me449 Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Hi I'm seriously thinking about moving me and family from London to Bournemouth, I've visited the area a number of times and have a couple of friends there. Starting to (I think!) become au fait with which areas to give a wide berth to! Looks like Parkstone/Branksome areas have a good reputation. Anyway, my question - some expensive properties in these areas but for some reason there are a few on Ashley road that are considerably cheaper. Per chance could one of you good citizens enlighten me as to why this is??!! I'm looking for at least 4 bed, preferably detached, reasonable sized back garden, preferably downstairs WC, preferably utility room, ideal price range 325000 - 350000. Not afraid to do a bit of work. Oh, also commuting to Heathrow airport most days and wondering if anyone does the Bournemouth to London commute (by car) and what their experience is Help very much appreciated ME449 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) HiI'm seriously thinking about moving me and family from London to Bournemouth, I've visited the area a number of times and have a couple of friends there. Starting to (I think!) become au fait with which areas to give a wide berth to! Looks like Parkstone/Branksome areas have a good reputation. Anyway, my question - some expensive properties in these areas but for some reason there are a few on Ashley road that are considerably cheaper. Per chance could one of you good citizens enlighten me as to why this is??!!I'm looking for at least 4 bed, preferably detached, reasonable sized back garden, preferably downstairs WC, preferably utility room, ideal price range 325000 - 350000. Not afraid to do a bit of work.Oh, also commuting to Heathrow airport most days and wondering if anyone does the Bournemouth to London commute (by car) and what their experience isHelp very much appreciatedME449 Poole to Heathrow daily in summer traffic would be a no-no for me. 3 months of commuting there daily from Southampton in summer 2012 was quite enough! Just take a drive there, stay in a B&B and see how congested all the roads are before you try the Poole - London commute. I had to give up an interim assignment in Reading because of the gridlocked traffic system in Feb/Mar this year. 3 hours for 54 motorway miles daily! Not to be attempted again. Be warned! Edited May 22, 2014 by Bossybabe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) I assume you are not looking at houses actually on Ashley Road in Poole are you? Are you looking south or north of Ashley road? Basically north is a bit chavvie, south of Ashley road to Bournemouth road has some nice bits, between Bournemouth Road and the railway line is a bit chavvie, other side of the railway line gets steadily posher until you hit the sea. Ashley Road in Bournemouth is Crystal Meth alley. Edited May 22, 2014 by davidg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Ashley Road, Poole itself is very downmarket. Cheap fascias on shops, takeaways, cash converters, gaming machine joints, chip shops, kebab shops etc. Oddly enough, there is both a Waitrose and a massage parlour! See davidg's comment above. As a twenty year local I agree with his observations on north/south character. Ashley Road isn't murder mile by any means, it's just scruffy, with cheap shops aimed at low income families. Within half a mile of it on the seaward side there are some very fine houses and equally large prices. Best move is to come down and have a prowl around, using Ashley Road as a 'marker'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200p Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) Poole, Branksome, awful traffic but they are centres of the location of nicer homes. You're better off going east, nearer Bournemouth which is cheaper, although the Castle Lane area traffic is awful near the hospital but I guess if you come from London you're probably used to it. I don't do a Bournemouth to London Commute, but I guess you'll be heading out toward Ringwood and the M3 from Bournemouth. Getting out of Bournemouth I've never had too many problems as the Wessex way is fast. Getting out of Poole I always find it hard work. One time I had to get out of Wareham, on the far side of Poole, and it was just horrible jams. Edited May 22, 2014 by 200p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me449 Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 Thanks for the feedback all. I do shift work so would hopefully miss most of the nasty traffic, well at least some of the time! I don't particularly fancy commuting but am trying to balance lifestyle for family against this aspect. I have been down a few times but not in a house hunting capacity so I'll take your advice. I must admit I thought it was a bit strange how the prices seemed to drop when looking at properties on Ashley Road compared to a few hundred metres away, I guess there's always a reason!! Cheers ME449 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robo1968 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I have recently returned to Southbourne, just East of Boscombe and Bournemouth. I love it there, relatively cheap house prices, great schools, close enough for Bournemouth and Christchurch and I can walk to the sea in under 5 mins.I can also get out via Lyndhurst avoiding the wessex way which shuts every time someone drops a fag packet out of their car Decent shops, restaurants, pubs close to banks etc basically don't need the car at night. Here's a place local to me not great but gives an indication. