North/east Manchester location help please :)

[Talkingofsunshine]

Hello, I had a thread a couple of weeks ago about moving from London to Manchester and had so many super helpful replies.

We are really looking seriously at north Manchester now so I thought I’d start a new thread to find some specific help on that.

About us:
We have two small children, one will be starting school next September so good primaries are a priority. Good secondary schools a big bonus.
Our budget is probably £450k as a very maximum.
Ideally we’d have a four bed with a nice sized garden.
We would like a family friendly area with green space. Nice pubs, restaurants a bonus but we don’t get out as a couple much at the moment!
Needs to be commutable into Manchester for work - ideally on the tram line but a train station if not (would prefer public transport over driving but we do have a car if necessary).

Areas we’re considering:
Prestwich
Whitefield
Ramsbottom (had lots of recs for this - no train station puts us off but could be persuaded)

Also looking around Saddleworth.

Any help much appreciated

We have just moved from Prestwich to Whitefield (we couldn't afford the space + garden we wanted in Prestwich)

In Whitefield there are some pretty big 1960s /70s 4/5 beds in the Stand area which is near a good secondary - these don't come up that often and generally need work but worth keeping an eye on.

Prestwich is more expensive/a bit cooler and anything above a 3 bed has a pretty big premium but it's closer to town and the village centre is nicer than Whitefield I think.

Top tip for buying / selling around here as the market is horrific - expect anything good to go to 'best and final' within about a week and you will probably need to offer about 10% over asking to get it.

With both Prestwich and Whitefield - I'd keep an eye on how close you are to the M62 as depending on wind direction it can be noisy on some roads.

@PiersGaviscon

Sale is Trafford, so fully selective secondaries. This really polarises opinion so is worth being aware of.

In Prestwich this is on the loveliest street

This is on a main road, but it's not really busy or noisy, and has off-road parking to offset that. really near Heaton Park, which is great for kids of all ages.

That bury old road house - I would not touch with a barge pole. There are massive problems with subsidence on the roads behind it. And it 100% IS really noisy/vibrationy.

We lived a few streets back and when anything big went down bury old road the whole house would shake.

Gardner road is lovely though.

Saddleworth/uppermill is beautiful, PIL live there. We recently got married there, just for the views on the photos!

I’m a Prestwich local and agree with others, market is mad at the moment. If you see something you like you have to move really quickly.

I’m in a 4 bed and we want to downsize but stay in Prestwich, we have been looking for ages but there is such little stock.

Good luck with your move, hope you find somewhere, Prestwich is a fab place to live.

I would just add as someone looking to buy in Whitefield/Prestwich the advice given from other posters is realistic. There are some houses that I have phoned about within an hour of being advertised only to be told ‘sorry no you can’t view it I already have 20 bookings’. I’m now starting to explore other areas.

I lived in Saddleworth....I wouldn't choose to live there again, just because of the weather, which, particularly in the winter - is dour. I grew up in other parts of Manchester, so was used to Manchester weather, Saddleworth was noticeably worse.

If you are considering Saddleworth you could also look at Marsden or Slaithwaite in West Yorkshire. Both have a rail connection to Manchester.

Travel into Manchester from Saddleworth is hard and slow in winter. Marsden is attractive.

The one in Sale is in a nice area, near the tram with good schools whether the kids pass the 11+ or not, but it neatly demonstrates the difference in prices between South Mcr and North.

You definitely want to use the tram rather than the bus to get into town.

Marsden is beautiful but I’d not recommend to someone for whom good secondary schools are a priority.

Have you looked at Boothstown?

Good primary school, convenient for the guided busway into Manchester City centre and has a small precinct with bars/restaurants.

228 Leigh Road, Worsley
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88797205

Sorry for the radio silence, been away with v little signal! Thank you ALL again so much for your help here.

On the off chance anyone is still reading… Anyone who has commented about Saddleworth weather - is it just unpleasant in winter or is it impossible-to-get-to-work unpleasant?!

For me, was the former.

Yes. Snowed in bad.

10 years in saddleworth whilst working in central Manchester and I can only recall a handful of times I have been genuinely snowed in or had to come home from work early. It’s really not that regular. I’m in Marsden now having moved because we couldn’t find another home in saddleworth, love it here too.

If you're thinking of Ramsbottom area then I'd try to be in the Woodhey secondary school catchment rather than Tottington
Also Ramsbottom is nearer to BRGS if you're thinking of state grammar.

In East Manchester have you looked at Broadbottom? Direct train to Manchester, lovely community spirit.

Thanks all. Definitely worth considering the weather.

@PenguinWings haven’t heard of Broadbottom (name makes me laugh though because I am a child ), will check it out. Cheers!