Areas to live

[SosarreWilliam]

Hi, we are a family of 4 and looking for areas to buy a house in or around central Edinburgh - we need to be able to commute on the train a few times a week and ideally not too far from the centre. Looking at Merchiston / bruntsfield / Stockbridge / Trinity, they all seem great and others too - any tips? Thanks so much 😊

Hi, a lot will depend on your budget and schooling requirements. Are you looking for state or private, primary or secondary. I don’t know Edinburgh that well but there are posters here that will help if you give them some more info.

The areas you have mentioned are all quite expensive, if you’re looking to buy then expect to pay above the home report value.

Thank you for info! I was wondering about the home report value...would be private schools for primary and we looking at the central ones, I keep hearing about the Edinburgh traffic so will keep that in mind too!!

Congratulations on your move to Edinburgh, I’m sure you’ll love it. I live in one of the areas you mention. Although the traffic can be bad, central Edinburgh has many short cuts that people find to avoid the worst of it. The centre of Edinburgh is less busy during rush hour than you’d expect and certainly much less congested than the commuter roads such as the city bypass and main roads to the west.

Depending on where your destination is, bear in mind that Haymarket station is an option instead of Waverley if you’re travelling west or north.

If your budget allows, try looking at other areas south of the city such as Blackford, Sciennes and the Grange, out to Comiston and Fairmilehead. Also Ravelston, Murrayfield and some areas of Craigleith. Good houses are selling fairly quickly even now, so take the advice of a good local solicitor on what to offer. Most sellers will gauge interest and then set a closing date.

This is a very budget dependent question - what are you looking for and for how much?

Thank you I’ll take a look at all those areas, I hadn’t heard of many of these so I’m glad I asked ! X

@Crabbity dependant on our house sale but not more than £1.1m-ish in any case and would have to be 3-4 bedrooms and garden. I can see that central houses are super expensive (and not much on) and probably not in our budget if they are going much over the asking price 😬

I’d also factor in parking if you want to be somewhere quite central. If you don’t have private off street parking then much of the city is resident’s permit parking for on street parking. It costs to have a permit and there’s no guarantee you’ll get a space anywhere near home. If you live near the edge of a zone then your permit isn’t valid for adjacent zones and it means visitors will have to pay & display.

Bus routes are on www.lothianbuses.Com if you want to check for connections to the station.

Thanks @Coronationstation i hadn’t even thought about parking!

The parking zones are on here although there’s a risk they might expand as there’s been a number of consultations about additional zones https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/parking-permits/parking-permit-address-search/1

Inverleith, Murrayfield,,Ravelston, Blackhall, Trinity, parts of Corstorphine - all depends on what schools your children will be at.

Lucky you

This house in Ravelston is at the top end of your budget but gives an idea of what’s available.
https://www.onthemarket.com/details/13185917/

Thanks will take a look and at area ❤️

Ravelston is a lovely residential area but my hesitation about it (as if I could even afford to live there!) would be the lack of bus services unless you walk down to the A8 or Queensferry road, and it’s not great for local amenities as there’s not really a block of local shops, post office etc. that house on Ravelston house loan isn’t too bad as it’s further down the hill and closer to Craigleith retail park and queensferry road.