[isleofmanmike]

Originally Posted by aliceinoz I dont remember asking for opinions on wether Manchester is the place for me to live,or wether Brisbane is preferable. To all the other responses, thankyou.This forum is a great source of info. We have looked at Glossop, and surrounding areas, also Winsford,Northwich,etc. But people with first hand knowledge can be a great help. Cheeers

Try a village near Macclesfield called Bollington. It is known as 'Happy Valley' It's a great place to live, low crime, great restaurants and breathtaking countryside. Only 20 mins on train to central manchester. We have moved here from Isle of Man recently and Love the place. Local schools are great too and local high school is called Titherington High...let me know if you want any more info.....

[isleofmanmike]

Originally Posted by sallysimmons I don't know the area personally but for what it's worth, we had a homefinder helping us look for a rental and she wasn't keen on Glossop. It had been on my list but she said it wasn't as nice as it once was. Don't know how right she is, but she is local to that area. I became quite interested in Bollington - seemed like a lovely country village without being snobby, and with good transport links. We ended up somewhere else because we lost out on the property we wanted, but I liked the look of it a lot. Good luck!

Bollington is Great....google 'happy valley' for local web site.... been here just over a year...... great community feel to the place.....wonderful facilities and low crime....ideal for young families and with easily commuting distance to Manchester.......Fantastic for walking and great country Pubs....

[aliceinoz]

Originally Posted by isleofmanmike Bollington is Great....google 'happy valley' for local web site.... been here just over a year...... great community feel to the place.....wonderful facilities and low crime....ideal for young families and with easily commuting distance to Manchester.......Fantastic for walking and great country Pubs....

Sounds great. Had a look on rightmove and is possible to buy for around 180GDP. We looked at Tytherington houses as well ( waaaay too pricey ),but the school sounds good.
Im sure there are lots of us in the same boat, two boys aged 12-13 and we are anxious about sending them to the wrong school after being wrapped in cotton wool over here.Its why we were turned off Sale, the area seems reasonable,houses mostly bought ,but the school wasn't the best.Seems a lot of kids from the council estates go there.I have no problems with public housing,but massive estates like wythenshawe,do seem to have problems.

[Grayling]

Bear in mind that some of the areas around Manchester, especially into Cheshire, are some of the most expensive areas for housing in Britain....and, possibly, the world!

[isleofmanmike]

Originally Posted by aliceinoz Sounds great. Had a look on rightmove and is possible to buy for around 180GDP. We looked at Tytherington houses as well ( waaaay too pricey ),but the school sounds good. Im sure there are lots of us in the same boat, two boys aged 12-13 and we are anxious about sending them to the wrong school after being wrapped in cotton wool over here.Its why we were turned off Sale, the area seems reasonable,houses mostly bought ,but the school wasn't the best.Seems a lot of kids from the council estates go there.I have no problems with public housing,but massive estates like wythenshawe,do seem to have problems.

My step son goes to Titherington school, he is 12 years old and is doing great there. He has made loads of good friends and is always having sleep overs. We bought a three bed stone cottage, fully modernised but still with loads of character for £180k just over a year ago. We are in the conservation area near a great pub called the 'Poachers'

We have some great parks, small but good art centre and two micro breweries! My partner is an artist and loves the community feel of the place....

[isleofmanmike]

Originally Posted by aliceinoz Sounds great. Had a look on rightmove and is possible to buy for around 180GDP. We looked at Tytherington houses as well ( waaaay too pricey ),but the school sounds good. Im sure there are lots of us in the same boat, two boys aged 12-13 and we are anxious about sending them to the wrong school after being wrapped in cotton wool over here.Its why we were turned off Sale, the area seems reasonable,houses mostly bought ,but the school wasn't the best.Seems a lot of kids from the council estates go there.I have no problems with public housing,but massive estates like wythenshawe,do seem to have problems.

My step son goes to Titherington school, he is 12 years old and is doing great there. He has made loads of good friends and is always having sleep overs. We bought a three bed stone cottage, fully modernised but still with loads of character for £180k just over a year ago. We are in the conservation area near a great pub called the 'Poachers'

We have some great parks, small but good art centre and two micro breweries! My partner is an artist and loves the community feel of the place....

