Buying in County Durham

[jwalrus]

Hello,

Me and my partner currently rent in Gateshead but are looking to buy in County Durham, I work in Gateshead but she works in Middlesborough and we want to move somewhere that is a shorter commute for her.

We are originally from the South of England but moved up a few months ago for work.

Also, we want to live somewhere a bit more rural, with good access to shops, pubs, restaurants, train line etc. And a safe, friendly area too.

Have considered Chester Le Street and surrounding villages but don't know which areas are nice as have heard mixed things.

Durham city is really lovely but very pricey. We wouldn't want to pay anymore than £200k for a 3 bed, and that's top end of budget really.

We are both willing to commute 30/45 mins.

ALSO, as we are planning to live in the property for a couple of years and then ideally rent it out.

So would really appreciate knowing the areas where the rental yield is good, and the house prices reasonable.

AlSO, what are the good primary and secondary schools in C.Durham? As this would be good to know when putting an offer in for a house. We are first time buyers btw so will be looking to move once the hysteria of no stamp duty has settled.

Thanks :-) all advice suggestions appreciated.

Newton Hall is good
You can get a 3 bed for under 200k
Very close to a good retail Park
Walkable into the city
Buses every 10 minutes
(Pre covid obvs)

I was also just about to suggest Newton Hall as a Durham City option. Lots of other families, and good schools in walking distance. The houses are all 1960s and 70s and aren't very pretty but it's a very comfortable place to live. It is very safe, and everyone is nice. It's maybe a little bit boring but that would be my choice for the budget and requirements.

And very good rental potential I'd say
We actually regretted leaving NH for a good while when we bought our current house
I loved the walk to the city through the fields and being able to see the cathedral the whole way

Bowburn might be worth looking at
Bit of a mixed bag but it's right on the A1
When restrictions have been lifted might be worthwhile having a drive around a few places and see what you think
We've done this a lot
In fact maybe I should be bigging up where I live so you might buy my house 😂

Newton Hall isn't great for A1 access and you'd be on the edge of the 45 min commute. There are a load of villages just off the A1 and A19 which would meet your commuting needs.

Lots of them are not all that nice. As PP said, Bowburn is an example. Personally, I think I think Bowburn is quite depressing (sorry anyone who lives there).

From a commuting perspective somewhere like Easington Village could work. 30 mins to both. Has a good primary and secondary school. Is relatively attractive with a village green, nice church etc. Near very rugged beaches with good c walks.

East Durham is generally very deprived though. Also generalising, its a local place for local people. Not many people moving in from outside the area whereas you get a lot of that in Chester Le Street and Durham.

Thanks everyone, yes will be worth checking these areas out. Nomdeguerrr can you suggest somewhere if you don't think much of NH or Bowburn..?

Thanks Nom!

Or a wild card
Seaham is half way between the 2 and just off the a19 if you fancied the coast
It's also a mixed bag but it's a lot better than it used to be

Interestingly we had considered Seaham, and yes agreed a mixed bag indeed! Is there much of a rental market there though I wonder ?

@jwalrus might be worth doing some research and monitoring on Rightmove
You can search on 'let agreed' to see what been recently rented out

@comps83 yes good shout. I have been doing this and not much in Seaham. But I wasn't sure if that was due to COVID

@jwalrus market's stalled round here

I've all but given up
I'm resigned to having to wait until when things hopefully get a bit back to normal

Agree with looking at Seaham for same reasons as Easington Village re commute. Seaham is a bit more expensive I think. But it has a really good (freezing cold) beach.

On the A1 side of Durham, Belmont might also be worth looking at. The places close to Durham are usually good for renting.

No idea what the schools or rental market is like, but Spennymoor would be in your commuting zone as well. Looks like you could get a 4 bed new build in budget.

What about Gilesgate/Gilesgate Moor?

Not sure we would get a new build as they don't always hold their value

I did the Middlesbrough commute for 3 years from west of Durham. Was a killer. What about Castle Eden side?

It is tough finding somewhere good for both commutes. I think you really want to be close to the A19.

You've asked about Gilesgate. I used to live there, can't say I'd choose it again BUT I gravitate towards rural. I have a few friends who live that side and are happy plus if you intend to rent the property out then there is thriving rental around there and there are decent primary schools too. It is a very practical area, walkable to city centre, close to A1, close to the big Tesco and retail parks, lots of good takeaways and so on. Just be aware that the nice places to live door right next to the rather less nice places.

Gilesgate is okay. It's convenient for roads and is close to the city. It used to have done really rough areas but it's better now. However, it's still more mixed than a lot of areas in Durham, and quite a few students knocking about as well.

For a family area and to access schools, I'd prefer Newton Hall. But your commute would be easier from Gilesgate.

The suggestion of Castle Eden goes along with Easington and Seaham down the East coast. There is also Peterlee which is okay in bits but overall is one of the ugliest, and most depressing towns in the UK.

All good food for thought! Thanks much appreciated

I've also lived in gilesgate and to be honest I hadn't even thought about it when I've been looking for our next house
Again it's a mixed bag
I probably know the rougher parts of it better than the nicer bits

Trying to think about other sensible, but nice options.

What about Sedgefield? Not sure what you'd get for your money but might be worth a look.

@nomdeguerrrr
We've looked at sedgefield
It's very expensive
We almost moved there this year if a certain major housing developer hadn't done us over
It's still on my 'maybe' list
We were a bit worried about the tales of huge gangs of youths who would gather in the centre and come from as far away as Stanley , consett and Chester le street etc
We were assured the new policeman had put a stop to this but then it happened again a few weeks ago
Such a lovely place too

Sedgefield is lovely as is some of Coxhoe and Bishop Middleham.

I've a lot of old school friends who live in Newton Hall, and are very happy there.
I don't know it now but grew up in the area and it was very safe and family orientated then.