Edinburghers- Braids or Greenbank!

[ocelot41]

OK so we now have just over a week before The Big Move. DS is going to be going in S Morningside school and we are renting a friend's wee flat to start with, so no major rush on buying a new home. I had thought we start looking for a terrace or double upper somewhere around S Morningside but the gardens often seem to be tiny and I have a VERY active DS. An earlier thread recommended I check out the Braids/Greenbank. You certainly get tonnes more for your money!. But what we are after is somewhere really kid- friendly and down to earth. Is there much to choose between them?

I lived in the Braids years ago and found it to be a great location - bus services to go all over the city, shops including for eg independent greengrocers, supermarkets etc close by, surgeries. Braid Hills + Blackford Pond and Hill within walking distance for energy burning. Also there's Morningside play park. Easy walk to South Morningside Primary. Greenbank is further out with far less on the doorstep (lots of time in the car and the traffic in Morningside Road can be very congested) and is quiet but parts of it eg Greenbank Village have an empty feel. Finding a garden of any size unless you buy a big, pricey house may be difficult, though in Morningside. Not sure about Greenbank.gardens. No doubt you are using the ESPC website.

Thanks Fading memory! Where are the shops in the Braids please?

Morningside ,in common with many areas near/in the centre, has a large
number of tenament buildings which can be several stories high- lovely stonework etc but these do not provide much garden space. So many of them are also situated in roads with traffic passing so bad for very young kids. Def an area for free people who are after central .atttractions/work.
The further out you go the more new-build it gets but the more space you get especially garden wise. Better for young families
I think the above is true of any city if you are not prepared to put up with grotty parts. South/West Edinburgh are the best areas.

Thanks Muddle. DS is 6 and pretty road savvy so I am not too worried about that - just needs space to run. Also open to villa flats but would need to have access to a garden I think! Not mad on modern houses, but 1930s can be characterful?

Safety : I am talking about a garden, yard etc where she can be left to play
a bit - the problem is some of the in-town flats describe a garden but it is
either communal or not a real one, at the front. Mind you, I would not give
up on the communal. I have seen a handful of places with kiddie swings
in them so it looks like there are 1. other young families 2. people willing
to share which, if you think about sounds nice and friendly actually!!
Moira Avenue is a more characterful road with large gardened flats.
Really lovely stonework viilas so def have a look there

Great! Thanks! We have an only child so if we were sharing with other families would ve totally up for communal gardens. It might be a bit more of a problem if they were older folks who didn't want a boisterous young un ...Will check out Moira Ave...

There isn't a Moira Avenue in Edinburgh that I can see? Do you mean Moira Terrace on the way to Portobello? It's a decent road, but nowhere near Morningside.

That's what I thought when I looked at the map dotdot. I really appreciate Muddle pointing out nice family areas, but the school place we have been given is S Morningside, so we need to be in that catchment.

OP, I don't know your budget but this looks nice and in the right area
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/41345470?search_identifier=e1684f7d49c5a6c1fd7d2e31117cd3ad#GHas1tVhViEV7Y6t.97

or this..
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/41323071?search_identifier=e1684f7d49c5a6c1fd7d2e31117cd3ad#Je04B5jDVcPpTBCj.97

Really appreciate the property snoofling dotdot. Got to sell our current home first but think we will be looking around the 600-700k mark (buyers willing on our other property!)

Oooh, I would love to property snoofle with that kind of money!

Let me know when you're ready and I'll snoofle away!

I was brought up in Edinburgh, the Portobello side and I now live in Fife. Still love Edinburgh, but couldn't afford to buy there what we have here.

Thanks dotdot.

I am very fortunate - got two successive properties which needed 'everything doing', did most of it myself, and made some cash. Then got helped by property market in SE going insane.

My Mum and Stepdad both grew up and lived in Edinburgh until they retired. I know my Stepdad always said that one place in Edinburgh that he would have lived, if he could have afforded it, was the Grange area. The Grange is within your search area and very close to all the amenities. Your budget would work well there.

I looove the Grange - I used to walk around there dribbling as a student, so it would be my top pick too.

But its out of catchment for S Morningside. We are moving to a rental property to start with (which is inside the catchment). Not sure if we are free to buy outside of catchment after a decent period or if that would constitute fraud?

