Thinking of moving to Glasgow?
Discussion
Hi everyone,
I was considering moving to Scotland and would like to get some advice on the local area. Thinking of Glasgow city centre.
Can anyone recommend some nice and safe affluent/ up market areas within the city centre of Glasgow? I've lived in London for years now and getting tired with all the knife crimes and high cost of living and properties.
How much should I budget if I want to buy a 1/2 bedroom flat in a nice "posh" area?
Thanks!
I was considering moving to Scotland and would like to get some advice on the local area. Thinking of Glasgow city centre.
Can anyone recommend some nice and safe affluent/ up market areas within the city centre of Glasgow? I've lived in London for years now and getting tired with all the knife crimes and high cost of living and properties.
How much should I budget if I want to buy a 1/2 bedroom flat in a nice "posh" area?
Thanks!
spacegrey335 said:
can't be worse than London?... any areas you would recommend?
My prefered choice would be the west end of Glasgow rather than the city centre, especialy since your requirements are for a safe and affluent area. Here are a few properties to give you an idea of whats available.
http://residentialsearch.savills.co.uk/list/proper...
Unfortunately statistics show that Glasgow is considered the murder Capitol of Western Europe, knife crime per head is probably one of the highest in the world, far worse than London.............
However, this rarely occurs in the city centre which is almost completely covered by CCTV, there are lots of city centre flats with secure underground parking, particularly on the clydeside, more exclusively in the Merchant City which is at the hub, with an excellent choice of shops bars and restaurants!
The West End is also nice but more townhouse or tenement style, less secure parking.
Most of the crime happens in the poorer suburbs. Glasgow is a wonderful place to live, you just have to be careful where you go!
I find it a far friendlier city than London despite the reputation, good luck on your hunt, and if you do move here we have a great Pistonheads crowd that meet up for runs and nights out around Scotland :-)
However, this rarely occurs in the city centre which is almost completely covered by CCTV, there are lots of city centre flats with secure underground parking, particularly on the clydeside, more exclusively in the Merchant City which is at the hub, with an excellent choice of shops bars and restaurants!
The West End is also nice but more townhouse or tenement style, less secure parking.
Most of the crime happens in the poorer suburbs. Glasgow is a wonderful place to live, you just have to be careful where you go!
I find it a far friendlier city than London despite the reputation, good luck on your hunt, and if you do move here we have a great Pistonheads crowd that meet up for runs and nights out around Scotland :-)
Hi,
As others have said Merchant City and the West End are worth looking at particularly of you want to be near bars/restaurants etc.
There a lots of modern flats in MC that have underground parking which is reasonably secure. The West End can vary a bit and certain areas are quite studenty.
If you'd be happy a bit further out the city centre, Bearsden & Pollokshields might
be worth looking at. Both are pretty affluent with some pretty nice properties/cars etc. I lived in Pollokshields (more period property than new stuff) and it always felt a safe area.
I've lived in/around Glasgow for about 10 years now and previously lived in London for awhile and personally I much prefer Glasgow. It's a great city and there are a really good bunch of PH folk up here plus some great driving roads not too far away!
Cheers,
Mike.
As others have said Merchant City and the West End are worth looking at particularly of you want to be near bars/restaurants etc.
There a lots of modern flats in MC that have underground parking which is reasonably secure. The West End can vary a bit and certain areas are quite studenty.
If you'd be happy a bit further out the city centre, Bearsden & Pollokshields might
be worth looking at. Both are pretty affluent with some pretty nice properties/cars etc. I lived in Pollokshields (more period property than new stuff) and it always felt a safe area.
I've lived in/around Glasgow for about 10 years now and previously lived in London for awhile and personally I much prefer Glasgow. It's a great city and there are a really good bunch of PH folk up here plus some great driving roads not too far away!
Cheers,
Mike.
Top city with great atmosphere. Merchant City is definitely worth a look and has a buzz about it. West End is also a good shout, but is definitely more expensive than others. Limited secure parking in west end, unlike merchant city. Southside of glasgow i.e. Shawlands is also a fantastic up and coming area, but again, the car parking is on street and not brilliant.
After your London experiences, you'll find everything a lot cheaper! And a hell of a lot friendlier.
After your London experiences, you'll find everything a lot cheaper! And a hell of a lot friendlier.
spacegrey335 said:
Hi everyone,
I was considering moving to Scotland and would like to get some advice on the local area. Thinking of Glasgow city centre.
Can anyone recommend some nice and safe affluent/ up market areas within the city centre of Glasgow? I've lived in London for years now and getting tired with all the knife crimes and high cost of living and properties.
How much should I budget if I want to buy a 1/2 bedroom flat in a nice "posh" area?
Thanks!
