Advice on moving to Edinburgh
Discussion
Hi all,
I’m looking for a bit of help regarding a possible relocation from the south east up to Edinburgh. I lived there for 5 years last decade and absolutely loved it, it’s a fantastic city. Cut to now and the missus and I are talking seriously about moving up there. She has a son from a previous marriage but he’ll be turning 16 and so is big enough to come with us but still see his dad each month back down south. We’re now looking at areas to move to and I’m really trying to find something that will cover the main concerns:
• Schools (for future kiddies)
• Good transport into the centre & college for the 16yr old (before he learns the PH way and gets a car!)
• A nice safe area, probably a legoland estate or something like that
• Decent tram/bus/train into the center or the gyle for me as a commute (mainly work for banks).
We need 3 or 4 bedrooms and a decent garden for the dog. So far I’ve thought about places like baberton, swanston, costorphine, maybe newcraighall (fort Kinnaird way) or out towards Musselburgh. I don’t want to go much further outside the bypass as I worry they may feel a bit cut off and not part of the city, and we’re not really considering Leith et al as it’s more a young singles/couples type thing in general.
Can anyone speak from experience on this sort of thing? Any ideas about where is good. I honestly don’t mind sitting on the bypass for an hour into work (beats the train to London), I’m more concerned with my family feeling happy and safe and a part of things. Any help is appreciated!
I’m looking for a bit of help regarding a possible relocation from the south east up to Edinburgh. I lived there for 5 years last decade and absolutely loved it, it’s a fantastic city. Cut to now and the missus and I are talking seriously about moving up there. She has a son from a previous marriage but he’ll be turning 16 and so is big enough to come with us but still see his dad each month back down south. We’re now looking at areas to move to and I’m really trying to find something that will cover the main concerns:
• Schools (for future kiddies)
• Good transport into the centre & college for the 16yr old (before he learns the PH way and gets a car!)
• A nice safe area, probably a legoland estate or something like that
• Decent tram/bus/train into the center or the gyle for me as a commute (mainly work for banks).
We need 3 or 4 bedrooms and a decent garden for the dog. So far I’ve thought about places like baberton, swanston, costorphine, maybe newcraighall (fort Kinnaird way) or out towards Musselburgh. I don’t want to go much further outside the bypass as I worry they may feel a bit cut off and not part of the city, and we’re not really considering Leith et al as it’s more a young singles/couples type thing in general.
Can anyone speak from experience on this sort of thing? Any ideas about where is good. I honestly don’t mind sitting on the bypass for an hour into work (beats the train to London), I’m more concerned with my family feeling happy and safe and a part of things. Any help is appreciated!
Prof Prolapse said:
Whilst you've excluded it by distance, just to let you know you can get the new borders railway from Midlothian to Waverly in 20 minutes. Whilst it's not a fair comparison, I don't you could get the bus that quickly from any of the locations you've listed.
They've built about a dozen new build estates in the last few years around Midlothian and the infrastructure is getting quite good. You'll get a lot more for your money.
Just a thought. I never liked living in the city though.
It's a good shout and we aren't ruling these things out at all. If that is true then i'll have a look. I guess it's the mental block of looking at a map and saying "this isn't actually in Edinburgh". If it were my way I would be in the borders paying less money for more house like a shot, just need to consider them and being able to socialise, see friends who live in the city etc. Nothing can be guaranteed but am trying to make a decent stab at ticking some boxes I guess. Thanks for the heads up on the borders rail. Eskbank has appealed when I have looked before.They've built about a dozen new build estates in the last few years around Midlothian and the infrastructure is getting quite good. You'll get a lot more for your money.
Just a thought. I never liked living in the city though.
Edited by carparkno1 on Tuesday 23 February 11:16
This is great thanks guys. I used to play golf at Swanston and that area has always appealed for the reasons stated, much like baberton etc, edge of the bypass but good transport. Also going to look at Eskbank as the train goes from there, as well as Musselburgh. A lot to consider but I feel like I am on the right track and all this info helps. Much appreciated.
PaulJC84 said:
I am based in Edinburgh and have lived in Leith for 8 years since I was at uni.
I grew up in Bonaly and Haddington.
If I were to move back out to East Lothain I would insist on somewhere with a Train.
Dunbar nice enough and good value (takes 20 Mins on the train).
Musselburgh (10 mins).
