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Original poster

Where in the UK is best for first time buyers?

30 replies

Journeybacknorth · 19/12/2021 12:43

Inspired by the thread on best place in the UK for families.

My adult DC and their partner are currently starting to think about settling down and trying to get on the property ladder, and it got me thinking where in the UK is best for starting out?

To me, their list of requirements - which I think would be similar to most 20 somethings - doesn’t seem outlandish, but apparently it is more of a stretch than I’d have thought.

So if you were in your 20s, had a maximum of £220,000 and wanted the following, where would you look?

  • good job market (or well connected to a large employment hub)
  • 2 bedroom flat/house (to allow for home office)
  • close to a city centre/cultural hub/nice bars and restaurants
  • good public transport to avoid need for a car
  • nice community feel
  • market not going crazy due to BTLs and cash buyers!

And if you were recently in this position, where did you choose - or wish you’d chosen? DH and I became homeowners in very different circumstances so don’t have much wisdom to impart unfortunately.

OP posts:
sarahb083 · 19/12/2021 14:57

It depends what they mean by city centre, culture, and nice bars and restaurant. Nice bars and restaurants tend to be in expensive areas, because that is who can afford to eat there regularly.

If they want a bigger city:
Leeds
Manchester
Cardiff

There are tons of smaller cities and large towns where you could buy a 2 bed flat or house for that budget. There are some heat maps online where you can browse, such as this one: www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-2295295/Property-affordability-map-Most-reasonable-house-prices-England.html

One area that comes up here often is Folkestone.

JaninaDuszejko · 19/12/2021 15:22

What career are they in, surely they need to look for a job first and then buy wherever the job is? £220K is around the average price for a property in many areas so a 2 bed flat shouldn't be a stretch but if they are thinking about London the market is so overheated that will be difficult.

dd207 · 19/12/2021 21:35

I would say Manchester!

GoodnightGrandma · 19/12/2021 21:37

Any northern city.

mobear · 19/12/2021 22:03

I agree with GoodnightGrandma, but then if they’re based in the south east and move north it might affect their earning potential/ mortgage affordability.

22td · 19/12/2021 22:11

Me and my partner purchased our home 3 years ago at 22 and 23yo. It was 90k (3 bedroom semi detached) in Nottingham and as it's in the Midlands has links to loads of cities within an hour or twos drive. We only needed to replace bathroom and modernise😊

Flowers500 · 20/12/2021 09:58

I think this is the completely wrong way to look at it. Where do they live now? Where are their friends, their family? What industries do they work in, are they ambitious and hoping to get big promotions over the years? What do they enjoy doing in terms of sport, culture and travel? How much do they earn in their current job, how easy is it for them to get another job, and how well paying would it be in another place?

A house being cheap is one of only 100 factors they should consider about whether they want to live somewhere. If they have any ambition at all it’s probably also one of the least important factors in terms of their financial future—they might be able to buy a much better house in city b than city a, but in city a they’ll earn twice as much 5 years from now.

Anyone who moves to a place purely because the houses are cheap is desperate or a hermit.

lastqueenofscotland · 20/12/2021 10:05

Manchester but more and more so £220k won’t get you much there.
Leeds but the nicer parts are VERY expensive.
Newcastle but job market is very dependent on what they do.
My DP loves Sheffield but again it seems bit of a black hole for certain jobs

lastqueenofscotland · 20/12/2021 10:17

But I do agree with the above, there is more to a place than housing costs. Manchester is a great city but has a very strong identity that people may not like.
Newcastle is great but public transport in the wider NE is wank.
Beyond wanting to be near a city what do they enjoy - is it bars and gigs, is it galleries and museums, is it architecture, do they have hobbies that might be linked to a place (ie a keen fell runner won’t want to be in Cambridge).

emmathedilemma · 20/12/2021 13:28

Didsbury in south Manchester? I thought it would be out of your price range but a quick rightmove search suggests there are 2 bedroom flats within walking distance on the Metrolink stations in your budget.
Edinburgh has an amazing bus service, it's not impossible to get 2 bedrooms in a decent area although you wouldn't get 2 beds in a really nice area. Also bear in mind that the "offers over" system in Scotland means properties usually sell for more than they're advertised at e.g. espc.com/property/9-6-murieston-road-dalry-edinburgh-eh11-2jj/36062379?sid=245808

emmathedilemma · 20/12/2021 13:33

Glasgow? You get more for you money than in Edinburgh, this is very central! www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/60312499/?search_identifier=839da83a4e8c7063088f759af53d8347

Shmithecat2 · 20/12/2021 13:37

Nottingham or Lincoln.

