"Manchester is one of the most sought-after locations for both residential buyers and investors alike, but fortunately there are still bargains to be found - if you know how to look for them."
Mark Burns
The Manchester property market has been going from strength to strength in recent years, so much so that some buyers could be forgiven for thinking that they’ve missed their window of opportunity, especially if they would like to buy in Manchester’s most desirable suburbs like Didsbury, Chorlton, Sale and Altrincham.
Local Manchester estate agents Indlu share their secrets on where to find bargains in the most desirable suburbs of Manchester.
Look for older property in need of some love
Over recent years, Manchester has become something of a hub for new-build property development as the city worked to regenerate previously run-down areas with sub-standard housing and unused commercial buildings. It is also known for its many beautiful period properties, which are also highly in demand.
There is, however, still a wide range of properties which are between these two categories, many of which are in perfectly good condition but quite a few of which need at least some degree of work done on them and some of which require extensive refurbishment.
In particular, bargain hunters should look out for ex-local authority property, especially if it comes up at auction; in fact, auctions in general are good places to look for property bargains. Remember, however, to think carefully about the cost of updating such property and to refrain from getting too enthusiastic about how much work you can realistically do yourself.
Look for flats rather than houses
Your dream might be to own a house with a garden, but realistically a flat might be a far more reasonably-priced alternative and Manchester has so many green outdoor spaces and canals that going without a garden needn’t be too much of a sacrifice even if you have/want children and/or pets. Even if a flat has less interior space than a house (which may or may not be the case), the fact is that manufacturers of home-related items, such as furniture and appliances, are coming up with ever more effective ways of maximising space, for example by creating multifunctional pieces and/or pieces which fold away out of use to free up floor space for other purposes.
In addition to this, the whole reason people want to live in Manchester’s most desirable suburbs is because they areas themselves have so much to offer both in terms of local amenities and in terms of transport links, hence you may find that overall, a smaller flat in a desirable area is actually even more practical than a larger house in another location.
Look on the outskirts of these suburbs
Even the most desirable suburbs have their more affordable pockets and these tend to be on the outskirts where the best postcodes are neighbours with postcodes which are “good but not great”, at least not right now, although given the overall trend of the Manchester property market, it seems highly likely that they will become very desirable postcodes in future and hence as such may be worth a look if you’re unable to find anything suitable using the tips above.
As a final point, if you’re really struggling to find anything suitable in Manchester itself, then you may want to look at Salford, which not only has great connections with Manchester, but is well on its way to becoming a highly desirable location in its own right.