North Berwick is lovely but really expensive (25mins).
Longniddry is nice but very quiet (20 mins).
In town I would look around South side: Bonaly, Colinton, Morningside, Fairmilehead, Newington.
North: Trinity, Inverleith, Stockbridge, Barnton.
The Edinburgh bus service is great and has a really helpful app for tickets and bus tracking.
I will probably eventually move out to East Lothian as I like a bit more space and think it is better for children.
I would probably post any other areas you like and see what people say. Generally Edinburgh is a pretty decent place and even the places people will say to avoid will not be all that bad a place to live in my experience of meeting people from all over.
Yup - I lived on Ferry Road and aside from a few Pilton comments over my accent I never really had an issue. With the family though it needs to be a nice area - Colinton & Fairmilehead look good. I grew up in Bonaly and Haddington.
If I were to move back out to East Lothain I would insist on somewhere with a Train.
Dunbar nice enough and good value (takes 20 Mins on the train).
Musselburgh (10 mins).
North Berwick is lovely but really expensive (25mins).
Longniddry is nice but very quiet (20 mins).
In town I would look around South side: Bonaly, Colinton, Morningside, Fairmilehead, Newington.
North: Trinity, Inverleith, Stockbridge, Barnton.
The Edinburgh bus service is great and has a really helpful app for tickets and bus tracking.
I will probably eventually move out to East Lothian as I like a bit more space and think it is better for children.
I would probably post any other areas you like and see what people say. Generally Edinburgh is a pretty decent place and even the places people will say to avoid will not be all that bad a place to live in my experience of meeting people from all over.
Anybody have anything to say about Gorebridge, Newington & Eskbank? Just looking at those in terms of houses available & trains/ buses.
The other thought was out towards Kirkliston but that feels like it could be a pain with trains, traffic and the tram not starting until the aiport.
Cheers.
Prof Prolapse said:
carparkno1 said:
Yup - I lived on Ferry Road and aside from a few Pilton comments over my accent I never really had an issue. With the family though it needs to be a nice area - Colinton & Fairmilehead look good.
Anybody have anything to say about Gorebridge, Newington & Eskbank? Just looking at those in terms of houses available & trains/ buses.
The other thought was out towards Kirkliston but that feels like it could be a pain with trains, traffic and the tram not starting until the aiport.
Cheers.
Gorebridge is near me. Vogrie park is nearby which is nice for the kids, well served by the new railway line. Some of the new builds are nice. I haven't been on the estates for a while now there. There's some large housing association areas which are a bit rough, the locals aren't actually that bad though. Just poor and scruffy. You'll avoid them entirely depending on the development. If you're on Pistonheads I assume you like driving and there's some good roads nearby. It also has a regular bus (or more). Has a few shops but you'd really need to head towards the Tesco at Eskbank if you want more than a paper and some Haribo.Anybody have anything to say about Gorebridge, Newington & Eskbank? Just looking at those in terms of houses available & trains/ buses.
The other thought was out towards Kirkliston but that feels like it could be a pain with trains, traffic and the tram not starting until the aiport.
Cheers.
Eskbank is where we get the train. Nearest town is Dalkeith, one of the biggest, around here so has a number of local amenities, and better served by buses. A couple of restaurants and a full size Morrisons, and it's very own Whetherspoons, as well as a couple of not bad restaurants. Again this is Midlothian the new estates are literally it's revival so it isn't flush with cash, it's fine but could do with a bloody good wash. As with all of Midlothian, and a lot of East Lothian.
Newington I have never lived in but know it well. Historically tends to house people from ethnic communities, I couldn't say why but there is a large Mosque nearby. Not exactly premium Edinburgh but certainly leads to it, and this is the door to Old Town, so lots in walking distance.
I think that's all I could say, but if I can be of further use let me know.
I thought about Tranent, Prestonpans etc but it feels too far out and too "local" rather than "Edinburgh". Maybe I am wrong and overthinking these things but my main concern is the family settles & feels comfortable and not totally like out of towners. None of these things affect me but I am dragging them up and need to "sell" it to them if that makes sense.
Really good info thank you.
vanordinaire said:
Don't worry about not being local, the demographic around Edinburgh has changed and in most of the new estates and surrounding commuter towns less than half the residents will be local. I was brought up in Linlithgow (another nice commuter town you might look at), then there was a population of around 5000, now it's around 15000, the extra 10000 are non locals.
