Who knows Manchester inside out? Or (shudder....) who lives there? (Thinking to move to the area)

[cymruchris]

I'm at a point (finally) where I'm about to leave the valleys of Wales following the long-delayed sale (by an acrimonious sister) of my parents property.

I'm narrowing down my options, and have been researching Rightmove and all the property websites for some time, so if anyone here is from Manchester (or the surrounds) and can give a bit of an insight, it'd be welcome (warts and all - the highs and the lows).

The house here is finally Sold subject to contract - although it might be a few weeks yet before I'm seriously looking as the buyer has a property to sell too.

I'll likely have a budget of about £230-240k for whatever property I choose - and although I'd love to be in the heart of the city in a swanky apartment - I also know they have ridiculous service charges (aside from any cladding issues) so my head is saying find something near the centre, with easy access that's some kind of house.

I've made a few assumptions - and for those with experience please tell me if I've got anything glaringly wrong!

- Manchester seems to have a decent tram system with most lines having a service every 12 minutes
- It also seems to have a few national rail stations on the outskirts that have trains every 30 minutes or more frequently through the day (there's a few where the frequency is 60 mins)
- Piccadilly seems to be the 'Main' central station

In terms of what I'd be looking for - my 'must haves' are a drive that has space for at least 2 cars - walking distance to a tram or national rail station where the travel time to Piccadilly is under 30 minutes, and the frequency also under 30 minutes.

My 'nice to haves' - a garage for my old leaky roofed car or space on the above mentioned driveway that a car port could be added (on the side of a semi-detached).

Other than that - Don't mind a 2 bed or 3 bed depending on what's within budget - and open to anything that fits the budget.

(Don't worry I'm not asking for people to do the property searching - I'm getting good at that)

I know I might not get much info here - but no harm to ask - there must be someone in the TP ensemble that lives or knows Manchester well.

The areas that have come up in terms of budget are around the following stations (Mostly on the east side of town) - my question is - if you're familiar with any of the following areas - are any particularly good or bad for whatever reason - or any major upcoming issue that might be an issue living in those areas (such as building a nuclear powerplant run by Homer Simpson or anything similar that locals would already know about).

National Rail:

Ashburys
Levenshulme
Gorton
Mauldeth Road
Reddish North

Tram:

Edge Lane
Cemetery Road
Abraham Moss
Bowker Vale
Newton Heath & Moston
Failsworth

Would welcome any general comments on the areas around any of these stations - the realistic ups and downs from experience that I might not pick up from google searches, and any general comments that might give me food for thought. I'm at the stage of trying to get some insights before travelling up and starting house viewings. (And don't worry - nothing much scares me!)

 

[the black fox]

Why Manchester , there’s far more choice in the north west , i.e Liverpool , the Wirral , Chester , and even north wales all would give you far more for your money . If I had known better when I moved up from the south I would have chosen the Wirral over north wales but thats now long gone

 

[flook999]

I'm sorry? with that budget and those requirements did you write this in 2005?

You're looking nowhere near town centre I'm afraid, Those areas you have listed are all out from the town centre. In addition to those you might pick up a terraced house in some of the cheaper areas of south manchester (maybe Edgeley? which is right on the doorstep for Stockport station) or a little better in the wilds of the north (Bolton, Bury etc). Where are you moving from? I'd quite like to live in Wales and would have a slightly better budget so I should be looking at a palace then

With regards your question, those listed near rail stations are what are generally considered the rougher parts of town, and personally, with respect to the many decent people who live there, I'd give Leve and Gorton in particular a particularly wide berth. (as an aside, I once went to a stag night in Gorton, the bouncer on the door stopped me stepping outside for my own safety). I'm not too familiar with the areas listed under tram services.

With regards the transport system, you've pretty much got it right, although both tram and rail services can be unreliable, particularly in winter, and at peak times both are very busy (or used to be when I used them, but that was nearly a decade ago so may have improved......)

The Black Fox has it right in terms of other areas, but I guess that depends on why you want Manchester. Undoubtedly "Town" as it is known has a terrific night life if you're under 30, and if your job is taking you there, then the commute from those areas would be torturous.