Second home in Scotland

[Frizzyspider]

I'd be grateful for some guidance & recommendation.
We live overseas, and would like to have our second home in Scotland.
Having a tiny budget, we're looking for a 2-bed flat (not a house).
We do homeschooling with our son, so the local schools are not important.
What would be important:
a/ definitely the seaside
b/ vibrant community (to make friends & contribute to the local initiatives)
c/ an inspiring place regarding history, local landmarks, art, museums, libraries, etc.
d/ easy train/bus access to the Edinburgh/Glasgow airports.

We'd love to buy sth near Edinburgh, but the east coast seems to be too pricey. That is why we consider Rothesay on the Isle of Bute or generally the west coast.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Thank you!

@emmathedilemma

Ah, so you're familiar with Edinburgh. If you're looking for that sort of level of culture, museums, libraries etc then I think you'll be hard pushed to find it in the places that are being mentioned. As has been suggested, there's a reason why you can buy a 2bed flat for £70k in some places and it isn't because they're tourist hotspots! Portobello on the outskirts of Edinburgh would suit you perfectly - Sandy beach and promenade, great community and arty feel, short bus ride into the city centre.......but you'd need another £200k on your budget.

Yes, I lived in Portobello and love this place! Also Musselburgh nearby is nice. Maybe some day, however, now I must search for sth else.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel

Certainly rudeness isn't my intention but I think a solid dose of honesty about the possibilities is fair.

Regarding the money, I can always consider 1-bed flat or extended budget if necessary . That is why it doesn't make sense to discuss my budget details here. I do see the prices in ads.

Again, I would be extremely grateful for sharing your thoughts about the places.

I think it may be a matter of compromise OP, I think it's possible to get some of those things in your ballpark budget but not all, as you say, smaller or more expensive would get you more of the other things but I think you need to pick something that is the must have and treat all the other things as bonuses.

I think people are trying to be honest in that if all those existed at that price then it wouldn't be that price as demand would obviously push it up.

Op, I know how you feel - I also wondered about places that seemed really cheap when I was looking for my first flat years ago.

Luckily I knew a local who opened my eyes to the reality.

Young couples in seaside places often really struggle with housing, and yet they dont touch these flats with a bargepole - and those reasons won't necessarily be apparent to you until you're listening to the screams from next door til gone 3am, or the close door getting kicked in again.

If it looks cheap then its cheap for a reason.

I think its good you mentioned the budget because its the most important bit. You only have to read a few threads about nightmare neighbours on this site to realise how important who you live next door to is.
I wish there were more sites where you could park up Tiny Homes, they are a good solution for young people who want an alternative lifestyle IMO, i love looking at videos of them on Youtube (funny that I have fantasies of living on my own in a handcrafted trailer after being in lockdown for nearly a year!).

@Wbeezer

I think its good you mentioned the budget because its the most important bit. You only have to read a few threads about nightmare neighbours on this site to realise how important who you live next door to is. I wish there were more sites where you could park up Tiny Homes, they are a good solution for young people who want an alternative lifestyle IMO, i love looking at videos of them on Youtube (funny that I have fantasies of living on my own in a handcrafted trailer after being in lockdown for nearly a year!).

It's rude to point out your budget won't even get you a decent caravan in Hunter's Quay, okay . It's reality. Places that are that cheap are that cheap for a good reason and are not AirB&B/second home material or need at least double that amount to make them habitable.

There's no way there will be more sites to park up Tiny Homes and honestly, it's even hard in some US states because no one wants to encourage what sadly will amount to shanty towns. I wouldn't want one near my home.

Sorry, Wbeezer, I misappropriated a comment to you, didn't mean to do that. My bad.

That's now what I did at all @rawalpindithelabrador

I was making a genuine suggestion because the OP stated above that she'd consider a caravan.

It might be worth looking at the Auction sites, I narrowly missed out due to a work call on a lovely little 1 bed cottage by the sea, very little work that sold for £29k. It was a Cafe which had planning already approved and most of the work done. ☹️

Unfortunately i think you're right about tiny home sites, in some circumstances planning allows people to site them in their gardens but you're at the whim of the landowner then. I still think they could work if properly regulated but then site fees would probably end up on a par with mobile home parks.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel

That's now what I did at all *@rawalpindithelabrador*

I was making a genuine suggestion because the OP stated above that she'd consider a caravan.

No, I agree, Include, with your sentiment, it's just that caravans on places like the one mentioned also need a dose of reality because even there the budget isn't realistic due to the add-on fees and the requirements of the site. There are a few parks where that might be an exception (I know of one), but believe me, no one goes round advertising this as everyone and their brother would want to join in.

