Edinburgh southside with £550k budget

[Jintz]

Hi,
Looking for some local advice. Considering moving over to Edinburgh and would be keen to get in to James Gillespie or Sciennes (heard rave reviews). Love the meadows, walking proximity to town/work and neighbourhood but aware that it is expensive and highly desirable. Realistically, what can you get for £550k that is not an upper or flat? We would like 3 +beds and must have garden space, somewhere to park. There isn’t a lot on the market just now.

I went to Boroughmuir and hated it. Was badly bullied and the catchment was such a mixture of very affluent areas and very rough areas. Maybe I was just unlucky with the people in my year as it is meant to be a very good school

@WaxOnFeckOff thanks for the link. I will have a good look at that.

Will also research Powarth and Buckstone. Balerno is a bit too far out for us.

Polwarth is mostly tenements and the parking is horrendous.

Friends' kids are there now @Ellabella989 and seem very happy - brand new building too, with a rooftop play area that DS is very jealous of.

I think most secondaries have a mix of rough and smooth in Edinburgh, don't they?

Polwarth Terrace is a really long street that is virtually all houses but the most recent sale I know of was a 4 bed for something like 1.2 million and I think all the fixer uppers have been fixed up at this point.

Realistically, for 3+ beds & a garden, you are looking at suburban areas. You might get lucky in Buckstone or Fairmilehead.

If schools are an issue, there is Royal High catchment (Davidson's Mains, Cramond, Blackhall). But it's not exactly cafe culture.

If not, there is Stockbridge, Comely Bank, areas around the Botanic gardens. But again the same issue with flats rather than houses.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Starting P1 next year so secondary schools not a problem now.
Been recommended to look at Mayfield and Kings buildings area too. Will take a walk around, over the weekend. Stamp duty on top of the buoyant market is a killer!

Be careful to look at how many properties nearby are rented out to students. They can have quite the impact on quality of life re:noise levels.

@UnicornRainbowsRain good point, thanks!

Have a look around the area between braidburn valley park and Fairmilehead park.
It’s catchment schools are Pentland primary and firhill secondary. Not sure what espc would call it - probably “Comiston”.

@xtinak Polwarth Terrace looks lovely. £1.2 million would be lovely too. Thanks for the info.
@museumum, will add that area to the list. Thank you.