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45779360.html?premiumA=true I have friends who come from London and just walk to the pub on the cliff top, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I have recently returned to Southbourne If you have kids it all depends on the schools and catchment areas I suppose but I would vote for Boscombe Manor -> Southbourne. A few clifftop pubs, beach, beach cafes, shops, It is like Canford Cliffs but without the retirees and a bit of commercial life. :-). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 (edited) If you have kids it all depends on the schools and catchment areas I suppose but I would vote for Boscombe Manor -> Southbourne. A few clifftop pubs, beach, beach cafes, shops, It is like Canford Cliffs but without the retirees and a bit of commercial life. :-). Great for kids. Six miles of Bournemouth's blue flag beaches on one side, with the Jusassic Coast further on down to Swanage and beyond. On the other side of you, Hengistbury Head - a 15 minute stroll to walk, climb and fly kites on. One of the most ancient inhabited sites in the UK. Edited May 23, 2014 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 (edited) Great for kids. Six miles of Bournemouth's blue flag beaches on one side, with the Jusassic Coast further on down to Swanage and beyond. On the other side of you, Hengistbury Head - a 15 minute stroll to walk, climb and fly kites on. One of the most ancient inhabited sites in the UK. Yeah, I'm kind of thinking my kids would maybe go to school so I would want to know a bit about the local schools not the kite flying possibilities. F'rexample Poole and Bournemouth still run a grammar school system, are my kids grammar material, which are the best feeder schools etc? Do the secondary moderns suffer as resources are sucked into the grammar system at 12+ etc etc. In the case of Bournemouth School it is now an academy, what does this imply? Edited May 23, 2014 by davidg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robo1968 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 My son went to St Catherines which is next to Hengistbury head and went on to St Peters, both great schools. The Grammer ones are good but I don't think he was capable of getting in and he prefers mixed I went to Poole Grammar, it was a great school Ones to avoid are Porchester (boys) or Avonbourne (girls), not awful but just not that rated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 (edited) Yeah, I'm kind of thinking my kids would maybe go to school so I would want to know a bit about the local schools not the kite flying possibilities. F'rexample Poole and Bournemouth still run a grammar school system, are my kids grammar material, which are the best feeder schools etc? Do the secondary moderns suffer as resources are sucked into the grammar system at 12+ etc etc. In the case of Bournemouth School it is now an academy, what does this imply? My two kids went to Poole Grammar from Oakdale School (ordinary Poole state school). PGS is a very good school. Kids thence to Warwick and Bristol Unis. I also have direct experience of the mixed Poole High School (as annual guest lecturer) and I like what I see of it. On the 'Academy' bit I notice that the prestigious Parkstone Girls Grammar School has 'Academy' on its sign, but staff there hinted to me that it was simply for financial advantage and budget control advantage. Teaching aims, results and standards remain as high as ever. Edited May 23, 2014 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okaycuckoo Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 (edited) I second recommends for Southbourne. No idea about the schools. Poole is a spiderweb for traffic. Beyond the limited quayside it's an urban zit - horrible town centre. And the suburbs have lots of nasty glass 'n steel Sandbanks-style add-ons to crap 1970s builds. Overall you still have to put up with the lottery of commuting through the New Forest - a dual carriageway that needs to be be a motorway. In my experience, 1/5 chance of a 30 minute parking lot even outside rush hour. You did say you could avoid rush hour too, but the road is a permanent source of OFFS - as the eyes of another badger corpse stare through the abyss of your passenger window. Maybe look rural/village between New Forest and Southampton. Some lovely spots there, but definitely a couple of degrees colder. Edited May 23, 2014 by okaycuckoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me449 Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thanks again all, so which (in your opinions) are the areas to really steer clear from i.e. crime, general troublesome spots etc... I hear that areas such as Boscombe & East & West Howe are no no's, any others? (again, your opinions) Cheers ME449 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver surfer Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I went through a similar exercise, moving out from Richmond in West London and needing Heathrow access. Everyone has their own commuting tolerance but I did the drive a few times and found Poole a bit too far, there are some horrible pinch points on the route and in summer the caravans clog up the roads. I ended up in the New Forest. The big bottleneck in the forest is Lyndhurst, but