Manchester Area - Advice Please

[CobblesBeach]

Evening everyone,
My daughter and her partner (25 and 26) are taking the plunge this year to buy a property in Manchester, moving from the South-West.
They have visited several times and fallen in love with city life, they have a mortgage approved for £180-200k.
What areas on the outskirts would people recommend for them to start looking to live? Any areas to avoid? Tram access to the city would be an advantage; they would ideally like a house not flat.
Any advice would be appreciated

The rain is mostly correlated to the higher areas, and Manchester is pretty flat and low lying, though nicely surrounded by higher areas. It’s more or less where the pink circle is here. So while it’s much rainier if you head uphill out to the north or east from Manchester, it’s not actually particularly rainy there. More of a grey white light drizzle!

It’s brilliant anyway. The budget is pretty low for the south Manchester areas I know better (Trafford) but if you give more info on what sort of connections or size place they’re looking for, there should be some better informed people who can help!

Manchester has many things going for it but soul and character certainly aren’t two of them!

That’s very interesting. I’ve always thought it rains more in Manchester than it does in Liverpool - as the map suggests!

They're not going to find anywhere decent in Heaton Chapel with that budget. Better to look at places a bit further out with trainlines to Manchester.

Prestwich is about to open a Gail’s bakery, a sure sign of gentrification.

My DS has been trying to move to Manchester for 10 months. He's on flat number 3 now. Based on his experience I would avoid New Islington. It seems that the freeholds in the area are owned by a company that is in receivership. DS's solicitor refused to act for him if he proceeded. There are flats being sold in the area but it isn't entirely risk free.
My other bit of advice is to check if a flat needs a fire certificate and see the certificate at the beginning, don't wait until near completion.

Manchester is the 15th Rainiest City in The UK in fact.
Its a great City, I love it but property is not cheap. East or North is generally cheaper than South/West of Manchester

My son is buying in Prestwich. Near Heaton Park and tram into the centre. They might get a 2 up 2 down-but a walk away from a tram stop. Nice area. Look at Salford and Crumpsall-more for your money. Avoid Harpur Hey.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87005802#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY
This has been reduced quite a bit.

We are southerners living in South Manchester. We really didn’t get much more for our money up here than we did in Hertfordshire (Hitchin and Tring). South Manchester is definitely less wet and windy than N Manchester! I think it’s because we’re lower down and slightly sheltered. We have lived in various parts of the country and this area is definitely the most family friendly. We’re surrounded by outstanding state schools (girls grammar is one of the top performing schools in the country) and have the trams and easy motorway access. Not to mention lovely NT properties on our doorstep. We are in Trafford.

So weird, life goes on when it rains you know.

Gee Cross
Bredbury
Heaton Norris/Chapel

Dukinfield
Stalybridge
Glossop

Ramsbottom
Tottington

Gee Cross is nice but not really young people new to a city. It is okay for a car commute but not good for public transport to Manchester itself (no train station and bus runs regularly to Stockport or Ashton but not Manchester).

Bredbury does have a train station. Again, not massively young people but depends what they want. Is on the motorway junction but traffic can be a nightmare at rush hour.

Heaton Norris/ chapel much better transport links so popular but will stretch the budget.

Dukinfield. Okay, lots of big newish housing estates. Not on a train line as such. Not much of a place in it's own right but nice enough.

Stalybridge. Good train services. Links to Yorkshire services as well so handy if you ever need to commute the other way. More of a centre in its own right. Used to be known as Stalyvegas for it's nightlife but haven't lived there for years so this may not longer apply. Nice and easy to get into the moors.
The bit towards Cockbrook near Stamford park is okay. Walkable from Ashton which has excellent transport links with the tram as well as buses to Manchester (but Ashton itself doesn't tend to be as popular although it does have nicer parts)

Glossop. Nice place. Far out. Traffic can be mental. More country feel.

Ramsbottom and Tottington are both nice. Places in their own right but further out.

Most of those places are really expensive and any cheap properties are snapped up by locals. The cheap bits are often cheap for a reason and bloody depressing. Yes Chorlton and Alty are great communities, lots going on, but parts of north and east Manchester with houses in that price bracket aren’t.

All of these suggestions are more suited to a family and are quite far out of town. A young couple will want to be more in the thick of it, even if it's somewhere a little rougher around the edges! I would be looking at the more urban areas. Try Salford, still quite a few options there in their price range with a good tram network and short bus ride to city centre, Salford Quays, Trafford centre etc. I would even be looking at Hulme, Moss Side etc (although some mumsnetters might be horrified by that) but they are not particularly cheap. There's a huge amount of new housing going up to the north of Ancoats in coming years, but that's not much help right now.

Good call on Salford, @floppybit

What sort of thing do they want? Fallen in love with “city life” suggests a modern flat off Deansgate sort of place to me, not a terrace in Stalybridge which is the heart of suburbia and verging on being in the Peak District!

True, although the OP said they want a house (not a flat) in the outskirts. At their age and budget I'd definitely get a flat, and trade up to a house after a few years.

Actually I'd probably rent first for a year to get to know the areas better before buying.

I’d be very wary about a flat-service charges can rise suddenly and you have no control. Plus ground rent and short leases. Leasehold houses are common in Manchester but the older ones only have peppercorn rents of 3 or 4 pounds a year. Some areas of Stockport will have a house in that budget, as will Salford and Crumpsall. Heatons are way out of budget.

@Hols23 I agree about a flat, their budget won’t buy much and I fear in the areas it will stretch to house they’re going to be quite disappointed by the dream of city living!

Are they aware that they are going to be extremely limited with that budget? Why does it have to be a house? Anywhere with a tram stop nearby is going to be more expensive than similar areas without.

How about Droylsden or Eccles?