Anyway Grange is super spendy - well over a million for a house! Although you might be able to get a nice double upper ? Also - quite a long walk to school which might wear thin after a while?

I've never heard of a child being asked to move if they move outside catchment, I know it happens in England, but I've never known it to happen up here.

Alternatively with your budget, you could buy a less expensive house and pay for private education. You would still get a lovely home but you could choose to love in different places.

I was maybe thinking something like this - not so beautiful outside but fab family space inside and fabbo garden
www.rettie.co.uk/property-for-sale/edinburgh/edinburgh-south/braids/PER160285-4-bed-house-braid-farm-road

This looks nice
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/39804933?search_identifier=35be65c58e2748d49fa1e46c409b3d6a#1ltWW7MjElqc10Z1.97

That's lovely Ocelot, but it does seem a shame to move to an area of lovely old villas, very representative of the area, yet live in a house that could be built anywhere. Your choice would be a great family home though.

ocelot once you've been allocated a primary place within catchment (now that you're renting within catchment) you could buy out of catchment - it is reasonably common.

The only thing you have to be aware of is the secondary catchment, as secondary places will be allocated by catchment - so your DC could be in a different secondary catchment as her friends that she's had throughout primary.

I love Bruntsfield & Morningside, but you don't get a lot of bang for your buck.

Thanks Sauvignon - that's very useful to know. And I totally agree dotdot! Just trying to balance what I want with DS' high energy needs.

Funnily enough, I saw that flat too - great location and space, just needs a bit of updating. The garage would also come in very handy for all our bikes as well as the car. My concern is that DS would need to leave the flat, go down the steps and across the car park to reach the garden. I am not sure I would be comfortable/letting him do that whilst he is still only 6 and b/ would he actually use it?

Does anyone else have experience of double uppers? Did your DC actually use the garden/on their own? If so, at what age?

This has sold and its over our budget but oh my! If you like the 1930s thing its a beaut. Not sure how typical of the area it is though www.vmh.co.uk/properties-for-sale/property-details/?prop=47574

I just had a look on the ESPC website, that's cool that they have added a school catchment function.

If this is to be your long term home then I would choose something within walking distance of the secondary school (taking into account the hills). Once your child reaches S1 it is so much easier if they can walk to school and back.

Good point Lizzie, thanks

With that budget you don't need to look at tenement flats but for the record we are in a 2nd floor TF bang in the heart of Morningside on cul de sac so it is pretty quiet. Cost less than half your budget last year. We share our garden with 7 other flats and hardly ever see anyone else in it. Huge advantage - ground floor guy does the lawn, I can tinker about with the borders without ever having to mow. To let the wee one out you'd want a ground floor though and they tend to have smaller rooms to accommodate the passage, unless you can find a main door flat.

I did nearly choke on my falafel at the concept of getting loads for your money in Braids and Greenbank mind you, so we are in slightly different worlds. If I were you just keep looking at what comes up on Zoopla, ESPC and Rightmove (sometimes they are on one and not the other). You can move out of catchment and keep your place, but do think about high school catchment.

There are no shops in the Braids itself, the nearest Morningside. Greenbank also no shops but there are one or two out the far side of Greenbank in the beginning of Oxgangs. Milk, bread and sweetie type shop.

I don't think you would necessarily spend loads of time in a car if you lived in Greenbank. Buses through are fairly frequent although I agree getting through M'side is slow whatever vehicle. Depends where you want to go!! I sold my car since moving here, occasionally use DH's car, very occasionally use Car Club. We mostly walk or bus. DS is 7 and has no problem walking into the centre of town from Morningside e.g. through the Meadows, might get the bus back after a busy day.

You specifically said kid friendly and down to Earth, and for that I'd err on the Greenbank side over the Braids. DB is in Greenbank with 2 DDs at S M'side, and the nearest family to them likewise. The only people we know in the Braids are slightly posh, kids at Steiner's and seem to feel sorry for us, and awkwardly sympathise about "how hard it must be". Think that's because I work.

Whatever happens life will be lovely though!! I'm sure we'll see you in the library/at the school fair/scooting through the park or something and we'll never know.