, welcome to the chat. As mentioned earlier, I was wondering about flooding at Cranbrook. For a resident without a driving license, can he/she manage to commute / go to school at Exeter City Centre by bus? I know route No.4 running between Honiton and Exeter City Centre, but I got no idea about the bus schedule and bus fare. Furthermore, could you share your comment on crime rate in Cranbrook?

Hi Clover as for the flooding, i had no clue.

Fluffythefish Im quite happy to know Cranbrook has a good community felling. We are waiting for news houses to come on Rightmove to start asap. We’ve seen some nice detached houses sold just before the end of the year. Is there a case of better streets then others, or not really?

We are looking for a house. But both places have all sorts to offer, I guess i depends in your needs and budget.

I'm afraid everyone I know refers to Cranbrook as 'Crimebrook'. Possibly entirely unfair, but there it is. I know some people who live there who've had some neighbour difficulties, and others who are annoyed about the length of time it's taking for any sort of town centre to materialise. Wouldn't be my choice personally.

Hi Persipan, what would be your recommendation in Exeter?

Flooding: no flooding at all due to the country park having a SUDS system which means that the water gathers in the park and drains away.
Transport: usually buses every 20 minutes into Exeter and in normal times hourly trains into Exeter and to London Waterloo. Train is cheaper especially with a Devon and Cornwall railcard. But not totally reliable
I’m not sure there are any parts to avoid though the newer parts are quite far from the current amenities though will be close to the town centre when it finally materialises.
Crimebrook is nonsense. There is a teeny bit of anti social behaviour every now and then and I know of one or two people with difficult neighbours but overall the crime rate is very low. It’s an annoying easy tag that isn’t fair ( can you tell it annoys the residents?! )

I'd plump for Alphington, but then I prefer the mix of housing rather than new build.

Curious to know about the environment around the following areas and transport to Exeter Central.

Chudleigh Road, Alphington
Off Tithebarn Lane, Exeter
Harrington Lane, Pinhoe

I don't particularly like new builds either, and I personally would find any of those three areas annoyingly far out and wouldn't particularly want to live in any of them for that reason. That's very much a personal prejudice, though!

Personally I'd probably plump for Alphington of the three - partly because there are some canalside walking/cycling options for getting into town that give some more options for getting around.

What is wrong with new build? Bad quality?

I just don't like them. I don't feel they have as much character as older properties, and the tendency in new builds is towards smaller rooms (although I'm sure this is somewhat dependent on the spec of property). I also feel like you have all the hassle of snagging to deal with, and the price is likely to depreciate somewhat, at least in the early years after purchase. But, that's very much personal preference - I'm sure the things I like about older properties are equally off-putting to some people!

Is there a particular reason you want/need to go for a new build? I'm guessing the new build element is what's driving the areas you're looking at?

I have relatives that live in Cranbrook. They like it there and say it has a good community feel. Agree the “crime brook” label someone mentioned is a misnomer!

I think the green areas surrounding are nice and also the direct train station to London is great!

Fluffythefish thanks for all the info, very good. Its a shame the bad reputation. It really doesn’t look/ fell like that once you walk around.

I was checking the Lidl/Aldi in Honiton, is quite close, im assuming its easier to travel that way as opposed to getting into Exeter traffic?

The only thing I haven’t found in Cranbrook was a gym/ swimming pool, or a leisure centre. Any ideas?

My basic understanding:

(1) New build
Equipped with modernized home appliances
Renovation not necessary
Better workmanship as advanced building tools applied
Better energy saving
Smaller size
Insufficient amenities
No price bargain
Help to buy (inapplicable for me)
Lower risk from flooding impact
Location less competitive
Good building quality uncertain
Council houses included in the same development
No idea about the neighbour before transaction

(2) 2nd hand property
Good location
More spacious (garden / room)
Extension ok
Reputed schools nearby
Better building materials
Sufficient amenities
Price negotiable
Hidden problems from deterioration or reconstruction
Extra money & time for renovation
Surveyor needed
Asbestos / lead paint commonly used
Higher risk from flooding impact
Longer transaction lead time (i.e. chain)

Property price is subjective thing, depending on location, no. of bedrooms, and developers.

Welcome to add on if I missed anything. Your ideas could help me to make a right decision.

I'd say that's generally a pretty good comparison. A couple of points I'd pick out:

Flood risk isn't necessarily lower in new builds; actually sometimes be developments can lead to increased flood risk as they involve the area being paved over when it wasn't before, so rainfall has nowhere to go. Overall, Exeter has done a lot of flood prevention work so the risk in lower-lying areas is significantly decreased now. You can look at flood risk maps for specific areas to see if anywhere you're looking at is at risk.

In terms of the transaction time, it's worth bearing in mind that if you're buying a new build, the completion can be delayed so the timeline there may also be uncertain.

Hope that helps!

Depending on when exactly you're wanting to buy, and what your budget is, it occurs to me that there's going to be a new development built just off Topsham Road (where the deaf school used to be). St Leonard's Quarter, I think it's called? I don't think they've actually started building yet, but they've done all the demolition to clear the site. If new build particularly appeals to you but you want somewhere that will be compatible with not driving, it's in a really good location as it's much closer to town. I would imagine it'll be expensive, though.

Oh, and coming back to your earlier question about houses Vs flats: I would say that generally people do prefer houses if possible, and covid lockdown in particular has led people to want outside space. I don't know how much impact that's had on property in Exeter specifically, but I think generally people are currently feeling that having a garden, or at the very least a balcony, is maybe more important than they might have previously felt. (But we do have lots of great open spaces, so that may be less of a thing here.)

@MiaCatrina

Fluffythefish thanks for all the info, very good. Its a shame the bad reputation. It really doesn’t look/ fell like that once you walk around.

I was checking the Lidl/Aldi in Honiton, is quite close, im assuming its easier to travel that way as opposed to getting into Exeter traffic?

The only thing I haven’t found in Cranbrook was a gym/ swimming pool, or a leisure centre. Any ideas?

In terms of supermarkets - my DH does the shopping so I can't comment! (I'd say its about 15 minutes to Honiton and they are on the outskirts anyway). There is a private gym just up the road on the way to Whimple. A leisure centre with possibly a pool is on the plans for the town centre but that is still being argued about and will be a few years off whatever form it takes

@Persipan

I'd say that's generally a pretty good comparison. A couple of points I'd pick out:

Flood risk isn't necessarily lower in new builds; actually sometimes be developments can lead to increased flood risk as they involve the area being paved over when it wasn't before, so rainfall has nowhere to go. Overall, Exeter has done a lot of flood prevention work so the risk in lower-lying areas is significantly decreased now. You can look at flood risk maps for specific areas to see if anywhere you're looking at is at risk.

In terms of the transaction time, it's worth bearing in mind that if you're buying a new build, the completion can be delayed so the timeline there may also be uncertain.

Hope that helps!

Depending on when exactly you're wanting to buy, and what your budget is, it occurs to me that there's going to be a new development built just off Topsham Road (where the deaf school used to be). St Leonard's Quarter, I think it's called? I don't think they've actually started building yet, but they've done all the demolition to clear the site. If new build particularly appeals to you but you want somewhere that will be compatible with not driving, it's in a really good location as it's much closer to town. I would imagine it'll be expensive, though.

That's helpful! Thanks a lot!