[MissBetty]

Originally Posted by isleofmanmike Try a village near Macclesfield called Bollington. It is known as 'Happy Valley' It's a great place to live, low crime, great restaurants and breathtaking countryside. Only 20 mins on train to central manchester. We have moved here from Isle of Man recently and Love the place. Local schools are great too and local high school is called Titherington High...let me know if you want any more info.....

I'm thinking of a move up north once I get back so I Googled Bollington and its stunning! Great prices too, lovely 2 bed terrace with new kitchen/bathroom for around £129,000. Not far from Manchester and Leeds and convenient for most of the ambulance stations in the Greater Manchester area (I'm a paramedic looking at NWAS atm). Thanks for the tip!!

[isleofmanmike]

Originally Posted by MissBetty I'm thinking of a move up north once I get back so I Googled Bollington and its stunning! Great prices too, lovely 2 bed terrace with new kitchen/bathroom for around £129,000. Not far from Manchester and Leeds and convenient for most of the ambulance stations in the Greater Manchester area (I'm a paramedic looking at NWAS atm). Thanks for the tip!!

Your welcome....hope everything works out for you......if you need any mortgage advice I am an independent mortgage broker based in Macclesfield....visit www.abodemortgageandfinance.co.uk or email me at mike@abodemortgageandfinance.co.uk Take care....

[MissBetty]

Originally Posted by isleofmanmike Your welcome....hope everything works out for you......if you need any mortgage advice I am an independent mortgage broker based in Macclesfield....visit www.abodemortgageandfinance.co.uk or email me at mike@abodemortgageandfinance.co.uk Take care....

Awesome! Will do, thank you

[aliceinoz]

Originally Posted by isleofmanmike My step son goes to Titherington school, he is 12 years old and is doing great there. He has made loads of good friends and is always having sleep overs. We bought a three bed stone cottage, fully modernised but still with loads of character for £180k just over a year ago. We are in the conservation area near a great pub called the 'Poachers' We have some great parks, small but good art centre and two micro breweries! My partner is an artist and loves the community feel of the place....

Its so good you told me twice
Cheers

[roofingman]

Some good areas around Stockport...and you wont feel too cut off from Manchester...( 7 miles away)...

[sallysimmons]

I asked our homefinder why she didn't like Glossop and this is what she said:

I can think of worse places. But if they are set on Glossop it's probably a matter of choosing location very carefully. One of the main issues is the very heavy volume of traffic (inc lorries) on the A57. As well as making the High St quite unpleasant it can act as a real bottleneck for getting in and out of the town from all directions. There has also been a lot of recent development of large housing estates on the outskirts of the town. When I was there about a year ago many people were struggling to sell as there are so many almost identical houses on the market and prices have fallen. If that's they're looking for it could work in their favour as there will be plenty of choice and deals to be done. They just need to take care that they're not paying too much if vendors are trying to recoup what they paid a few years ago.

She offers a viewing service for people who are living abroad (she'll go and check out the property and send a written report). PM me if you want more info on that service.

Hope this helps.

[aliceinoz]

Originally Posted by roofingman Some good areas around Stockport...and you wont feel too cut off from Manchester...( 7 miles away)...

Thanks, had a look at stockport and some of the housing seems affordable.
Choosing which parts are "good" is the hard part.
Hazel grove, Bredbury,Romiley......Anyone know ?????

[aliceinoz]

Originally Posted by sallysimmons I asked our homefinder why she didn't like Glossop and this is what she said: She offers a viewing service for people who are living abroad (she'll go and check out the property and send a written report). PM me if you want more info on that service. Hope this helps.

Thankyou very much for going to the trouble of sending that info,I really do appreciate your efforts,its very thoughtful of you.
I do like the look of Glossop, and the problems that she pointed out are probably not to relevant to my situation, we intend to buy to live in (hopefully forever) . Traffic may be a pita.......but to live somewhere "nice" is a small price to pay.Main concerns are our kids and schools, and neighbours that havent had roles as extras in "deliverance" ha ha. thanks again.

[aliceinoz]

Originally Posted by isleofmanmike Your welcome....hope everything works out for you......if you need any mortgage advice I am an independent mortgage broker based in Macclesfield....visit www.abodemortgageandfinance.co.uk or email me at mike@abodemortgageandfinance.co.uk Take care....

Thanks Mike, If we ever sell this bloody house I will be contacting you.Cheers.