Where to live in Edinburgh

jimmii

We're looking at moving back to Edinburgh next year we lived on Dalmeny St for a year a little while back but this time are looking to buy somewhere on the outskirts of the city. What sort of areas would people suggest to look at for a two bed house around the 160k-180k mark? What are the areas on the sea like Portobello or Granton like? Saw a few places on Old Dalkeith Rd that looked nice whats it like round there?

No kids so not having to worry about schools etc just good public transport in to the city centre and would be nice to be somewhere with a good pub close by!

Thanks!!

razorblunt

Granton not great , I lived in East Pilton for a few years which is close enough to that area. Portobello is highly recommended by a few folk I work with.
I don't think you'd get. A two bed for that price in Portobello though.
What about Queensferry?

Very Bored

Colinton?

jimmii

Will check both those areas cheers! If the area is really nice would probably settle for a 1 bed if need be.

laois hibby

Newhaven/ trinity are good areas between granton and Leith. Leith has improved massively recently but still has some dodgy areas. Portobello is good and musselburgh not bad.

jimmii

laois hibby wrote: »

Newhaven/ trinity are good areas between granton and Leith. Leith has improved massively recently but still has some dodgy areas. Portobello is good and musselburgh not bad.

Good to know about Leith when we were on Leigh Walk it top end seemed pretty dodgy!

What are the areas to avoid?

laois hibby

Depends really. Great junction street at the foot of Leith walk can be dodgy. Some of the streets off Leith walk as well like Lorne street Iona street Albert street can be dodgy enough. Ferry road not too bad but avoid Madeira street and fort street. Leith links is good and Easter road is ok especially for the football.

razorblunt

Yeah Ferry Road is alright.
Colinton isnt near the sea though. Are you looking for somewhere close to Water?

jimmii

razorblunt wrote: »

Yeah Ferry Road is alright.
Colinton isnt near the sea though. Are you looking for somewhere close to Water?

Doesn't have to be but would be a nice bonus! Wife would prefer to just find something with a bit of character but I'd like to be able to have an evening stroll down the beach!

jimmii

laois hibby wrote: »

Depends really. Great junction street at the foot of Leith walk can be dodgy. Some of the streets off Leith walk as well like Lorne street Iona street Albert street can be dodgy enough. Ferry road not too bad but avoid Madeira street and fort street. Leith links is good and Easter road is ok especially for the football.

Yeh I used to pop round to easter road was very handy from dalmeny st!

laois hibby

Don't know where you plan to work etc but along the coast in Edinburgh you have cramond which is nice but very pricey. Silverknowes which is a bit too close to muirhouse, west pilton, west granton which used to be well dodgy. Granton is better but rough enough. Trinity is good but very pricey. Newhaven is good and there is a new development there which looks to be ok. Leith is good and bad. New development at docks is nice enough. Seafield is ok. Borders Portobello but sewage plant would put me off. Portobello is nice and good promenade. Should be around your budget. Joppa is nice enough and close to Portobello. Then your on the outskirts. Technically east Lothian you have musselburgh. Town on its own but attached to Edinburgh. Should be in budget. All these areas on the coast are well serviced with transport to city centre and is walkable in an hour max. I was born and grew up in trinity so know the north side fairly well.

razorblunt

jimmii wrote: »

Doesn't have to be but would be a nice bonus! Wife would prefer to just find something with a bit of character but I'd like to be able to have an evening stroll down the beach!

That would rule Colinton out then I'm guessing!

You could just buy something on Meadowbank and use the Loch in Holyrood
Or Polwarth and stroll up the canal!

NoCrackHaving

Lower Granton Road/Starbank Road/Trinity/Newhaven are all good seaside shouts, as are Portobello and Joppa. Leith lacks a proper seafront though as the port totally cuts you off from the sea which is a shame. Also, if kids did come along down the road the schools in Leith are known for being pretty poor. You're also far more likely to get a house out around the coastal parts of Edinburgh rather than a flat.

Queensferry could also be a shout, only 10 minutes on the train to Haymarket and it's a really nice little town with some good pubs and restaurants and the Forth Bridge, also a big sailing spot if that's your thing.

I wouldn't recommend Granton proper to be honest bit of an industrial wasteland with nothing much going on, also pretty close to Muirhouse and East Pilton which have a lot of problems with burglaries and car vandalism. For the extra money it's worth staying away from Granton.

jimmii

I hadn't even considered Queensferry thanks! What about the other side of the bridge how long is the commute from there?

