Moving to Edinburgh area- suggestions

[LOVELYDOVEY05]

We only have £200,000 so it will not be possible to be very near the centre. So long as we can get in there from time to time . We thought about Livingston, Linlithgow, Falkirk, Bathgate.
We are moving there to be near family and culture.
Probably will want to live in a bungalow.

If you're prepared to go as far out as Falkirk Id look at Fife as well - Dunfermline in particular might be okay for you, 2 stations with direct line to Edinburgh.

I live in Falkirk. The downsides are it’s not the prettiest place, the high street has seen lots of closures recently,

But house prices are reasonable, transport options are great, there are tons of local groups for pretty much everything from sport to am dram, there are a few pretty nice local shops, healthcare is decent and there has been a lot of investment recently with things like the Helix park.

I’ve lived in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Linlithgow and on the whole we’re happy here. Falkirk is pretty family friendly but also affordable with great transport links to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and local airports.

There is also mid or east lothian? Penicuik, Mussleburgh etc. I prefer either to West Lothian to be honest but that's just a personal thing. WL is too flat

I’d also consider East Lothian

200k will likely go further in W Lothian than East or Mid

it will gaviscon I agree, but it really depends on what you want, house space or location or some compromise in between. The sweet spot is getting a location you love and a perfect house, most of us have to get something in between :)

OP are there any particular things you want? what size property do you need? do you want access to trains or are buses ok? Do want near water or hills or prefer a bit of bustle and more local amenities? All areas have something different to offer and if we all liked the same it would be pretty boring.