FTB: Where should I buy a house in Wirral? (Or nice liverpool area)

[Liam2024]

Hi all,

First time buyer here,
I'm looking to purchase a house preferably no more than £250,000. I would prefer to pay closer to £200,000 But I understand what I want will make it difficult too especially in market.

I understand for that price its not going to be the BEST area possible or some luxury place and i will have to be flexible.
I just would like to know any safe areas to buy minimum a 3 bedroom house in the likes of the Wirral or Liverpool. Found some nice properties in Leasowe/Moreton, Prenton, Pensby and Ellesmere port, Thornton/Litherland, just not sure where is safe as tried checking crime reports and reddit and mum's net but nothing with recent threads. I want to start a family so I'd rather not be living in an area of crime, drugs, violence etc..

I have tried to look up areas and I understand I'm most likely priced out of west kirby, Heswall etc.. but i want to avoid bad areas in Birkenhead, Seacombe etc..

Pref: semi or detached, 3 beds, decent size back garden, garage/driveway, missus wants 2 toilets

Also any advice or tips for a new buyer would greatly be appreciated thanks.

Of the areas you suggest, I would personally recommend

1. Pensby/Thingwall lovely countryside community feel to it 2)Moreton busier town, nice shopping & plenty of amenities
2. parts of Ellesmere Port are lovely, but it is a sprawling town, so best to research.

I've lived in Crosby/Waterloo all my life until I moved to Upton 2 years ago. I'd say no to Litherland, Thornton, can be ok but I find it a bit remote, much better to be on the Northern line for trains to Liverpool.

Echo what @LemonEagle says re Wirral options. Moreton good for trains.

Bebington/Bromborough/Eastham.

If you need to get into Liverpool, then I'd make sure I was looking at houses close to the stations. Wallasey Village would be good - have a look at this sort of house: 3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Bletchley Avenue, Wallasey, Merseyside, CH44 (rightmove.co.uk)

Pensby/thingwall for sure, people are so nice around there. Definitely in your price range…And it joins on to heswall anyway.

Tranmere and Prenton also?

I wouldn’t go near Leasowe - some areas are bad, they cancelled the evening bus service there cos of kids throwing stones etc which sounds terrifying.

Thanks for all the quick replies. In terms of transport we both drive, so trains wouldn't be an issue. I can't seem to find any 3 bed semis on the west coast of the Wirral for 250k or less, only one in pensby but its a bit dated.

Strangely enough I just started looking into Ellesmere port. I even started looking at Southport because of the time it would take to drive through the tunnel to liverpool in the morning for work would be the same as driving from Southport. There are some lovely houses there but at the top of my budget really.

I know I'm being picky but I've always like the idea of a garage preferably or if not at least a driveway.

In terms of leasowe, Wallasey etc.. I keep hearing different from different people I've just started to drive around leasowe and Moreton ways to get a feel for the area didn't help it was really sunny today haha.

I think that's an under estimation of the Southport - Liverpool drive. I used to live in ainsale. You pass through school central in Crosby! I think trains are useful for shopping/social trips but the bus route to Liverpool from Wirral also good.

As pp suggested Thornton has some nice houses but is out of the way unless you're wanting easy access to M57/58.
Waterloo has great shops, pubs, restaurants, easy walk to the beach and parks. Something like this seems to fit your brief https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142228703?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Brooklands is a great location

@WfP my friend almost moved to Ainsdale. (Loved it when I visited) but it was the best part of an hours drive back to Cressington where he lives. And that wasn't even at rush hour.

Very few people who live in Southport drive to work in Liverpool, IME. If you get the train from Hillside (no real parking other than local streets) or Ainsdale (free car park at the station), it's only just over 30 minutes to Moorfields. £7.50 return from Hillside, not sure about Ainsdale.

Today would have been good to visit the Green Hut in Moreton @Liam2024 😋

I’m from Ellesmere Port. Have lived down South for a long time now but go back to visit family every few months. I think the town still sometimes has a negative reputation, but it’s vastly nicer than it was when I was growing up there. There are definitely less nice parts of the town, as with everywhere but where my parents are is very nice.

I think it’s really well located too. There is a train station at Capenhurst that will take you to Liverpool or to Chester. Cheshire Oaks is really handy, and you have the rest of the Wirral on your doorstep plus Chester/Cheshire which has some beautiful areas.

Parents are in Whitby and I think that’s one of the nicer parts of the town. Also look at Great Sutton which is similar area. There are parts of Little Sutton/Childer Thornton that are nice too. Avoid anything close to the town centre, Westminster, Overpool or Stanney.

Maybe check out Neston too, I don’t know the area very well but have a colleague who lives there who says it’s a nice place to live.

Some nice new builds for sale on Great Sutton

I used to live in Bebington and my family are all from the Wirral area, I'd recommend Bebington/Bromborough or Port Sunlight as that is lovely.

This is close to where I grew up. It's close to a good primary school (Townfield) and 15 min drive to Liverpool. Around 10 minutes to the M53 too. Close to Oxton hockey club and the street backs onto the local independent school playing fields.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145268693#/?channel=RES_BUY

These are all in a nice part of Ellesmere Port:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146114066#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146886944#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141988142#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86776182#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138604673#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145178663#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147047873#/?channel=RES_BUY

Thanks again, How long would you estimate the drive to be? My missus works in Walton so I know the tunnel can be extremely bad in the morning meaning what should be a 20 mins journey turns into an hour sometimes longer.

So if it is similar time scale then it would still be suitable? also some of the houses I've seen in southport seem to be very modern on the inside e.g. kitchen, living room, bathroom.

Whats the green hut? A restaurant or a cafe?

Where I live in Southport (West Lancs side of the massive new estate) is showing as 45 minutes to Walton right now on Google Maps.

Again thank you for the quick responses.

I am trying to reply to all without spamming the thread too much. I will continue to look into the areas you have listed and i do like that Crosby one it's right near the marine lake to kayak etc..

I do also think I need to check out more of those Ellesmere port too so thanks for all those links @Tempnamechange1010001

Much appreciated for all the comments.

Also does anyone know much about Maghull or Melling? I had a colleague I used to pick up and drop off there seemed OK.

Hi yes I did a Google maps check thats the bonus she's not needing to go right into the city centre and by going walton I think she would avoid going through Crosby

The journey can be horrendous, it has to be said. There's always going to be issues if she's travelling at peak times. Might be worth seeing if there's any ability to start and finish early to make the journey easier for her at both ends of the day.

Avoid Litherland. Most of North Liverpool, really, apart from up the coast along Crosby and Formby way.

Have you looked around Aigburth?

@Liam2024 The green hut is a fish and chip cafe at Moreton Shore. Very popular.

I think being able to avoid driving through Crosby is a bonus for the commute to Walton. I'd go Formby bypass, through ince blundell and maghull then into aintree.

You will get great value for money in Maghull/melling. I'd chose those areas over Southport.

Waterloo and Crosby are great places to live but often feature in the broadsheets "top 10" emerging best places so I think you'd struggle price wise.

If there is an accident in the tunnel it can get delayed but my son travels from Upton to Wavertree every day and generally takes 35 mins.