Freehold 1 bedroom house Northampton area 165k

[AndrewMVP]

Hello, I am planning to buy a semi-detached or terraced One-bedroom house freehold in the Northampton area because, with £165k, I am unable to get something in Milton Keynes. Northampton seems to be a really cheap area. I own a car and work in IT in Milton Keynes; I am not too bothered to travel to Milton Keynes 3 times a week. I have a 6-year-old son, and my sole concern is to buy a property in a safe area. Even in Milton Keynes, where the property prices are so high, we have issues with the crime rate in certain areas. Please tell me which areas to avoid when buying a property in Northampton. I have never been to Northampton, and if you also have some suggestions on what areas are considered safe, your advice will be much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Andrew

I would buy a 2 or 3 bed Victorian terrace in the Mounts with this budget. They're decent solid houses with gardens, usually with on street parking, next to the huge racecourse park for playing with your son, and an easy walk to town. Half an hour walk or a quick drive to the train station, or a quick walk to the bus station, to commute to MK. Plenty to choose from, you could look for the best and offer down to your budget.

The Racecourse park seems a lovely place

My fairly recent experience of the Racecourse is most definitely not as a lovely place.

I commuted from outside of Northampton on the A509 4-5 days a week for about 5 months. It took considerably longer than expected most days. Depending on where you live you may be able to go A428/&/M1. Finedon, Rushden, Wellingborough and some of Kettering may be slightly outside of your budget but ok

The Racecourse is nice during sunny weather when there’s plenty of other people about. It’s not somewhere I’d venture after dark.

I've lived in both Rushden and Northampton and commuted to MK. They are very similar. The town centres are run down, but both have larger out of town shopping areas. They both have some areas I'd not want to live but plenty of nicer areas. I preferred the Rushden/MK commute. Depending on where you live in Northampton and which side of MK, the commute time can really vary, the A45 at rush hour is pretty awful.

I have put 4 offers in MK in the last 2 months all rejected by the sellers.

From the pictures, it looks like a lovely place. Why do you say it's not a lovely place?

Agreed. Regular reports of violent and sexual crime around there.

Abington is the nicer park

Avoid The Mounts, very dodgey after dark, according to the students I had who had done a placement in Northampton. They also said the town centre was very run down as all the big shops had moved out of town.

This is a nice area. Worth trying a cheeky offer.

And the right side of town for a commute.

The town centre is pretty dismal, but I suppose that’s the same for a lot of towns now. The market square is undergoing a facelift at the moment so that may help a bit. There are some lovely independent shops in St Giles St which runs parallel with Abington St.

And @IPartridge is right, Abington Park is much nicer than the Racecourse - it’s got a cafe, an aviary and a duck pond!

I will try a cheeky offer. I have nothing to lose, worst-case scenario the offer will be rejected straight away.

Reading the reviews from Google Maps it seems that Abington Park is much nicer than the Racecourse.

Can you please tell me what is the postcode for The Mounts? Thanks

Agree East Hunsbury would be fine. I grew up on the next street to that house.

Flat in Upton? No garden but there is a big country park. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146470169#/?channel=RES_BUY

The Mounts will be NN1, its in the middle of town and not a desirable place. Listings should say the mounts so you will be able to avoid it.

Having lived there, it's funny to read these comments about the Mounts being undesirable. It's a normal residential area. Not a new build estate which personally I'm not a fan of, particularly for the budget we're talking about. But it's good quality affordable housing that holds its value, usually lived in by young families, some students, some older people.

I was born and raised in Northampton and would say that there are plenty of places to live.
A friend of mine lived in a huge gorgeous Victorian house opposite the race course for many years and loved it.
I agree, it’s not somewhere I would go at night but it’s nice in the daytime. I prefer Abington Park but still wouldn't walk around there at night. I suppose it’s the same with most town centre parks.
I would avoid the eastern district.
Also consider villages that are close to the M1 roundabout; Flore, Nether Heyford, Kislingbury and Harpole. They sometimes have ex council properties that have huge garden and are solidly built. Beautiful areas too.
Good luck!

Anything in East Hunsbury, Wootton, Upton, Pineham would be doable (but less pleasant if aiming for 9am, though)
The A45 at J15 has a tailback at peak times and so does exiting off at J14.

I am surprised that people say the Rushden to MK commute is similar to Northampton because the former would involve the A509 which means a great big bottleneck through Olney. Also, it is similar to the Wellingborough commute, which you have already ruled out.
Rushden is cheaper than Northampton, though.

The Mounts, Kingsthorpe, would mean crossing Northampton first which would add on quite a bit of time.
I would also not be wandering around the Racecourse or Abington Park at night but during the day, they are fine.
The Abington Park area is more desirable than the Racecourse but that will be reflected in the house prices.

I will focus on the Northampton area. In my opinion, it is a better option for me than Rushden and Wellingborough.
I start work at 09:00, and I will go to work before the kids have to attend school at 08:30 in an attempt to avoid rush hour.
Can you guys tell me if the commute from Northampton to MK via the A45 is better than the A565? The A508 looks quite busy even though it's a straight road going to MK.
Coming from Boughton and Northampton (NN2 8AN), if you want to go straight to MK, the traffic seems to build up quite fast, and it doesn't seem to be a good idea because of the traffic. Even if you go straight your are basically left with two options between Collingtree and Grange Park: you can go straight or use the motorway.

You won't get anything for 165 in those areas!

OP, I live in Northampton, and have done for many years. I travel all over it for my work, and am happy to advise.
Off the top of my head, the only areas I'd say to actively avoid would be Semilong, Standens Barn, and probably St James as well. Historically, I'd say they are the "poor white" areas of town, and a lot of issues with petty crime, vandalism and drug use.

For that amount, Kingsthorpe is an option, as is Abington and parts of Billing. In terms of location, Briar Hill and Billing both give reasonable access to the A45, which you'll need for getting towards MK.
You're likely to end up with one of the Victorian terraces that Northampton is full of. They are fine IMO. The areas tend to be very multicultural, with a lot of people who are new-ish to the country, but they all just tend to mind their own business and it's a stepping stone.

South Northampton would be best for you, for access to MK, but that's like Wootton and Hunsbury, and you won't find anything for that amount round there.

I'd go down one of the back roads. Either the Wootton road (via Quinton and Hanslope) or the B526 (via Newport Pagnell - although that is itself a bottleneck at peak times).
I'd avoid the A508 at the moment, although Roade is bypassed now, there are roadworks although obviously they won't be there forever.

In the morning, the congestion will be at the MK end but on the way home, you might avoid most of the congestion at the Northampton end, depending on where you end up buying, how far into Northampton you have to go.

Wootton is probably the best place (in Northampton itself) for an MK commute, btw. It is on the MK edge of Northampton, right by both of the aforementioned backroads and means you can avoid the A45 entirely.