We are planning on starting up what we do here in the City Centre so anywhere with a train station is going to mean it leaves us close enough.

^^^
You should find a house or apartment in your price range in South Queensferry, and there's a quick and regular train service to Haymarket and Waverley.

It's also closer to Tynecastle if you like football; leave that oul' lower division nonsense to Hibs and Rangers. Just a thought.......

You could also consider the far side of the Forth - a slightly longer commute from North Queensferry, but your house budget might possibly go a bit further.

jimmii

Deleted User wrote: »

^^^
You should find a house or apartment in your price range in South Queensferry, and there's a quick and regular train service to Haymarket and Waverley.

It's also closer to Tynecastle if you like football; leave that oul' lower division nonsense to Hibs and Rangers. Just a thought.......

You could also consider the far side of the Forth - a slightly longer commute from North Queensferry, but your house budget might possibly go a bit further.

lol I went to Hearts as well back in the Skácel days!

Going to have a good look at Queensferry now looks like it could be the spot!

NoCrackHaving

jimmii wrote: »

I hadn't even considered Queensferry thanks! What about the other side of the bridge how long is the commute from there?

We are planning on starting up what we do here in the City Centre so anywhere with a train station is going to mean it leaves us close enough.

Train wise North Queensferry would be ok but driving would be a nightmare, the Forth Road Bridge and the bypass have some horrendous traffic in the mornings. Also don't forget to factor in the cost of season tickets, Scotrail season passes are pretty damn expensive-can be between 1500-1600 a year, could eat up your savings on a mortgage very quickly if there's two of of you commuting. Also like Leith, if kids ever came along Fife is known for very poor public schools.

For that reason I'd recommend staying within the council area but it's a trade off I guess. If I was commuting to Edinburgh I'd rather somewhere like Linlithgow or North Berwick to Fife but different strokes.

On another note Corstorphine might fit your bill, not a seaside location but 15 minutes on bus to West End and a lot cheaper than the Southside or Stockbridge would be. Also you mentioned the Old Dalkeith Road, be careful it's not in Niddrie or Craigmillar, otherwise the area is ok if a little dull. Good transport links and shopping though.

jimmii

NoCrackHaving wrote: »

Train wise North Queensferry would be ok but driving would be a nightmare, the Forth Road Bridge and the bypass have some horrendous traffic in the mornings. Also don't forget to factor in the cost of season tickets, Scotrail season passes are pretty damn expensive-can be between 1500-1600 a year, could eat up your savings on a mortgage very quickly if there's two of of you commuting. Also like Leith, if kids ever came along Fife is known for very poor public schools.

For that reason I'd recommend staying within the council area but it's a trade off I guess. If I was commuting to Edinburgh I'd rather somewhere like Linlithgow or North Berwick to Fife but different strokes.

On another note Corstorphine might fit your bill, not a seaside location but 15 minutes on bus to West End and a lot cheaper than the Southside or Stockbridge would be. Also you mentioned the Old Dalkeith Road, be careful it's not in Niddrie or Craigmillar, otherwise the area is ok if a little dull. Good transport links and shopping though.

Good to know about driving from there as that would have been the plan! Will add those spots to the list too cheers!

razorblunt

Moving across the Forth will save you a packet alright but if you were working in the city you'd also be constantly watching the rail updates in blustery weather to see if they close the bridge. It's a long bus ride back when that happens!

You'd cycle in from Queensferry too quite handily, the cycle path network will get you to Asda and Murrayfield (not sure where the path goes from Warriston, I think it might be Stockbridge/Canonmills.

Flat hunting myself at the moment and noticed another one up in Liberton. Almost worth a gamble ... almost! Wondering how long from "getting better" it takes to get to "not a bad area!".

jimmii

razorblunt wrote: »

Moving across the Forth will save you a packet alright but if you were working in the city you'd also be constantly watching the rail updates in blustery weather to see if they close the bridge. It's a long bus ride back when that happens!

You'd cycle in from Queensferry too quite handily, the cycle path network will get you to Asda and Murrayfield (not sure where the path goes from Warriston, I think it might be Stockbridge/Canonmills.

Flat hunting myself at the moment and noticed another one up in Liberton. Almost worth a gamble ... almost! Wondering how long it takes from "getting better" it takes to get to "not a bad area!".

