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!

@IseeScottishhills

At the risk of sounding boring and practical renting on air BnB is a minefield. We had a very twee old cottage in an area in England that's vey popular with tourists, our neighbours do Air BnB and its not easy to make it work and break even let alone make any decent amount of money. For a start people have very high expectations, I'm not sure many of the properties posted on here would be considered desirable Air BnB properties unless they're dirt cheap. You will have to pay a very reliable person/company to clean it even more so now with Covid, someone will have to be available for guests and ideally welcome them, ensure turn around is done efficiently, probably wash bed linen towels etc, maintain it and replace anything that gets broken and you'll have to pay utilities etc on top of that, we were advised that a property that's rented out a lot will need redecorating every year; people don't care about your paint work when they're carting a heavy suitcase up the stairs. The times when you can charge the most rent are likely to be the time that you want to go. Use a holiday letting agent and you wont have the stress of marketing/organising booking etc but you'll be charged accordingly. All this will be costly and quite difficult if you're living overseas. The general consensus from people and holiday letting agents we spoke too about this is that this who make any money or even covers their cost of owning the property had highly desirable properties in very desirable areas with extortionate rents (my neighbours charge up to £4k a week) and were ideally doing the turn around themselves. Guests complain at the drop of a hat and will cheerfully put their negative review of your property on Air BnB however ridiculous they may be and also your neighbours will often not welcome Air BnB guests particularly in small communities and will also complain if your guests are noisy which many staying in holiday rentals are.

Thank you very much for your comment. I'm aware of most of that, but it is very helpful to sum it up.

@Sarahandduck18

A few points:

1. offers overs ads mean they want 10-20% above the o/o amount

2. if you want arts/culture you will have to travel into Glasgow or Edinburgh- any towns remotely artsy would need a £200k + budget

3. to find out more about the areas look at the SIMD website -this tells you how deprived small areas are

4. lots of coastal towns have severe socio economic problems- some places were tourism hives pre overseas travel- eg Rothesay, Saltcoats, Dunoon, Largs, Ayr, Brodick, Burntisland, Kinghorn but are now run down to varying extents. Unemployment and crimes rates are high.

5. the sub £50k flats in the towns that do have decent fronts/amenities (eg Largs) are up closes notorious for injecting drugs/ neds hanging out with their Buckie. These closes can be unfactored or have temp flats/absent private landlords who don’t maintain them (eg the security door). Only the desperate would expose their kids to these kind of environments.

6. these very cheap flats will need money spent on modernisations eg not all have mains gas or central heating or double glazing or a fitted kitchen or decent bathroom.

7. dont forget to add factor costs -these are usually £40-60pcm for normal maintenance. If the roof needs done you can be hit with a £10k bill. (And even more of a problem if it’s leaking into your house and the other flat owners refuse to pay!)

8. if I were you I’d focus on Largs/Prestwick/Ayr on the west coast or between Dunfermline and Leven in Fife. Just be very careful with the street by observing the neighbours etc when you visit.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful.

How tiny is a tiny budget.

@Viviennemary

How tiny is a tiny budget.

(Literally on the first page!!) 60-70k

Sorry I missed that.

@Timeandtune

Would you consider Cumbrae ? www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/Isle-Of-Cumbrae.html Property is very affordable and some market for holiday rentals / Air BnB . Nicer than Bute IMO.

What about Cumbrae? Why nicer than Bute from your point of view?

I am so impressed with the length of this thread....
Sorry not to answer to all your comments, I have probably missed some of them yet. Will do my best to read everything carefully, and reply as much as possible.

Burghead

Op have you really thought about this? Do you really want you and you DC to be in a gardenless flat in the less desirable end of a town? It might just about be ok in the summer but the winters in Scotland are long and dark.
Wouldn't you be better to rent holiday cottages instead? Last year we rented a stunning house on the side of a Loch it has a massive garden it slept 8 it cost £1300 for a week. If you sent £6k a year renting holiday cottages you have enough money to do it for at least 10 years more really because you wont have any expenses associated with owning a second home. I know you don't have the possible investment of owning a home (assuming property prices stay the same or prices rise) but I suspect that if you sat down and did the numbers looking at all the costs of ownership its not a done deal in terms of a good investment. If rent a holiday home you can rent anywhere in Scotland (or England or anywhere in the world), stay in the islands, in a city, by the beach in the mountains, you can have everything culture, wildlife, peace and quiet, sporting activities. and variety. Scotland is a wonderful place with so much to offer.
What IM trying to say is that I personally wouldn't be buying the sort of holiday flat that your budget would allow. I'd instead spend some of that money on renting holiday homes and have flexibility to see and stay in lots of different places.
There was a thread on MN last year (I think in the property section) about second homes its worth a read.

This thread has just been started although its about buying and renting out a holiday park home but the comments about damage high costs etc will apply to second/holiday homes in general.

