Property

Top 10 cheapest UK areas for first time buyers revealed – and two are only an hour from Manchester

Is it time to cross the border?

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 2nd April 2025

The 10 cheapest areas to buy your first house in the UK have been revealed, and two are only an hour away from Manchester.

After it was revealed that more than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline, which means that they’ll now be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra as of yesterday (1 April), the cheapest places to get your foot on the property ladder in 2025 have now been named.

While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000.

So if you’re looking to buy your first home, this is a list to keep a close eye on.

Handing over the keys to a new house
The top 10 cheapest UK areas for first time buyers have been revealed / Credit: Pavel Danilyuk (via Pexels)

Property platform Rightmove has crunched the numbers and come up with a top 10 list for those on a budget and considering lower-priced areas they can move to, with the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire being named the cheapest area for a first time buyer to get onto the property ladder, as the average asking price for a typical first time buyer-type home here is just over £84,000.

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Scotland keeps on pulling through, as the twon of Greenock in Inverclyde is second on the list, with an average asking price of £88,862, followed by Grimsby in third at £93,427.

As far as the North West is concerned, no residential areas in Greater Manchester have made the cut this time around, but the region’s two representatives on the list are only around an hour away from Manchester.

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Top 10 cheapest UK areas for first time buyers

  1. Kilmarnock – £84,325
  2. Greenock – £88,862
  3. Grimsby – £93,427
  4. Blackpool – £93,711
  5. Middlesbrough – £95,473
  6. Hartlepool £99,525
  7. Paisley – £99,570
  8. East Killbride – £100,814
  9. Ayr – £101,391
  10. Burnley – £102,848

You’ll have to cross over the border into Lancashire if you’re looking for a budget-friendly first time home, as Blackpool takes the fourth spot on the list, with an average price of £93,711, and Burnley also makes an appearance at number 10 with an average price of £102,848.

The North overall is pretty well-represented, with other towns and cities such as Middlesbrough and Hartlepool featuring in the top 10, but according to the data, Scotland is by far the cheapest country to get on the property ladder in the UK.

Paisley, East Killbride, and Ayr also find themselves on the list lower down, as well as the two aforementioned Scottish towns in first and second place.

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Experts at Rightmove explained that wage growth has unfortunately ‘outpaced’ the rise in average asking prices for first time buyer homes in the last five years, so while this has slightly increased the mortgage borrowing power of first time buyers, affordability is still said to remains ‘very stretched’ overall.

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

Property

Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.

Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.

The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.

This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.

Middleton regeneration plans
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.
Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.
Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.
Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)

The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.

This comes just weeks after the borough of Rochdale was named the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture for 2025’, being handed the baton by last year’s recipient, Bolton.

Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.

Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.

For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.

This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.

The proposed Middleton regeneration plans including a cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.
Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.
Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)

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This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.

Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)

Property

Inside Stockport’s stunning Grade II-listed waterside home for sale with its own private canal mooring

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Bleak House

Fancy a look inside a Grade II-listed property that’s currently on the market in the stunning Stockport countryside?

The only thing is, you’ll just need the small matter of £1.25 million before you can call it yours.

Of course, it goes without saying that the vast majority of people reading this article won’t have £1.25 million just sitting in their bank accounts right now, but if like us, you’ve got no shame in admitting you love looking at houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never live, then allow us to introduce you to this absolute beauty.

Take a look behind the grand front door of what is, by far, one of the most unique properties the Greater Manchester housing market has to offer at the moment.

This is Bleak House.

This is Bleak House / Credit: eXp UK

Although the name doesn’t do it much justice, it has to be said, this magnificent five-bedroom detached stone residence overlooks stunning views as far as the eye can see.

And can you believe it’s only in Stockport too? Well, Marple shall we say, which is very much one of the borough’s most sought-after and affluent residential areas, combining the best of semi-rural living with easy access to all the amenities in the town’s centre, as well as Manchester being not far off either, so it’s ideally placed for peace and quiet yet modern life is within reaching distance.

Bleak House is actually a former mill manager’s house, and dates all the way back to the early 19th century, with associations to Samuel Oldknow and Peter Arkwright, making it a property of both archaeological and historical significance.

It’s a stunning five-bedroom Grade II-listed residence in the Stockport countryside / Credit: eXp UK

Gaining its Grade II-listed status in 1967, the house itself offers some 3,000 square feet of living accommodation set over three floors.

Due to is listed status, this means the current owners have been required to carry out all recent development works as ‘sympathetically’ as possible, with strict requirements adhered to along the way, and you’ll see once you step through the grand front doors that the property has managed to perfectly blend period charm with contemporary touches.

Some of the stand-out features the property boasts is a living room with a wood burner set in stone fire surround and dual-aspect sash windows offering far-reaching views, and a recently-fitted bespoke kitchen diner at the heart of the home, along with a separate boot room and utility room.

Inside Bleak House
Inside Bleak House
The property has its own separate annex and even its own private canal mooring / Credit: eXp UK

There are also four generous-sized double bedrooms, each with their own en-suite, and not only has the property been recently extended, but there is also planning permission granted for further reception rooms, plus a car shelter and storage space.

As well as the main house, there’s also a self-contained annex that comes with property, and this has also been recently refurbished, and now presents as a way to generate some extra income from short stays and holiday lets.

Once you step outside the property, it’s just as impressive as it is on the inside.

Bleak House faces south with the Peak Forest Canal to the west and Strines Road to the east.

To the front of the property, there’s a long driveway providing plenty of off-road parking, and EV car charging point, and a large lawn surrounded by woodland, while to the rear, there’s also another large lawn area with various steps, pathways, and tiers leading up to the canal.

At the top is a decked patio area that offers some of the best views of the pictursque Goyt Valley adjacent to the canal, with the property’s own private mooring. 

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Bleak House is currently on the market with the North West branch of property company eXp UK for a whopping £1.25 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the agents to arrange a viewing.

Or you could just take the cheaper route instead and have a nosey at the Rightmove link here.

Featured Image – eXp UK

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