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.

My god there are some rough places mentioned here!

What about Darlington? Easy access to A66 for Middlesbrough and A1 for Gateshead.

Have a look at some of the villages to the North and East of Darlington, historic Co.Durham but now technically the county is Darlington
We are in a village east of Darlington and it takes 45-50 mins for me to drive to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, so it would be less to Gateshead but may not be in rush hour. DH takes 20mins to work at JCUH in Middlesbrough
train to Gateshead / Newcastle is quicker if you aren't stuck with car.
Our village has a good selection of 3 bed houses from 95k up to your max budget.

Hmm hadn't considered Darlington, what villages can you recommend? What are the nicer areas of Darlington, and the areas to avoid?

Will look into Sedgefield too!

Darlington is where I'm currently looking at
You're getting further and further away from Gateshead now though
Although I'm lazy and not used to commuting and already think Darlington to Durham for work will be a pita
You've got nice villages on the outskirts of Darlington such as Hurworth but again thats adding on more time to Gateshead

Yes point taken that we are getting further from Gateshead towards Darlington. What are the villages north of Darlington like?

@jwalrus Newton Aycliffe might be worth a look
It's just off an A1 junction

Thanks @comps83!

Sadberge
Middleton St George big village (has train station) lots of new house developments as well as existing housing
Great Stainton & Little Stainton
Bishopton
There are new developments in Sedgefield with 3beds for £202k

You'd struggle to get to Gateshead in 45 mins from Hurworth, Middleton St george, and or sadberge. Maybe a really clear run

Newton Aycliffe is like Peterlee 😕

North of Darlo on the Sadberge road takes you to Sedgefield

I was going to suggest Seaham as my mil lives there. We go visit her (pre-Covid) quite often and we’re just north of London. Not sure there’s much of a rental market there though, but apparently some houses are let out via Airbnb and they seem to make money.
Gotta say, I love Beamish.

You need somewhere on the east side of the city really. We’re near Belmont and DH commutes to Teesside, it’s an easy enough run. Anything from the west side of the city means another 20-30 minutes on the journey.

Ok so I've got North of Durham, Newton Hall area. Some areas of Gilesgate... Seaham, North East of Darlington. Anyone know Chester Le Street very well? As this is 45 min for Middlesbrough, 15-20 mins to Gateshead commute

I live in a rental in Seaham OP so I may be able to help here. I'm not originally from Seaham but my DH is and I wouldn't live anywhere else now. Some places are ropey but you get that everywhere. The majority is beautiful.

Yarm and Eaglescliffe areas could be worth a look.

We lived between there and Middleton St George when I was growing up. DPs commuted to Middlesbrough and Newcastle.

Chester le street is quite mixed and the town centre has been dying for years, but the schools are pretty good, ideal place for your commutes. Round the cricket ground is quite nice.

You've been recommended Seaham but I'm unsure about schools around Seaham- many of the secondaries don't have a great reputation.

North Durham is nice but I used to commute from there to Newcastle and the traffic was a nightmare.

@nomdeguerrrr I do to the Freeman in Newcastle in 45-50mins regularly from there (back roads to Sedgefield, then A1) but as I said earlier it's not in rush hour so it would depend how flexible your commute is.
Alternative is Train to Newcastle is 30mins plus metro to Gateshead (2mins plus waiting)

@Iheartsheep where in Seaham would you recommend? What is there to do in the area? I noticed it does have quite a few nice cafes, and the pub The Coal Face was charming!

@PhilippaArchersOlderSister where does it get congested in North Durham?

@jwalrus in normal times, along the a167 from the arnison centre through Nevilles Cross and down to the cock of the north roundabout. And on the a690 through the city centre. Basically either sensible route to Middlesbrough, unless there is a back route across to the a19 that I'm not familiar with.

And the a1 is usually stop start from Chester le street to the metro centre from 8 -10am each day.

For Gilesgate, pick Gilesgate Moor but not Gilesgate or Sherburn road. There's also Belmont just up the road which would get a nice house for your money. Few minutes away from the motorway.

Spent my whole life in this area

Thanks everyone, really appreciate your advice. The North East is very different to the south east. You get rough areas in bigger towns but most of the villages are considered desirable and safe. So it's quite a contrast up here. I realise that's due to Thatcher, deprivation, industry etc. Obviously reflected in the house pricing!

@jwalrus the East Shore Village area is lovely. We have the Marina with a water sports centre, noses point for a coastal walk, lots of little cafes/bars as you have mentioned, train station and a lovely beach. It does get quite busy along the sea front in warmer weather.

Have a look at Aycliffe Village or Heighington, lovely villages with great pubs. They are right on the A1 at Darlington with easy access across to Boro. I’ve commutes to North Newcastle in 45 minutes from there and Boro centre in around 25 minutes.