Was in the same position as you a few years ago, looking for a nice flat in Glasgow. Looked all over the West end and the Merchant city for months. Merchant city looked good, but was being developed too quickly to be sustainable. In the West end we saw some fantastic properties, many of them with modified interiors such as loft conversions, open-plan’d, etc. Turned out most of them had no ‘completion’ certs, and of course the sellers said it would be no problem getting one issued – well, if it was that easy, why’d YOU not get it then. I was considering moving to Scotland and would like to get some advice on the local area. Thinking of Glasgow city centre.
Can anyone recommend some nice and safe affluent/ up market areas within the city centre of Glasgow? I've lived in London for years now and getting tired with all the knife crimes and high cost of living and properties.
How much should I budget if I want to buy a 1/2 bedroom flat in a nice "posh" area?
Thanks!
Anyway, went through to Edinburgh for a day to run a comparison and ended up buying the 1st property we saw there. Haven’t looked back since and love Edinburgh.
If you enjoy driving in any way then you have to be careful....Glasgow has significant traffic issues, not least getting into/out of the west end...did you know the section of the M8 which runs through the city center is officially Europe's busiest river crossing.....that means its a b
d to drive anywhere close to it.
I presume you've thought of things like employment etc - Glasgow ain't a pretty place to find a job just now.
Depends quite what you want, but there are a lot of nice towns round about Glasgow, where the driving is better, the rent is cheaper, the outlook prettier and its only a short train journey into the city center. Personally as a Glasgow boy I would avoid living in the City or West-End as you can do much better on the outskirts if you're happy to forego the immediate availability of nightlife etc.
d to drive anywhere close to it.I presume you've thought of things like employment etc - Glasgow ain't a pretty place to find a job just now.
Depends quite what you want, but there are a lot of nice towns round about Glasgow, where the driving is better, the rent is cheaper, the outlook prettier and its only a short train journey into the city center. Personally as a Glasgow boy I would avoid living in the City or West-End as you can do much better on the outskirts if you're happy to forego the immediate availability of nightlife etc.
Top Choices, in no particular order:-
1) Merchant City - I think this is the best part of Glasgow. Nice flats, all tastes catered for. Kinda like Covent Garden, for a London perspective.
2) Shawlands - This is also a nice area, with many of the same property characteristics of the west end, only much more actual Glasweigans in it! Great night life and only a short 10 min train ride from the city. Kinda like Clapham Junction.
3) West End - The West end I find too 'artsy' and 'studenty' (for me). I reckon being a Londoner this is maybe the area you would identify with most. This reminds me of Wandsworth type areas.
1) Merchant City - I think this is the best part of Glasgow. Nice flats, all tastes catered for. Kinda like Covent Garden, for a London perspective.
2) Shawlands - This is also a nice area, with many of the same property characteristics of the west end, only much more actual Glasweigans in it! Great night life and only a short 10 min train ride from the city. Kinda like Clapham Junction.
3) West End - The West end I find too 'artsy' and 'studenty' (for me). I reckon being a Londoner this is maybe the area you would identify with most. This reminds me of Wandsworth type areas.
GreigM said:
If you enjoy driving in any way then you have to be careful....Glasgow has significant traffic issues, not least getting into/out of the west end...did you know the section of the M8 which runs through the city center is officially Europe's busiest river crossing.....that means its a bd to drive anywhere close to it.
I presume you've thought of things like employment etc - Glasgow ain't a pretty place to find a job just now.
Depends quite what you want, but there are a lot of nice towns round about Glasgow, where the driving is better, the rent is cheaper, the outlook prettier and its only a short train journey into the city center. Personally as a Glasgow boy I would avoid living in the City or West-End as you can do much better on the outskirts if you're happy to forego the immediate availability of nightlife etc.
The Kingston Bridge should get better once they complete the M74 route all the way through Glasgow, relieving a large chunk of the volume of traffic. And it's ahead of schedule.d to drive anywhere close to it.I presume you've thought of things like employment etc - Glasgow ain't a pretty place to find a job just now.
Depends quite what you want, but there are a lot of nice towns round about Glasgow, where the driving is better, the rent is cheaper, the outlook prettier and its only a short train journey into the city center. Personally as a Glasgow boy I would avoid living in the City or West-End as you can do much better on the outskirts if you're happy to forego the immediate availability of nightlife etc.
Agree with the job market though - everyone I know is struggling and I'm quietly relieved that it only took my missus 3 months to get a decent job.
As a newcomer into the city, I'd want to be somewhere with a decent nightlife and social scene which isn't that easy to find in places like Bearsden or Milngavie. You'd need to have a hobby like golf to get on in Bearsden, whereas you can make friends more easily in the city centre.
