Help! Thinking of moving to Scotland - but where?

[Dasher789]

Considering a move to Scotland. Both DM+MIL live in Scotland and DH and I are TTC so it would be beneficial to us to be closer for help with childcare and also nice for DM+MIL to be involved in DGC life. DM+MIL don't live in same place. One east of Edinburgh and other, west of Glasgow - both in villages so we don't want to move specifically to either. Depending if we choose east/west/a middle area even being 1.5hrs ish from one DM is a lot better than 4hrs ish as it stands now. Have been looking at rightmove but not entirely sure where to look as we are so open and limited knowledge of places. We both WFH although DH work have an office in Edinburgh so it would be good for him to have the option to go in every now and then to help make some friends. We have been looking at school league tables as an indication of nice areas - is this premature given we don't even have a DC yet? Other reason for looking at this though is thinking a good school might help the house hold value if we decided the area wasn't for us and wanted to resell. Is it generally nicer in the east or the west? We would like easy access to the closest city by train/car and to live in a town with a community feel. Ideally bigger than a village with some shops and restaurants. We have looked at linlithgow and North Berwick on the East and on the West, clarkston and Newton Mearns. Also looked at portobello and falkirk - the schools in these two places don't seem as good but they look good from a location point of view. There is not a lot for sale in any of these places - is this down to covid? Are these areas nice, would you recommend any over others or suggest some new places? Budget of up to £450k for min 3 bedroom but ideally 4 so we can have an 'office' each + spare room.

Throwing the search net wider, you could be a stones through from the links and beach in Musselburgh espc.com/property/90-new-street-musselburgh-east-lothian-eh21-6jq/35878465?sid=407403

I would echo what emma says, the houses that you listed are too expensive for your budget. You need to look a the home report value not offers over. The going rate, as you first experience suggest, is around 20% over home report value.

If you have a decent local solicitor they should give you an idea of how high to bid.

thank you. i will focus more on advertised at £400k.

The house on Nantwich Drive needing a paint - I looked at this one. Would be happy to do a bit of work but the layout of this house seems quite odd. I am not sure how I could change it without it becoming a huge job which is a pity as it otherwise would be a contender.

The Musselburgh house looks quite nice - thank you. I will contact EA for more information.

If your budget is definitely £450k then you might need to look at things less than £400k. Houses in Joppa and Duddingston advertised at £375k going for up to £440k at the moment 😲. Another thing to be mindful of is that stamp duty in Scotland is more than in England for houses in this sort of bracket. Could be up to £20k for a house at £450k if the holiday is not extended.

hmmm, that other one on Nantwich Drive is a bit of an odd layout now i look at the floorplan! I reckon the master bedroom is a converted garage and the back has been extended without much thought for the layout! The living area is huge I'd be tempted to split that master bedroom room across the middle - make the back half a utility room and maybe additional bathroom and the front half into an office space. Good space though, that room with the Man Utd decor seems to have 2 double beds in it! (In my head it also has a lingering odour of teenage boy!)

If you are talking offers over then I think the 350k to 375k bracket would be more realistic in popular areas of Edinburgh.

New on the market. It's only 2beds BUT it's detached, got a conservatory which might work for office space in the short term, within budget, masses of garden space to add an extension plus loft conversion.
espc.com/property/34-sydney-terrace-craigentinny-edinburgh-eh7-6sl/35910230?sid=473118
The housing market has really slowed down since before Christmas, I wouldn't rush into anything at the moment as I suspect it will perk again in the spring. There are a lot of flats on the market which i think is a combination of lockdown making people realise they want outdoor space and also there's a noticeable number of what appear to have been AirBnB properties coming up for sale.

The 20 Nantwich Drive property has a home report valuation of £425k so might go over your budget.

Be wary of Seafield - sewerage works are located there and the stink in summer can be horrific.

South Queensferry might be a good bet for your budget and is also by the sea

I wouldn’t get too hung up on schools if you don’t even have kids - a lot can change in even a few years far less the 12+ before they start secondary!

I think Giffnock is nicer than Mearns personally, I have family members who live in both. I don’t know the east so well but Portobello would be awesome for the beach!

I had a "saw this and thought of you" moment today. This is the eye watering reality of being close to the beach! Hopefully you like the view of your car outside your living room window too!
espc.com/property/4-vernon-cottages-portobello-eh15-2bt/35911181?sid=712980

That's the biggest load of shite I've read for a long time and bloody racist on top. I'm sure you are going round telling refugees and anyone else who moves here that they are obliged to vote snp and for independence?

Why don't you take your political inaccuracies elsewhere or maybe you could give some independent evidence for the information you've given?

Who do you think you are to tell people how to vote?

Fucks sake.

Jesus what is it with moving to Scotland zombie threads? Reporting.

@MairiAnnaMcI87000

Racist? You realised I could sue you?

What's racist about it?

Name one country on the planet that you can move to and the very next day you can decide its constitutional future in a referendum? Which country other than Scotland?

Are all those countries racist too?

I don't vote SNP.

You should be careful about defaming people in the Internet calling them racists. People have been sued for less.

I'll await your letter suing me in the post.

@MairiAnnaMcI87000
As an English person living in Scotland for over 20 years, your post made me feel uncomfortable.

I am only speaking up now as others have; if I feel intimidated I find it safer to keep quiet.

[quote Aurea]@MairiAnnaMcI87000
As an English person living in Scotland for over 20 years, your post made me feel uncomfortable.

I am only speaking up now as others have; if I feel intimidated I find it safer to keep quiet. [/quote]
Honestly Aurea, it makes me embarrassed to be scottish. Why these morons feel they occupy the moral high ground and think that the normal Scottish people want to end up in their parochial back water with them, I have no idea.