Great to know, thank you. I realise we can't tick every box but it would be nice to get something akin to a home run off the bat. Idelaly trying to avoid renting first if we can help it.Still stuns me what you can get there vs the South East. Ridiculous difference, and Edinburgh isn't considered cheap!
Patch1875 said:
We used to live in Leith but when our daughter appeared we moved out to Tranent. After 9 years were moving back into the city(Murrayfield). Never really properly been happy in East Lothian it's a lovely house but the town itself I find a bit grim.
Think I'm more at home in the city where it's so easy to access everything even just being a few miles out can be a pain as you end up taking the car everywhere and a night out gets expensive with the taxi home!
I think Tranent/Prestonpans etc is a bit too far out for the family. We'd be easily wooed by giant 5 bed houses for "relative" peanuts vs the South East, but ultimately as you say the towns are a bit grim and we're hardly locals. I want them to be close enough to Edinburgh to feel they are in it but not right in the center. All this advice is extremely valuable to me thanks.Think I'm more at home in the city where it's so easy to access everything even just being a few miles out can be a pain as you end up taking the car everywhere and a night out gets expensive with the taxi home!
David-H said:
Hi carparkno1.
You've already had lots of good information, but I'll still add my tuppence worth.
I live on the East of the city (Willowbrae area), and commute to The Gyle almost every day, and the traffic can be a nightmare. I have found my total commute (to and from work) taking over 2 hours in the car, only travelling about 17 miles in total. Also, Edinburgh's roads are in a terrible state, the worst I've seen them in the 23 years I've lived in the city.
On the plus side, the bus and tram network is very good, and I now find myself taking a bus then tram to work 2 or 3 times per week. It works out slightly more expensive than driving, takes the same amount of time (or less), and is much more relaxing.
I do think Edinburgh is a great city to live in. Great selection of pubs and restaurants and it doesn't take long to get out to the country or the coast if you fancy some fresh air. There's also a lot of great driving roads not too far away.
Hope your move goes well, wherever you decide to go.
David.
Thank you You've already had lots of good information, but I'll still add my tuppence worth.
I live on the East of the city (Willowbrae area), and commute to The Gyle almost every day, and the traffic can be a nightmare. I have found my total commute (to and from work) taking over 2 hours in the car, only travelling about 17 miles in total. Also, Edinburgh's roads are in a terrible state, the worst I've seen them in the 23 years I've lived in the city.
On the plus side, the bus and tram network is very good, and I now find myself taking a bus then tram to work 2 or 3 times per week. It works out slightly more expensive than driving, takes the same amount of time (or less), and is much more relaxing.
I do think Edinburgh is a great city to live in. Great selection of pubs and restaurants and it doesn't take long to get out to the country or the coast if you fancy some fresh air. There's also a lot of great driving roads not too far away.
Hope your move goes well, wherever you decide to go.
David.
Edin430 said:
Without getting to personal I think the only way you'll get real feedback is once we know what your budget is and you speak to someone who isn't bias about the area they currently live in (or have lived in). Lots of s
tholes that people will tell you are wonderlands.
If you have a £100k budget then my suggestion for area will be very different to say a £500k budget. But Corstorphine in my opinion has the best all round offering - transport links (buses, trams, main road into town, close to the airport, close to the gyle, close to Haymarket station) - some good public schools (Craigmount, St Augustines, Forrester) and a nice mix of houses for all budgets. Kaimes Road and further along Murrayfield way will set you back £300k to £750k where as cross the main road and go one street back and you can get a £150k semi. Lots of local shops and no real rough areas within a few square miles to worry about ever getting hassle.
If it were me looking I would work between Corstorphine and Haymarket (St John's Road) and look at the areas on either side. Personally I think the west side of town is much nicer than the east (and I live in town so no bias in my choice).
300-350k at a push (hence costorphine possibly being out of range). ideally 3+ bedrooms, garden, driveway. Aside from that not overly bothered - it's very much area first to get family settled in Edinburgh in a nice are, the house & location we can change later if we get braver!tholes that people will tell you are wonderlands. If you have a £100k budget then my suggestion for area will be very different to say a £500k budget. But Corstorphine in my opinion has the best all round offering - transport links (buses, trams, main road into town, close to the airport, close to the gyle, close to Haymarket station) - some good public schools (Craigmount, St Augustines, Forrester) and a nice mix of houses for all budgets. Kaimes Road and further along Murrayfield way will set you back £300k to £750k where as cross the main road and go one street back and you can get a £150k semi. Lots of local shops and no real rough areas within a few square miles to worry about ever getting hassle.
