Although Edinburgh may be Scotland’s most popular location to invest in a house, Glasgow has quickly become a much-desired city to live in. Just like Edinburgh, the house prices are expected to soar by a whopping 22% by 2022. So if you are thinking about buying a house, now is the time.
When people talk about nice places to live in Glasgow you can guarantee that the west end will be one of the first areas mentioned in conversation, and rightly so. The trendy bars, cute cafes and crowded restaurants and the general vibe of this city hums with exuberance. However, Finnieston of all places has slowly become an attractive place to live and buy property, so let me tell you why. With over 20 years removal experience in Glasgow we have seen the revival of Finnieston and we defiantly recommend this as an area to look at if you are moving to Glasgow.
The Finnieston transformation
Wedged in between the city centre and the west end, Finnieston is located just north bank of the river Clyde. Previously an industrial wasteland that was only a port of call for dockworkers, Finnieston has enjoyed a major transformation in recent times.
The low cost of rent and price of property has attracted an influx of younger blood, that’s resulted in giving birth to the Argyle Street’s new name, ‘the strip.’ Argyle Street has given new life into the area with its edgy bars, eclectic restaurants and the number of artistic outlets that it attracts. This part of Glasgow is a typical example of the gentrification that is starting to spread throughout the city and its rather hipster and creative like image is owed to the Glaswegian graduates of the art school.
This lineage of graduates won a number of Turner Prize awards and by that point Glasgow was starting to change its perceived image of a hard and rough city, which started to pull people from London in. As a result, the cheaper areas of the city started to fill up with young startups and artists moving in for some studio space. Others soon followed and like a chain reaction, Finnieston was changing character.
Finnieston today has actually been voted by The Times as the most hipster part of the UK. A simple café experience will tell you why. Expect your food to be served on a food board instead of plates, jam jars to be used as candle holders and now it’s cool to use bare lightbulbs without a lampshade. For a part of town that was simply an area where dockworkers would socialise and enjoy their fish supper together, the transformation has been remarkable.
What has Finnieston got for it?
Location
To begin with, one of the main advantages of buying a house in Finnieston is its location. You are very close to the town centre, Kelvingrove Park is your front garden, the west end is within walking distance and you aren’t too far from either of the train stations either. Quite literally, you are in the heart of everything.
Schools
Settling down in Finnieston to raise a family isn’t a bad idea either since the number of schools nearby leaves you with a favourable list to choose from. The two main primary schools in the area the Glasgow Gaelic School and Anderston. After graduating from primary, your child can choose between the Glasgow Gaelic School, Notre Dam (for girls) or from one of Scotland’s best state schools, Hillhead.
The Social Scene
Striking a happy balance between the west end and the centre of Glasgow, Finnieston has an enjoyable pocket of nightlife to socialise in. Hidden bars and restaurants seem to be the norm of any hipster in that of which Finnieston has plenty of. The king of crafts, Brew Dog, is only one of a number of edgy bars feeding the hipster population their beloved IPAs and the restaurants are pretty cool as well.
The Gannet is a great place to get some grub, since the style and ambience of the place is a little different to what you would get in the west end or city centre. A derelict building, that has massive floor-to-ceiling windows along with a lovely intimate stone and wood dining room upstairs. Opting to buy a house in this part of town will make it difficult for anyone to avoid taking full advantage of the nightlife available to them.
What are the house prices like in Finnieston?
Finnieston is catching many peoples’ attention so if you are looking to buy a house, you better get into the property market soon because house prices in Glasgow are rising. Last year we saw Finnieston come third the UK for property price rises, where the cost to buy a house had increased by 14%! Below is a breakdown of the costs to help give you a rough idea:
- Three bedroom flat, £175,000 – £250,000
- Two bedroom flat, £140,000 – £300,000
- One bedroom flat, £100,000 – 150,000
Comparing this to the average cost for a flat in Glasgow sitting at around £180,000, Finnieston makes it an attractive area to buy property. House prices are constantly rising so see it as an investment for the future.