Here? I don’t know the area so someone may set me right!

espc.com/property/5-cornhill-street-newburgh-cupar-ky14-6bn/35762679?sid=745662

I have a sneaking feeling that the Op might be having a little joke with us.

But I did have a teeny tiny bit of hope that someone might find a beautiful two bedroom flat in excellent condition beside the sea in a lively community within an historical town with art galleries , museums and libraries with easy public transport access to Glasgow or Edinburgh and good rental potential.

For £60k.

Just so I could go and buy it.

Fraserburgh

Isle of Bute

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/56829618?search_identifier=9ba17b42b20167c88418033ca29f8774

If you were to air bnb your place when you're abroad, what would you do with all your stuff?

I bought a one bed flat in Largs as a second home in mid 2019 for £35k, and have spent about £10k fixing it up - new windows, replacing white meter heating with gas, new bathroom.

What the OP is proposing is definitely do-able within budget, but you do need to be careful about the area you choose. I had thought about Saltcoats, but it is really rundown and the cheaper flats are usually in streets which seem pretty dodgy. Largs, although not without problems, is still a reasonably thriving wee town, with a range of local, independent businesses. Although, yet to be seen how it survives Covid.

I decided against Millport because of the ferry which restricts movement on and off the island.

I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said. Although OP you say your budget isn't to be discussed it's hugely relevant. People want to holiday in a nice wee converted fishing cottage in the East Neuk, where a 2 bed is going to cost £200k plus. Or somewhere like Oban or Troon where properties are equally pricey.

Yes there are cheaper properties to be had, but that means they are in less desirable areas. You can't have it both ways, there has to be a compromise somewhere. Either you go for the desirable area and pay more, or accept that you are going to struggle to rent it out. I mean, I live not far from Maryhill and yes you can walk to Byres Road in 30 minutes but come on, who has a flat on Maryhill Road on their holiday wish-list?

RaspberryCoulis I agree Maryhill isn’t exactly Kelvinside I have rented short term Air BnB in areas like Maryhill and Anniesland. But I view these properties (both very nice inside I hasten to add) as simply a roof over my head whilst I enjoy all that Glasgow has to offer. We’ve friends who’ve rented through Air BnB similar type flats in similar type areas in other major cities around the world who take a similar view. Obviously the rental cost of these properties reflects the area I once rented a very nice 1 bed flat in Anniesland for £40 per night and the owner said it was fully booked most of the year round. If your looking for a romantic luxury weekend there are much nicer places to stay but if your just in Glasgow for a few days maybe visiting family, enjoying its many attractions and eating out all the time a cheap but centralish location fits the bill very well.
My DH hates Air BnB and prefers a hotel a night in say the very pleasant the Citizen M costs £75 + . I’ve family in Glasgow’s west side I travel there quite a lot and often on my own I personally would rather put the difference in cost between a centrally located hotel or a very pleasant but cheap Air BnB flat in a less salubrious area towards a meal in a restaurant.
Obviously in the ideal world the OP would have a big enough budget to be able to afford a luxury flat in a highly desirable area with a stunning sea view to the front and a mountain back drop to the rear with an airport 30 mins away, surrounded by culture, welcoming neighbours, wildlife and loads of sporting activities but as she hasn’t if her limited budget would extend to a flat in say Maryhill I would have thought that this was a much more viable option for her in all ways than a budget gardenless flat in a undesirable run down coastal town with very little to do out of high season.
.

I totally get where you're coming from @IseeScottishhills - there is going to be a market for any holiday let pitched at the right price. But there is going to be a bigger pool of people looking for a red sandstone tenement flat in Hyndland than there is looking for a cheap option in Maryhill. It depends whether OP is looking to make a profit or just get some small help towards cost. She's a bit vague about that (and a lot of other things)

I suspect the OP’s —slightly unrealistic— budget doesn’t extend to the obviously more desirable Hyndland in fact I’m convinced it extends to the significantly less desirable Maryhill either . If she decides to go ahead with this idea I suspect it is going to be a small flat in a even less desirable area than even Maryhill with few of the other must have on her list. Im not being malicious OP I genuinely hope OP you find something that ticks all your boxes and works for you at an affordable price. We’ve fairly recently moved here from England Scotland has a lot going for it.

I’m not convinced it extends to the significantly less desirable Maryhill either.

I think the air bnb market in Scotland isn't just cute holiday cottages
Someone I know in a very un-holiday-ish village near here has a flat which pre-covid was always booked up, because it is cheaper than a hotel for people visiting relatives etc.
But she lives very nearby, and really needs to because a lot of her bookings are just for a night or two, getting someone else to do the changeovers would be difficult
The difficulty would be finding somewhere you would also want to stay yourself.

How about this one: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97340930?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard

Good train service and less than an hour to Edinburgh

ah the seaside resort of Galashiels ;)
There's some reasonably priced properties in the borders but they mostly need a substantial amount of work doing on them and "definitely the seaside" was point a) on the requirements list.