If it were me looking I would work between Corstorphine and Haymarket (St John's Road) and look at the areas on either side. Personally I think the west side of town is much nicer than the east (and I live in town so no bias in my choice).
grumpyscot said:
Lots of new houses being built in Musselburgh (East Lothian Council, who didn't waste money on a tram line!), Wallyford, Prestonpans and soon, Longniddry - all on main train line into Edinburgh (16 mins from Longniddry). Further afielf than Musselburgh / Port Seton and buses are crap (any route served by First Bus is tragically awful). Routes served by Lothian Bus are pretty good.
Can drive into England (Berwick) within 40 minutes easy drive down the A1 - Metro Centre in 1 hr 45mins. Glasgow Airport in just over an hour (off peak!) and Edinburgh Airport about 20 minutes (again off-peak).
Only work of caution about Edinburgh - don't have a car with ultra low profile tyres - out potholes will shred them in seconds!
And July & August is shambolic in the city centre thanks to tourists who don't realise we drive on the other side of the road and don't seem to understand UK road signs for "No Entry"
Ha I see the roads haven't improved in the last few years then. Aside from the tram which was in a permanent state of being built whilst I was there I don't see much has changes. Still a wonderful place tho!Can drive into England (Berwick) within 40 minutes easy drive down the A1 - Metro Centre in 1 hr 45mins. Glasgow Airport in just over an hour (off peak!) and Edinburgh Airport about 20 minutes (again off-peak).
Only work of caution about Edinburgh - don't have a car with ultra low profile tyres - out potholes will shred them in seconds!
And July & August is shambolic in the city centre thanks to tourists who don't realise we drive on the other side of the road and don't seem to understand UK road signs for "No Entry"
We're looking to go up in a few weeks and will be looking at various areas around the bypass - Musselburgh, Eskbank, Colinton, baberton etc.
Quick thread update: Agreed a moving day for summer next year, so we're now looking at places to live, with plenty of time to come up and drive around and talk to friends and family.
Definitely starting to look at the Pentland Hills type places - Swanston, Loanhead, Bilston, Eskbank, Newtongrange etc - new builds abound etc.
Many thanks for the info - typical help to buy in Scotland has been cut in half but we should still be fine!
Definitely starting to look at the Pentland Hills type places - Swanston, Loanhead, Bilston, Eskbank, Newtongrange etc - new builds abound etc.
Many thanks for the info - typical help to buy in Scotland has been cut in half but we should still be fine!
Major thread resurrection time! So I am the OP, and thought I would update/ask q’s.
We’ve set a date of end of march to offer and secure a house, ideally to complete by June – we’ve gone round all the areas, seen a lot of houses etc and know what we like. We’ve settled on Lasswade, Bonnyrigg or Eskbank in Midlothian, but if the right house popped up in South Queensferry or Musselburgh we wouldn’t rule it out.
Now onto business… offers over?!?! Having watched a few older “Location Location” shows etc I started having fits about offering 25% over or something ridiculous. It seems now that if you are after a new build-type house then the home report valuation is more appropriate?
By example – 6 year old house, valued at £272k, home report says £279. Does that mean probably best to offer more like £285 to secure it or would you go in lower? This is totally new to me so all help/experience is great!
We’ve set a date of end of march to offer and secure a house, ideally to complete by June – we’ve gone round all the areas, seen a lot of houses etc and know what we like. We’ve settled on Lasswade, Bonnyrigg or Eskbank in Midlothian, but if the right house popped up in South Queensferry or Musselburgh we wouldn’t rule it out.
Now onto business… offers over?!?! Having watched a few older “Location Location” shows etc I started having fits about offering 25% over or something ridiculous. It seems now that if you are after a new build-type house then the home report valuation is more appropriate?
By example – 6 year old house, valued at £272k, home report says £279. Does that mean probably best to offer more like £285 to secure it or would you go in lower? This is totally new to me so all help/experience is great!
Prof Prolapse said:
carparkno1 said:
Major thread resurrection time! So I am the OP, and thought I would update/ask q’s.
