Moving to Scotland, would you choose Motherwell/Cleland or Alloa as a better investment for a home?

[CalifornianScotland]

Will Motherwell be gentrified because of its location? Is Alloa better because of its proximity to Stirling? I'm stuck choosing between a couple houses.

Don't know anything about Alloa, but nothing about Motherwell screams imminent gentrification. Cleland is fairly isolated iirc with few local facilities.

Motherwell isn't gentrified.

My friend used to live in a gorgeous converted brewery flat in Alloa, but there was nothing in the town. Stirling is close though

Are you looking for a buy to let or somewhere to live? To be honest Alloa isn’t somewhere that jumps out as a great investment location.

If gentrification is what you're seeking... None of your above choices will fulfil your objective.

What are you looking for op?

Alloa has some really nice older houses. There is a campaign to reopen the railway line between there and Dunfermline which would open things up a bit. If you like outdoorsy things then Alloa is a great choice, it’s on a good traffic-free cycle routes and the Ochils are 10 mins away for hillwalking.

I think the answer is... it depends, sorry!

'Imminent gentrification' is not a phrase I would apply to Motherwell, but it's like a lot of places - a mix of old sandstone and new 'luxury' homes, and lot of new built estates, and a lot of solid built ex-council homes which might be in a great area, or not. As for Cleland, well, not the hub of the universe, small, few facilities and and not a quaint little country village.

As others have said, it really depends on what you want from your move, OP. Schools? Social life? Wee corner shop for a pint of milk at 10 o'clock at night? Easy access to the big city?

Given the last few decades of housing booms and stagnation, I wouldn't be making investment my main reason for a move.

Are you an expat? Or can you afford to do a short visit to see the areas you are interested in?

It sounds as though you REALLY don’t know anything about Scotland... You need to come and see it for yourself or you might make a very expensive mistake!

I've just left the Motherwell area for milton keynes and will never go back I was born and raised in the area.

Can't comment on alloa x

What's your budget, and what do you need from a home? Out of the 2 places suggested I'd probably choose Alloa, but there are probably better options.