After living in london, I'm sure the op is more than used to a little bit of gridlock too.
My first flat in Glasgow was on St Vincent St. 2 minutes from the M8, secure parking. 5 min walk from Sauchiehall st, 2 mins from the Bon Accord pub.
Have a look at Parsonage Square.
Good city centre/Merchant City location, and some of the properties (all of the town houses and some of the flats) come with a parking space in the secure underground car park.
Good city centre/Merchant City location, and some of the properties (all of the town houses and some of the flats) come with a parking space in the secure underground car park.
I've lived in Glasgow my whole life and I don't get the obsession with the West End. Yes, there's lots to see and do and there's some really nice areas but there's also thousands of crummy old tenements in poor condition, rented out to students and scumbags.
If the OP is looking for somewhere safe in particular, the suburbs are good bet, somewhere with easy access to City Centre such as Bearsden/Milngavie, Bishopbriggs/Lenzie, if I was looking City Centre-ish I'd look at somewhere near Park District between the City and West End, nice properties on the whole and a bit quieter.
If the OP is looking for somewhere safe in particular, the suburbs are good bet, somewhere with easy access to City Centre such as Bearsden/Milngavie, Bishopbriggs/Lenzie, if I was looking City Centre-ish I'd look at somewhere near Park District between the City and West End, nice properties on the whole and a bit quieter.
[quote=yellowbentines]I've lived in Glasgow my whole life and I don't get the obsession with the West End. Yes, there's lots to see and do and there's some really nice areas but there's also thousands of crummy old tenements in poor condition, rented out to students and scumbags.
^^^This plus it's nigh on impossible to find a parking space.
^^^This plus it's nigh on impossible to find a parking space.
wow!!! thank you so much guys!!!! very useful comments and good input....
I really like Scotland, been to Edinburgh (twice), Inverness and spent a few hours in Glasgow on my last holiday trip.
I've seen some nice flats in Merchant city going for £180k/ £200k, which is quite attractive. In London, £200k will get you a shed....so I know now where my money will go once I have enough to move out.
Thanks again for the advices...
I really like Scotland, been to Edinburgh (twice), Inverness and spent a few hours in Glasgow on my last holiday trip.
I've seen some nice flats in Merchant city going for £180k/ £200k, which is quite attractive. In London, £200k will get you a shed....so I know now where my money will go once I have enough to move out.
Thanks again for the advices...
yellowbentines said:
I've lived in Glasgow my whole life and I don't get the obsession with the West End. ......................
........... I'd look at somewhere near Park District between the City and West End, nice properties on the whole and a bit quieter.
Most real Glaswegians don't. Over priced, over student'ed, over junkie'd. Park circus is lovely - if you can afford it. ........... I'd look at somewhere near Park District between the City and West End, nice properties on the whole and a bit quieter.
Avoid the new developments particularly along the waterfront. Massively overpriced and will crash badly very soon and be impossible to sell. Even the developers have started burning their new aspirational waterfront luxury pads as they know they won't sell
Some other areas to look at which are often overlooked would be the Cathcart, Merrylee/Langside and Newlands area.
Contrary to a lot of the thoughts in this thread, I don't rate the merchant city at all - I'm old enough to remember when it was a sthole, and its only 1 minute walk from being a sthole again - cornered between the rivers of ste which are high street and argyle street its not a brilliant spot if you ask me. In fact unless you were out towards Woodside Terrace/Park Circus and definitely towards the west of center (without being "West End") then I wouldn't rate the city center, certainly not anywhere east.
Also don't underestimate how ste the weather is - Glasgow has a unique climate due to the surrounding hills and the proximity to the Gulf Stream which makes wetter and milder than even the rest of Scotland - a few years ago I moved roughly 15 miles to the southeast of the city and even with that small change the difference in weather patterns is marked. My brother did the opposite of you - sold up his reasonable flat in Glasgow and moved down to squalor in London - he says he's happier now due to the much improved climate.
thole, and its only 1 minute walk from being a sthole again - cornered between the rivers of ste which are high street and argyle street its not a brilliant spot if you ask me. In fact unless you were out towards Woodside Terrace/Park Circus and definitely towards the west of center (without being "West End") then I wouldn't rate the city center, certainly not anywhere east.Also don't underestimate how s
te the weather is - Glasgow has a unique climate due to the surrounding hills and the proximity to the Gulf Stream which makes wetter and milder than even the rest of Scotland - a few years ago I moved roughly 15 miles to the southeast of the city and even with that small change the difference in weather patterns is marked. My brother did the opposite of you - sold up his reasonable flat in Glasgow and moved down to squalor in London - he says he's happier now due to the much improved climate.Edited by GreigM on Wednesday 6th October 22:43
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