We’ve set a date of end of march to offer and secure a house, ideally to complete by June – we’ve gone round all the areas, seen a lot of houses etc and know what we like. We’ve settled on Lasswade, Bonnyrigg or Eskbank in Midlothian, but if the right house popped up in South Queensferry or Musselburgh we wouldn’t rule it out.
Now onto business… offers over?!?! Having watched a few older “Location Location” shows etc I started having fits about offering 25% over or something ridiculous. It seems now that if you are after a new build-type house then the home report valuation is more appropriate?
By example – 6 year old house, valued at £272k, home report says £279. Does that mean probably best to offer more like £285 to secure it or would you go in lower? This is totally new to me so all help/experience is great!
Sounds like we're going to be neighbours... I live next to Bonnyrigg/Eskbank. We’ve set a date of end of march to offer and secure a house, ideally to complete by June – we’ve gone round all the areas, seen a lot of houses etc and know what we like. We’ve settled on Lasswade, Bonnyrigg or Eskbank in Midlothian, but if the right house popped up in South Queensferry or Musselburgh we wouldn’t rule it out.
Now onto business… offers over?!?! Having watched a few older “Location Location” shows etc I started having fits about offering 25% over or something ridiculous. It seems now that if you are after a new build-type house then the home report valuation is more appropriate?
By example – 6 year old house, valued at £272k, home report says £279. Does that mean probably best to offer more like £285 to secure it or would you go in lower? This is totally new to me so all help/experience is great!
Can't answer you specific question, but I think market forces and your own preference and financial situation will dictate that. But I've seen them build what must be nearly 100,000 houses here in the last 3 years, personally I wouldn't be looking to pay over the odds for anything when they've estates with so many houses yet to be sold.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you are mortgaging this property, can you get a mortgage for the amount you spend over the value of the home report? At the very least the LTV ratio could mean a less favourable deal.
All my opinion of course. I found the whole "offers over" very off putting when we bought our house. We actively avoided it.
Offers over is an odd system eh. At least the home report and lots of housing stock means people won't pay silly money through being uninformed.
Dr_Rick said:
Unless you've already got one, I can recommend a solicitor in Stirling who's done house purchases / sales for us over the last 16yrs since we moved up here as students. He's covered east coast, west coast and in between for us, so he's not tied to Stirling just because his office is there.
Give me a shout if you want the details.
Very much appreciated, PMing now!!Give me a shout if you want the details.
Croutons said:
Have a look at my thread half way down the page on Glasgow, there is some info about the system & what it means here & there. Mainly in respect of things which have been on for ages, so possibly less relevant if you're committed buying solely in a fast-moving area with high demand, but hey, I read this thread before starting that one.
Reading as we speak, thank you!brrapp said:
There are a lot of brand new newbuilds in some of the areas you're looking at , to the extent that they're giving some excellent incentives to buy. Not sure if it's still going on , but last year one of the builders was offering 105% of valuation on your old house as a trade in. Fantastic deal if you're coming from something more expensive down south.
We're chain free, have been renting for a couple of years. We just have a wedge for a deposit and that's it. I'm hoping to use that incentive with a purchase of a pre-loved house, but a brand new new build is still a potential thing if we can get the timing right on completion etc.
I looked at a few of the homes Walker group builds as they seem to be a more bespoke Scottish builder than the normal huge developers. Some nice homes for £300k but got the sense there was little room to manoeuvre there. Not discounting it though as they were a better fit and layout than other NBs we have seen
Thread update time... have found a property in Midlothian, ticks all the boxes, so now talking to the solicitors (Many thanks Dr Rick) and hopefully making an offer today.
Although this offers over system is quite mad, it seems to mean different things depending on the market, the area and the sellers etc.
Here's hoping it goes okay but my assumption is we shouldn't pay over the home report valuation at the very least! We're chain free so hoping to offer under a bit and see what happens.
Thanks for all the help so far!
Although this offers over system is quite mad, it seems to mean different things depending on the market, the area and the sellers etc.
Here's hoping it goes okay but my assumption is we shouldn't pay over the home report valuation at the very least! We're chain free so hoping to offer under a bit and see what happens.
Thanks for all the help so far!
brrapp said:
Chain free doesn't make as much difference under Scots' law, once you make an offer here you're legally bound to follow through on it no matter what the circumstances are with your old house. It becomes a problem for you rather than the seller of your new house, hence banks up here making fortunes from overpriced bridging loans.
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