That is the key alright! Time it well and its happy days time it wrong and you're left thinking what the hell have I done!!

razorblunt

As an aside, i presume you're familiar with espc.com and rightmove?
The latter lets you draw a map of your required area, so you always hug the coastline and then bring it inland to catch more places.

jimmii

razorblunt wrote: »

As an aside, i presume you're familiar with espc.com and rightmove?
The latter lets you draw a map of your required area, so you always hug the coastline and then bring it inland to catch more places.

Yeh I have been playing around with them and zoopla the draw map feature is superb. Every now and then its nice to circle Dean Village just to check! I would take a tiny 1 bed apt there but the wife is having none of it!

NoCrackHaving

jimmii wrote: »

Yeh I have been playing around with them and zoopla the draw map feature is superb. Every now and then its nice to circle Dean Village just to check! I would take a tiny 1 bed apt there but the wife is having none of it!

Well this is part of the problem with moving out of the city. Edinburgh is an awesome place to live and moving to Queensferry or Fife, well you're not living in Edinburgh anymore and you lose what makes it such a good place to live. It's a trade off with value for money etc. but give me a 2 bed tenement off Leith Walk over a 4 bed house in somewhere like Livingston or Dunfermline any day.

Also I see you plan on driving into the city, in which case I'd scratch living north of the Forth, the risk of bridge closures due to weather and high winds in addition to waiting times of 45 minutes to an hour to cross the bridge at rush hour (no joke) would put me right off.

razorblunt

jimmii wrote: »

Yeh I have been playing around with them and zoopla the draw map feature is superb. Every now and then its nice to circle Dean Village just to check! I would take a tiny 1 bed apt there but the wife is having none of it!

Ha ha, I know when I moved here first I used to walk through Dean Village to get through and from work, it's awesome. Though you feel somewhat vindicated when you see folk struggling to get their cars up the hill on icy mornings!

jimmii

NoCrackHaving wrote: »

Well this is part of the problem with moving out of the city. Edinburgh is an awesome place to live and moving to Queensferry or Fife, well you're not living in Edinburgh anymore and you lose what makes it such a good place to live. It's a trade off with value for money etc. but give me a 2 bed tenement off Leith Walk over a 4 bed house in somewhere like Livingston or Dunfermline any day.

Also I see you plan on driving into the city, in which case I'd scratch living north of the Forth, the risk of bridge closures due to weather and high winds in addition to waiting times of 45 minutes to an hour to cross the bridge at rush hour (no joke) would put me right off.

The weather wasn't something I had really thought about when it comes to commuting the winter we were there was crazy cold so I can imagine it being a frequent problem so will probably have to stay closer.

razorblunt wrote: »

Ha ha, I know when I moved here first I used to walk through Dean Village to get through and from work, it's awesome. Though you feel somewhat vindicated when you see folk struggling to get their cars up the hill on icy mornings!

Looks like such an amazing spot maybe one day when we can get a mortgage!

jimmii

Does anyone have any idea of what terms you need to meet to get a mortgage in the UK when self-employed? Over here, with out bank at least, they want to see at least 60k profit over 3 years just wondering how tricky it will be to get a mortgage in a year or two over there.

Jack B. Badd

jimmii wrote: »

Yeh I have been playing around with them and zoopla the draw map feature is superb. Every now and then its nice to circle Dean Village just to check! I would take a tiny 1 bed apt there but the wife is having none of it!

One thing to be aware of is that Dean Village is a broadband blackspot as far as we can tell from our rental hunting. Check rightmove for an indication. Of course, that might not be an issue for you. It would drive me spare though...

jimmii

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

One thing to be aware of is that Dean Village is a broadband blackspot as far as we can tell from our rental hunting. Check rightmove for an indication. Of course, that might not be an issue for you. It would drive me spare though...

That would suck! By blackspot do you mean a UK blackspot where you can "only" get 30mb broadband or an Irish blackspot where you can't even get a phone line!

jimmii

Anyone know what the stoneyhill road/stoneyhill ave area just near football/rugby ground in Musselburgh is like? Found a place there which would tick a lot of boxes!

crushproof

jimmii wrote: »

Anyone know what the stoneyhill road/stoneyhill ave area just near football/rugby ground in Musselburgh is like? Found a place there which would tick a lot of boxes!

