Rough area vs Nice area

[Dorimon]

We have been renting a flat in a nice area in a city for quite a while. We have two teens and we really want to buy a house.
The problem is the nice area we live in is very expensive, the area to one side is even more expensive and the area that covers the other side is cheap but rough.
Would you buy a small flat in a nice area or go for a house on the edge of a rough area?
All of these serve the same school that my kids attend, so that wouldn’t be a problem.

I would choose the nice area and a smaller property tbh.

Smaller property and nicer area definitely

Never choose a rough area. I speak from bitter experience.

Go for the area you love.

Always go for a good area. I bought a three bed semi on a really expensive road. My local friends jokingly call me Duchess. We could have bought a bigger house elsewhere but that premium has been worth it over 25 years. Everyone is invested with it being nice. I lived in the most exclusive road in the small town I grew up in and DH grew up on a private road in Surrey. We have never made it to the level property wise that our parents did but we did at least manage to buy on a lovely road like the ones we grew up on.

Thanks, definitely confirmed my feelings.

Having done both in the past definitely the nice area. You may need to start in the not so nice area and work up, you may be constrained by number of bedrooms etc. But, if you have a reasonable choice, always the nice area. Good luck

As someone who moved from rough to nice last year stay nice.

this summer has been a revelation. I can sit in the backgarden without hearing very loud dance music and loud yelling a swearing.

I haven’t had to call the police about neighbours fighting. I haven’t been worried about domestic violence next door. I haven’t been yelled at by neighbours for being in my own garden. No neighbours have threatened to kill my cat.

yes I have had a neighbour complain that my tree shades his patio. But I can cope with that😂.

We've been trying to move for over a year, but keep getting out bid (Scotland). This is tiny flats in nice area. During that time, houses in the more deprived area have come up and I've noticed they are going up in price too.
I'm worried that with interest rates rising our budget will be smaller and we'll be stuck renting.
It's such a difficult choice.

It is very difficult.

vould/would you consider a change in location? I know it means a change if schools, but that's not always a terrible thing!!

IF Not, i'd buy in the area you're in now, I wouldn't go to the 'rougher' area, not even the edge (as they tend to spread out, rather than the nice area spreading out)

good luck

We lived in a rough area many moons ago, always noisy and I remember being nervous coming home late at night. One morning I remember unlocking the car and it wouldn't start, so my then boyfriend lifted the bonnet - battery had been nicked. We then noticed his tracksuit had been stolen off the back seat too. The robber had kindly locked the car again, wasn't that considerate!

Assuming that by nice you mean middle class and rough you mean where lower income families live?? I’ve actually just moved from what’s considered a nice middle class area to the edge of a very nice area with an area with a lot of council housing etc. so far it’s been fine, neighbours have only had one break in incident in about 25 years, etc! Compared with my previous area where we had two murders in the last 3-5 years, phones being robbed every single day etc. so just because an area has lower income residents that doesn’t make it rough!

I think with 2 teens they will already have established friendship groups and don't need to move school, so many of the disadvantages of cheaper area wouldn't apply surely? Whereas its going to be important for them to have their own room for next 10 years before they manage to permanently leave home. You could always downsize to the more posh area later.

This is it.
Am I being a snob? I grew up in a council house, though not in a city.

I don't know why it cut me off there. But yes, I grew up in a council house so I don't know if I'm just being a snob.

Move to the smaller property in the nice area.

You are not being a snob, you are just making the best decision you can to make sure you choose a safe and quiet location.

How rough is the rough area? I know you’re not in London but round where I live, you do tend to have to settle on a slightly less nice area in order to get a house rather than a flat. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s rough though, just not as nice as some areas.

With teens I’d probably rather stay renting than move to a tiny flat. If you could get a big flat, that would be great but I guess they’d also be in high demand in a nice area.

Id go for the nicer area if i could. But if youre getting priced out maybe its worth considering the rougher area.

Perhaps go for a few walks/drives around on a dry Fri/sat nights and a few other times. How safe does it feel, how many noisy gatherings can you hear, are there gangs or suspicious characters hanging around? How rowdy does local seem? There's a big difference between a not-rich area and a dodgy area that I would worry for my teens coming and going from. There might be some streets that feel ok and others very much not but it's hard to know without getting a good feel for the area.

Where about in Scotland are you? Easier to advise if we knew the actual areas.

Depends how rough rough actually is.

I work in Edinburgh, there are some pretty rough areas, but also there are loads that people seem to consider rougher than the one next to it... and I can’t see how, they’re the same to go in and out of and spend time in...

Ask the kids which they'd prefer. My parents divorce meant I moved to a rough town aged 13. It was my worst nightmare. I no longer had to share my bedroom, but it wasn't much compensation

Notting Hill used to be super rough in the 1950s and 1960s, so lucky are those who bought there back then. If the houses and the area have good bones, like pleasant architecture, green spaces etc, I would definitely consider it. If it is not appealing to live there, even if it was gentrified, then probably not.