Jessie75 · 20/12/2021 14:19

Do not move to the north if you think you will ever want to come back down to the south again is my advice we did exactly that move from the Midlands to the north west I’ve now sold the house in the north west and it’s a deposit and not even a very good one on a house in the middle and I dread to think what it would be if I had family and friends down in the south-east

JaninaDuszejko · 20/12/2021 14:43

[quote emmathedilemma]Glasgow? You get more for you money than in Edinburgh, this is very central! www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/60312499/?search_identifier=839da83a4e8c7063088f759af53d8347[/quote]
That's too central, you'd have drunks pissing in your doorway every night and there would be loads of noise every evening. Better to live in the west end and take the clockwork orange into town.

ISeeTheLight · 20/12/2021 18:50

Newcastle. Or move to/stay in London whilst renting for a few more years climbing the career ladder before buying - we did this and it paid off massively. We're now on London wages but live in the North East in a very large detached house in a nice area. Could have never afforded this if we'd stayed in the north east.

gogohm · 20/12/2021 18:54

Most Midlands and northern cities are in that budget. Manchester and Birmingham are better for jobs but are pricier than smaller cities. A compromise is somewhere in easy reach of multiple cities even London at a pinch for work, Leicester would work, Nottingham too but further from London. £220k gets a small 2 bed house within a mile of the station

AnotherDayAnotherDisappointme · 21/12/2021 00:54

Ideal place to start would be within a commutable distance to their work, so surely it depends on where they want to work as to where they should be looking. If they are hoping to start a family, then close to family/friends/support network would be top of the list too.
All that said, Worcester, Derby, Norwich, Manchester, would probably all tick your checklist.

JaninaDuszejko · 21/12/2021 11:34

If they are hoping to start a family, then close to family/friends/support network would be top of the list too.

That's a luxury, plenty of us move away from family when we go to university and never return because we live where the work is. You just have to pay for childcare, it's not impossible.

GoldenFondue · 21/12/2021 12:41

You could get a nice spacious property in a buzzy area on the Southside of Glasgow for that budget. Places like Strathbungo, Battlefield, Mount Florida, Shawlands.

irishdoc · 21/12/2021 12:57

Belfast ticks all the boxes. The reluctance people intrinsically feel is the reason it is so cheap.

Macncheesey · 21/12/2021 20:39

Hear me out.

Stoke on Trent.

Well connected to Manchester and Birmingham.
Two beds in nice areas for significantly less than budget (because it's Stoke on Trent, and most outsiders are snobbish about it) - for the budget, you could even get 3-4 beds in a nice area.
Lots of culture - including free annual cultural festivals in both the city centre and Newcastle under Lyme, which neighbours the city.
Pubs and restaurants aren't all naice naice, but nice enough. The cultural quarter (Piccadilly) has some interesting eateries.

It is tatty around the edges, and there are some recognisable colourful characters in the city - but doesn't every city have those? It's definitely one of the friendliest cities I've ever lived in, and I don't regret moving here in a similar position. It didn't see us being here forever, but we're very much settled now.

NiceCardigan · 21/12/2021 20:48

DD1 and her partner have just bought a house in Norwich. DD1 went to UEA and has worked in Norwich since she graduated. We are about 90 miles away so can visit for a day if needed. I like Norwich as a city and there is easy access to the coast. The market was crazy when they made their offer though!

mover69 · 25/12/2021 16:21

SInce incomes vary by area, your DC's affordability/budget will surely flex up and down depending on which area they end up living in. It seems a bit like they're asking the question the wrong way around - why not pick an area that is best for their career prospects and then try to find the best that their savings+mortgage can buy within a sensible commute radius?

Out of interest OP, where do they live right now?

MerryChristmasToYou · 25/12/2021 16:27

@Macncheesey

Hear me out.

Stoke on Trent.

Well connected to Manchester and Birmingham.
Two beds in nice areas for significantly less than budget (because it's Stoke on Trent, and most outsiders are snobbish about it) - for the budget, you could even get 3-4 beds in a nice area.
Lots of culture - including free annual cultural festivals in both the city centre and Newcastle under Lyme, which neighbours the city.
Pubs and restaurants aren't all naice naice, but nice enough. The cultural quarter (Piccadilly) has some interesting eateries.

It is tatty around the edges, and there are some recognisable colourful characters in the city - but doesn't every city have those? It's definitely one of the friendliest cities I've ever lived in, and I don't regret moving here in a similar position. It didn't see us being here forever, but we're very much settled now.

It's cheap for a reason. It's shit
Jessie75 · 25/12/2021 16:52

🤣🤣🤣🤣
We thought it, you said it. 🤣🤣
It’s absolutely horrific, the whole Stoke, crewe, Warrington corridor