I lived in the centre of Musselburgh for a couple of months when I moved here first. It's quiet, nothing much happens and it's got plenty of shops of cafes around - as well as Tesco, Aldi, Lidl etc. There seems to be plenty of schools around as well.
I reckon if you're close to the rugby ground then you'd be a 10-15 minute walk to the train station. Otherwise the 44 can be a pain in the morning into the city - Traffic can be a nightmare.
It seems to have a reputation as a rough area, which baffled me as I never encountered anything while there. Obviously a handful of teenagers hanging about and a couple of dodgy bars but other than that it's grand. Nice walks along the sea to Portobello - and the Tollbooth restaurant does an unmissable lunch!

jimmii

crushproof wrote: »

I lived in the centre of Musselburgh for a couple of months when I moved here first. It's quiet, nothing much happens and it's got plenty of shops of cafes around - as well as Tesco, Aldi, Lidl etc. There seems to be plenty of schools around as well.
I reckon if you're close to the rugby ground then you'd be a 10-15 minute walk to the train station. Otherwise the 44 can be a pain in the morning into the city - Traffic can be a nightmare.
It seems to have a reputation as a rough area, which baffled me as I never encountered anything while there. Obviously a handful of teenagers hanging about and a couple of dodgy bars but other than that it's grand. Nice walks along the sea to Portobello - and the Tollbooth restaurant does an unmissable lunch!

That sounds good to me thanks! Handy to have a few options nearby shopping wise whats the train in from there like is it reliable enough?

Jack B. Badd

jimmii wrote: »

That would suck! By blackspot do you mean a UK blackspot where you can "only" get 30mb broadband or an Irish blackspot where you can't even get a phone line!

More like 10mb max. No superfast broadband options that we can see, which for a major city is just nuts.

jimmii

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

More like 10mb max. No superfast broadband options that we can see, which for a major city is just nuts.

Thats not so bad really am in Dublin City Centre and only get 8mb from Eircom!

NoCrackHaving

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

More like 10mb max. No superfast broadband options that we can see, which for a major city is just nuts.

I suspect it's probably to do with the amount of listed buildings down there, no lines have ever probably been allowed to be brought in.

crushproof

I believe it's reliable - but the timetable isn't great, only every 30 /40 minutes, even at rush hour.

The X26 and X24 express buses are fairly decent in rush hour, usually 25-30 minutes to Princes Street.

jimmii

crushproof wrote: »

I believe it's reliable - but the timetable isn't great, only every 30 /40 minutes, even at rush hour.

The X26 and X24 express buses are fairly decent in rush hour, usually 25-30 minutes to Princes Street.

Thats seems crazy. I was thinking there would be one every 15-20 minutes at worst! I'm guessing its a line that doesn't really go anywhere then.

seachto7

Correct place to post this? Just back from my third trip to Edinburgh. Still ranks as one of the top cities I've visited, even though I'll admit it was a bit TOO packed this time.

As it is, I am mulling over a possible move to the UK, and am going to put Edinburgh in the mix as well. Anyone know good local recruitment agents there I could get in touch with? (in addition to applying directly)

Battleflag

seachto7 wrote: »

Correct place to post this? Just back from my third trip to Edinburgh. Still ranks as one of the top cities I've visited, even though I'll admit it was a bit TOO packed this time.

As it is, I am mulling over a possible move to the UK, and am going to put Edinburgh in the mix as well. Anyone know good local recruitment agents there I could get in touch with? (in addition to applying directly)

Mates of mine have had success with Manpower and others have been dicked around by them, they have an office just off princes st - http://www.manpower.co.uk/

kelledy

When I first moved here I wanted to stay right in edinburgh as I was so use to living in the heart of Dublin ... But I stayed with my girlfriends family for a short while just west of edinburgh , and stayed here ever since . Livingston is a large area but aside from that heading back into Edinburgh there's some lovely areas like Ratho , kirknewton , East calder and mid calder .
They are all served by 3 buses to princes st , the 27,28 & 40 , bout 30 min to princes St.

Much quieter but it's grown on me and there's a lovely huge forest the almondel and a canal etc.
decent value for money aswell if being outside the city isn't a big deal .
Seems to be quiet a few new builds out here popping up aswell

jimmii

Started looking further out now. Anyone know much about Prestonpans? Looks to only be about 15 minutes to Waverley so that looks fine seems to be a fairly quiet area which is fine by us and it ticks the by the coast box! Money obviously goes a hell of a lot further out there!

Whats the jobs situation like over there now? We'll probably only be looking for one or two people initially (retail) are we going to get swamped or are we likely to struggle to find someone suitable? We'll be looking to pay at least whatever is considered the "living wage" so guess it is likely to be paying a bit more than typical retail jobs.

