What do we need to know about living in Edinburgh?

[ChinaCrisis]

DH and I hoping to retire within next 5 years. We currently live in South West but have always loved Edinburgh and thinking about retiring there.

We'd want to live very centrally and have seen lots of flats on the market within our price range.

We'd love to hear more about Edinburgh though. We've taken into account the weather, the crowds, the Fringe.

Anything else we need to know?

What are the practicalities of living in a flat? Maintenance fees? Avoiding student accommodation etc?

Any advice on areas within walking distance of City Centre?

Thanks

It's probably worth moving this to Scotsnet section - you could ask MNHQ to move for you?

Just be aware of the Scottish buying system; it's totally different. The market here in Edinburgh is really strong, with many properties going for 10-30% above home report value at a closing date. ESPC is the best website for searching.

Areas you might consider are: Stockbridge, Comely Bank, Bruntsfield, around Broughton St, Canonmills, Quartermile (around the Meadows).

We're just moving this thread over to Scotsnet at the OP's request.

As PP said market is v strong in certain areas so be prepared to pay quite a bit over home valuation report.

In flats there are usually no additional maintenance fees although some blocks may have factor fees. Although i’ve Found that the exception rather than the rule. There is also no freehold/leasehold arrangement. However it means you are all responsible for roof etc. Be warned about moving into flats that may need roofing/chimney work as you may end up moving in and facing a huge repair bill. Worth checking when most recent works have taken place. Top floor flats can often have stunning views (but lots of stairs!)

Look at Newington and Grange too.

I moved up from the south of England several years ago. I never fail to appreciate how beautiful this city is every day!

Marchmont is a big student flat area. As are areas around Newington Road.

If I was retiring I'd look at Trinity (assuming I couldn't afford Drumsheugh Gardens and the like).

If it's in your budget then living really centrally - New Town/West end etc - is really nice and if you choose your spot well it can be pretty quiet at home but two minutes walk from everything.

If you can say roughly what your budget and requirements are people will probably be able to make some more exact suggestions of areas. As others have said the market is pretty strong just now so bear that in mind when looking at offers over prices.

Thanks everyone, trying not to get too excited as it's a way off yet.

Our budget would be in region of 500,000 - 550,000 max so not sure how far that would go in the West End or New Town areas but they are absolutely lovely!

Unless you're needing somewhere large then 500-550 will definitely get you something in that neck of the woods. We have a 3 bed place, very centrally, valued at less than that.

If you aren't local then you might not be aware of ESPC - a huge amount of Edinburgh property is advertised through there and much of it never appears on rightmove. Conversely there are a few agencies (Rettie for example) who don't use ESPC but do use Rightmove.

Few in budget things just to give you an idea:
West end garden flat magdala. This sort of thing is common in the West End especially, the way the buildings are designed means there's generally a lower ground floor flat which is less bright than the upper floors, but has the benefit of private outdoor space.

Douglas Mews this one has a bit of a quirky layout - not unusual for an Edinburgh mews, they're all a bit odd in some ways - but the mews streets tend to be lovely and quiet whilst still being central. Offers over would normally make this over budget but it's been on for quite a while so it's clearly not going to a hyper closing date bidding war which might change that.

comely bank a wee bit further out but still walking distance to city centre, plus it's on the edge of Stockbridge so lots there. You'll find quite a few nice big flats in budget in Comely Bank.

Claremont Crescent I think this stretches the boundaries of "New Town" a tad but still close to city centre.

Famous Scotland Street this will probably go overbudget but you never know

Wester Coates Slightly further west and a tad quirky but still walk in to town.

I'll stop now...

Fab!!! Thank you so much I love looking at these. We don't need super large place 2 bed and 2 reception rooms would be nice so would be good to keep well within budget

I would adore to retire to the Scotland Street flat!

I grew up in Edinburgh, but now I'm priced out of returning there to a family sized home. The garden flats in the New Town are lovely and quirky and so close to the city centre vibe. The only fly in the ointment is parking as this can be difficult, even with a permit.

Residents ' parking zones in zones 1-4 are apparently the most expensive outside London. They are based on emissions size of car and even with what I think is a tiny car mine is several hundred pounds.

I love central Edinburgh.

You can get actual sale prices from the public section of Register of Scotland's website.

I would avoid Marchmont and Bruntsfield because of the number of student lets and HMO flats.

Make sure you instruct a solicitor based in Edinburgh to do your conveyancing. They will know the local market and will stop you doing anything stupid like offering on several properties at once.

I’m guessing you know that properties can go to a closing date very quickly so you will need to be prepared to come to Edinburgh to view at short notice.

Good luck! I’d love a flat in central Edinburgh , I’m very .

Small thing with parking - if you happen to like any mews places it's worth checking their parking permits. A lot of them are a little unusual as they're within a main parking zone but they also have a mews specific code which basically means that nobody except someone who lives in the mews can park in the street.

So you might get a permit that's zone 1, mews 465 (made up number). You can park anywhere in zone 1 with it, including in your street (where there won't be marked bays in most cases) but nobody else from other streets in zone 1 can park there. And neither can any other bugger.

Varies by street but touch wood it has meant we've always been able to park within actual spitting distance of our door. Consequently I have no problem with my permit cost

Good to know about parking at the solicitors too, I am even more excited now. If we do eventually manage to make the move you are all invited to a house party! We can squeeze in together

Parking AND the solicitors that should say!