there's ways around that, where as for Poole you don't get many alternative routes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okaycuckoo Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Thanks again all, so which (in your opinions) are the areas to really steer clear from i.e. crime, general troublesome spots etc... I hear that areas such as Boscombe & East & West Howe are no no's, any others? (again, your opinions) Cheers ME449 Boscombe has lots of big 1930s houses - the closer you get to the coast, the less the high street yeuch factor. Might be a good spot for a bargain. Plus overall it's not that bad - it's just a place that M&S shoppers consider beyond the Pale + is made up of ordinary immigrants and benefits economy, nothing of much interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) Any locals noticed the losses-on-resale being sustained by those who bought into the Dolphin Quays development on Poole Quay? Check it out on houseprices.io BH15 1HH is the postcode. Some of the most expensive flats bought new are now selling taking hits of up to 200K! Only a single resold apartment is in the 'black' - and that looks like a typo error to me. Edited November 8, 2014 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
begob Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Any locals noticed the losses-on-resale being sustained by those who bought into the Dolphin Quays development on Poole Quay? Check it out on houseprices.io BH15 1HH is the postcode. Some of the most expensive flats bought new are now selling taking hits of up to 200K! Only a single resold apartment is in the 'black' - and that looks like a typo error to me. Wow - very interesting. A couple have made gains, but mostly looks like 30-50% real declines over 10 years. Something to do with Sunseekers? https://houseprices.io/?q=bh15+1hh http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11543784.300_jobs_set_to_go_at_Sunseeker_in_Poole/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Any locals noticed the losses-on-resale being sustained by those who bought into the Dolphin Quays development on Poole Quay? Check it out on houseprices.io BH15 1HH is the postcode. Some of the most expensive flats bought new are now selling taking hits of up to 200K! Only a single resold apartment is in the 'black' - and that looks like a typo error to me. I'm a houseprice.io fan too. Its a greta counter to the EA BS - 'poplular place, houses flying off the shelf, etc etc' A quick enter of the postcode and you see reality in all its illiquid, falling form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Wow - very interesting. A couple have made gains, but mostly looks like 30-50% real declines over 10 years. Something to do with Sunseekers? https://houseprices.io/?q=bh15+1hh http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11543784.300_jobs_set_to_go_at_Sunseeker_in_Poole/ I don't think it's related to Sunseekers. A lot of the shop units which are part of Dolphin Quays have never been successfully let, and apart from the small Tesco, none seem to be doing very well. This whole development seemed absurdly overpriced from the start and the real values are only now being revealed. The buildings aren't ageing well, and the 'Poole will be the new St Tropez' rubbish of a decade back now seems ridiculous. These sensational drops seem restricted to Dolphin Quays. The Aqua building on Holes bay has few recorded sales (only 4 in last two years) and the sold apartments don't appear to have nosedived in resale price like those at Dolphin Quays have. I shall keep watching.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2918130/What-F-B-bargain-Futuristic-house-inspired-classic-TV-series-Thunderbirds-finally-sells-1-9million-HALF-original-4million-asking-price.html Big ones are going for half price on Sandbanks... Edited January 21, 2015 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Latest two sales on Poole's Dolphin Quays apartments (BH15 1HH) continue the loss-making trend.... No 38 £178K 12/2014 Previous sale £235K 2005 25% LOSS No 66 £182K 12/2014 Previous sale £212,500 2007 15% LOSS Edited February 10, 2015 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venger Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Bankrupt EA....(goes back to parents?) https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2319343 Previous house sells in 2011 http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=15774818&sale=393076&country=england Given what I consider to be the same old pre crunch bubble 'facelift treatment' and back on the market http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49673224.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Update: Poole's Dolphin Quays apartments BH15 1HH still consistently show significant losses for previous purchasers when resold. Check them out on houseprices.io Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Update: Poole's Dolphin Quays apartments BH15 1HH still consistently show significant losses for previous purchasers when resold. Check them out on houseprices.io Good to know. I grew up in Dorset and always thought Poole, sand*****s and bmth were over rated. I'm in west Sussex now where there are no signs of drops... I reckon middle price range London and surrounding areas will be last to pop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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