NoCrackHaving

jimmii wrote: »

Started looking further out now. Anyone know much about Prestonpans? Looks to only be about 15 minutes to Waverley so that looks fine seems to be a fairly quiet area which is fine by us and it ticks the by the coast box! Money obviously goes a hell of a lot further out there!

It used to be known for being pretty rough and fairly grim (like most ex mining towns in Scotland)but apparently has come up in the world hugely in the last 10 years or so. I know a few people who live there and they all enjoy it but don't do any socialising in the town, very much seen as 'blow ins', and they're all Edinburgh born and bred.

I'd recommend visiting it and seeing what it's like. If you're looking into East Lothian I'd put Musselburgh or Cockenzie ahead of it.

jimmii wrote: »

Whats the jobs situation like over there now? We'll probably only be looking for one or two people initially (retail) are we going to get swamped or are we likely to struggle to find someone suitable? We'll be looking to pay at least whatever is considered the "living wage" so guess it is likely to be paying a bit more than typical retail jobs.

You'll likely get swamped to be honest. Unemployment in Edinburgh is incredibly low but a lot of the retail sector is propped up by students and holiday workers from Spain and France. As a result retail usually pays pretty poorly compared to the cost of living here so it's not seen as a long term game. However if you're paying the living wage (even a little higher could be worth it) rather than minimum you'll get your pick of candidates looking for better paid work.

jimmii

Yeh figured paying the living would mean we would hopefully get a few decent options. We have quite a few viewings lined up now and have left around an hour beforehand for having a wander around. No point getting a really nice house if the area just isn't working for you.

razorblunt

Worth viewing all those places at weekends too,when schools are out and its a bit noisier.

I could be wrong but I'd say if you were looking for long term full time employment it might make your application look better than just Uni part time.

jimmii

Have offer accepted on an apartment in Prestonpans for a little below Home report we really wanted the place so would have gone a good 7k-8k more if need be so happy to get it at that price! Anyone know how long the missives etc takes normally?

crushproof

Good stuff jimmii, glad to see you found a place.
One of the new guys in work mentioned he moved out there recently - found it to be a grand place to live. As far as I know he has a young family so it must be good for schools etc.

jimmii

Yeh round the corner there is a very nice looking school. It is also home to the cleanest toilet in the UK never seen a public toilet so clean its cleaner than a brand new unused one here!

There's a couple of pubs and you have a choice of a few shops for groceries and for proper shopping For Kinnaird is only a 10-15 minute drive if you don't fancy going into town. We've had enough of City living it will nice to be able to just cross the road and be at the seaside! Have to go over sign the missives etc soon deadline is set for Nov 13th we were hoping to get in sooner but they're going to watch the World Cup so thats going to slow things down a few weeks.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

BlackEdelweiss

I know this is kind of dragging up an old thread but I have a similar question but looking for answers for areas that would be good to rent in for a family with 4 kids aged from 16 to 6. Just thinking about moving to Edinburgh so trying to work out living costs.

Michael D Not Higgins

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I know this is kind of dragging up an old thread but I have a similar question but looking for answers for areas that would be good to rent in for a family with 4 kids aged from 16 to 6. Just thinking about moving to Edinburgh so trying to work out living costs.

Are you looking for a 5 bed? That'll be your limiting factor, there's not many to rent but it'll cost you at least £2000-3000 per month, with council tax another £200-300 per month.

NoCrackHaving

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Are you looking for a 5 bed? That'll be your limiting factor, there's not many to rent but it'll cost you at least £2000-3000 per month, with council tax another £200-300 per month.

At that sort of money you'd be a whole lot better off buying if possible, mortgage repayments would be far, far less than that I'd imagine...although I can't ever see myself buying a 5 bed to be honest so not entirely sure!:D

BlackEdelweiss

A 4 bed would do us, even a 3 bed if it was all we could afford at first. We have a 4 bed now but the kids all share a room and we have a playroom for the younger ones in the other bedroom. Its not the most popular situation but it works ok. What kind of price could we get a decent 3 or 4 bed? What is the deposit on a house now? We bought ours in Ireland in 2003 with 0% deposit, New Zealand is 20% so that was never going to happen.

razorblunt

There's a few places around offering 0% mortgages, I'd imagine you'd need to sort employment (non contracting) and credit history before applying though.

You're probably best sitting down with a broker when you get yourself sorted.