Basically that budget is not at all realistic for maybe 1 or 2 points on her list and I don't think it's rude to point that out contrary to the OP.

Budget is the most important constraint. It's no good telling someone Portobello is brilliant when they can't afford a wheelie bin there.

@FAQs

It might be worth looking at the Auction sites, I narrowly missed out due to a work call on a lovely little 1 bed cottage by the sea, very little work that sold for £29k. It was a Cafe which had planning already approved and most of the work done. ☹️

Could you please share some links to those Action sites?

I did Google it before suggesting it and saw they had some available for 40-50k but don't know about site fees. It was a genuine suggestion.

We went there a few years ago and it wasn't really for me but for holidays and proximity to Glasgow that area is probably worth looking at.

And in a lot of places that are in areas the OP wants, prices are increasing as people are working from home for good and want to move to places with more open space in case of lockdowns and selling off more expensive properties to do so, therefore driving the costs of such properties as the OP wants even higher. It's definitely happening in our area, which is/was 'cheap' for a very good reason.

Have you considered the new regulations that are being brought in later this year, for licencing short-term lets. Scottish Government regulations

Air BnBs and similar short-term lets have caused lots of issues, particularly in Edinburgh but throughout Scotland. I grew up in an area where a lot of locals could no longer afford to buy homes because house prices had been driven up by people buying holiday homes. There were also a lot of second homes standing empty outwith the tourist season.

If you want to be welcomed as part of a local community, this may not be the way to do it.

Auction House Scotland and Future Property Auctions are the main two.

This one looks like it"s OK for your budget www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/101341589?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard

www.futurepropertyauctions.co.uk/onlineauctions.html#!/auctionDetails/2048?page=0

(that particular auction went ahead yesterday, but they have them regularly and you can sign up for details)

I'd try largs, being careful which part of the town

Gives you an idea of what's happening in different areas as the highest bid prices are listed for each lot that sold yesterday.

@DangerFrog

Have you considered the new regulations that are being brought in later this year, for licencing short-term lets. Scottish Government regulations

Air BnBs and similar short-term lets have caused lots of issues, particularly in Edinburgh but throughout Scotland. I grew up in an area where a lot of locals could no longer afford to buy homes because house prices had been driven up by people buying holiday homes. There were also a lot of second homes standing empty outwith the tourist season.

If you want to be welcomed as part of a local community, this may not be the way to do it.

That's good news! A lot of people make properties short-term lets to get out of safety regulations, which are there for a reason. Time to crack down on that.

I dont think you'd get anything in a half way decent area on the west coast - even its in the back of beyond.

Scotland doesn't come cheap for decent property.

@Sturmundcalm

You probably would get a flat in places like Rothesay and Campbeltown BUT they are not easily accessible to the central belt and as someone else has already said you'd then struggle to rent out on AirBnB. Not necessarily impossible during peak season but depends if renting out only over 6 weeks in July/August would work for you...

One thing to be aware of though is that even in more remote/challenging locations that is a very small budget for a 2bed flat and it's perfectly possible that some of those properties are unsuitable for living in right now. Have you actually spoken to any of the local estate agencies? Or do you have specific properties you're considering?

Yes, we have spoken to a few local estate agencies, analysed Home Reports, found a Scottish solicitor, and even placed some informal offers. This is, however, a stage we can withdraw and change our decision, that is why I ask for more opinions about the places.

rawalpindithelabrador

DangerFrog
Have you considered the new regulations that are being brought in later this year, for licencing short-term lets. Scottish Government regulations

"That's good news! A lot of people make properties short-term lets to get out of safety regulations, which are there for a reason. Time to crack down on that."

Absolutely! I'm totally in favour of it. But it will likely increase the costs for people letting properties, which may affect the OP's options.

I live in Dumfries and Galloway but pre lock down regularly visited Glasgow, if you can up your budget what about Maryhill or Anniesland. I admit neither are in the most salubrious parts of Glasgow but both are walkable for the highly desirable West End, loads of culture restaurant etc , and buses in Glasgow are generally very good. In the past I've done Air Bnb in both areas and the owners tell me that they have no problems getting bookings most of the year round. Glaswegians are generally very friendly, the stunning Loch Lommond is only up the road (although it gets very busy at the height of the tourist season) and if you have a car sandy beaches like Troon and Ardrossan are also relatively close by and you can go over on the ferry to Arran for the day. There are good train links to Edinburgh as well.
The only problem is that it does seem to rain a lot!!