House Advice: Rhondda Cynon Taf ?

Hi fellow Bluebirds,

I'm a regular browser on here most nights although i don't post that much.

For those who are familiar with the Mountain Ash area I was looking for a bit of help and advice please.

My 18 year old son who is currently living with his girlfriend and her parents out Caldicot way is looking to put down a deposit on a house on Thomas Street, Mountain Ash.
His girlfriend starts a midwifery course in September at Pontypridd hospital hence why they are looking to buy out this way.

I don't know the area at all but would appreciate if anyone from this area could let me know what it's like living there?

Personally i think he should hold off for a few months as the economy doesn't look great and hence property prices could crash.
His financial advisor however is telling him now is a good time to buy and the house he's looking at is a really good deal !!
He's pretty sure he is doing the right thing and maybe he should just crack on.

Any advice i can pass onto him would be much appreciated :thumbup:

I don't know mountain ash, but some parts of pontypridd the houses are already so cheap that I can't imagine that theyll drop that significantly even if the housing market tumbles.

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Originally Posted by mps1

Hi fellow Bluebirds,

I'm a regular browser on here most nights although i don't post that much.

For those who are familiar with the Mountain Ash area I was looking for a bit of help and advice please.

My 18 year old son who is currently living with his girlfriend and her parents out Caldicot way is looking to put down a deposit on a house on Thomas Street, Mountain Ash.
His girlfriend starts a midwifery course in September at Pontypridd hospital hence why they are looking to buy out this way.

I don't know the area at all but would appreciate if anyone from this area could let me know what it's like living there?

Personally i think he should hold off for a few months as the economy doesn't look great and hence property prices could crash.
His financial advisor however is telling him now is a good time to buy and the house he's looking at is a really good deal !!
He's pretty sure he is doing the right thing and maybe he should just crack on.

Any advice i can pass onto him would be much appreciated :thumbup:

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Not by a river is it ?????

Mountain Ash - Thomas St is one large hill, so gorgeous views if the house is towards the top. You're not far from Perthcelyn, which has a reputation of being a shithole. Roads around there are typical valley roads with too many parked cars. The train station is too far to walk if time is important, but trains are half hourly (after lockdown is over).

The Mount hasn't got a great deal going for it. Some typical valley pubs, few shops, all looking run down and has seen better days. Nowhere decent to eat, bar perhaps the bowls hall. Lots of outdoor space, walks. Aberdare close by. Comp is nothing to write home about. A few good choirs there. Road access out of the valley at either end could be better, the A4059 at peak times is very slow moving.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

Mountain Ash - Thomas St is one large hill, so gorgeous views if the house is towards the top. You're not far from Perthcelyn, which has a reputation of being a shithole. Roads around there are typical valley roads with too many parked cars. The train station is too far to walk if time is important, but trains are half hourly (after lockdown is over).

The Mount hasn't got a great deal going for it. Some typical valley pubs, few shops, all looking run down and has seen better days. Nowhere decent to eat, bar perhaps the bowls hall. Lots of outdoor space, walks. Aberdare close by. Comp is nothing to write home about. A few good choirs there. Road access out of the valley at either end could be better, the A4059 at peak times is very slow moving.

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So what's the down side? :hehe:

I know a good kebab house up there ?

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

I know a good kebab house up there ?

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Aadams.

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Originally Posted by xsnaggle

So what's the down side? :hehe:

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Rhigos or the Bwlch

Thanks for all for the advice especially Eric t.h.a.b👍

Would anyone recommend an alternative area to Mountain Ash in the vacinity of RCT for a first time buyer?
Cheers
Mike

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Originally Posted by mps1

Thanks for all for the advice especially Eric t.h.a.b👍

Would anyone recommend an alternative area to Mountain Ash in the vacinity of RCT for a first time buyer?
Cheers
Mike

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Abercynon , good links to A470

Cheers Sludge 👍

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Originally Posted by mps1

Cheers Sludge 👍

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You are welcome , I think the further down towards the M4 A470 confluence you get the more expensive the housing becomes

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

Abercynon , good links to A470

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I've been involved quite a lot in Abercynon over the last 8 years or so and I'd rather Mountain Ash! The village itself is a nightmare as far as traffic goes. Depending where you are, parking is a nightmare. Regular trains though, every 15 minutes. Reasonable shopping area but not the facilities of Mountain Ash. Tidy leisure centre in Abercynon. Quite an odd village in terms of layout and has been quite tribal in the past in some respects where different areas don't often bother with each other. Always found it a place where you can't get people to do much.

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Originally Posted by mps1

Thanks for all for the advice especially Eric t.h.a.b��

Would anyone recommend an alternative area to Mountain Ash in the vacinity of RCT for a first time buyer?
Cheers
Mike

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I've probably painted a downside. For balance, Mountain Ash is no different to most valleys places. House prices are a bargain because there's little work in the area and commuting takes a bit of effort. There are worse places to live in the valleys where house prices are far more expensive. On the other side of the coin, it's a picturesque place to live if you like that sort of thing. Great if you're an outdoors person. I've been up here 10 years and I'd never move away. I like it here. I live on a hill. I can look out of the window in my office room and see Pen-y-Fan on a good day. If you're moving up from Cardiff, valleys life is different.

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Originally Posted by mps1

Thanks for all for the advice especially Eric t.h.a.b👍

Would anyone recommend an alternative area to Mountain Ash in the vacinity of RCT for a first time buyer?
Cheers
Mike

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Mountain ash isn't that bad it's a short drive from the a470 and the place Eric mentioned is like any of its sort, working class people and non working people on an estate I know lads that live there I used to work with it's just a council estate they're not burning out cars and robbing each others houses. Nearest one that's similar to me is Glyncoch and honestly you can drive through there and it's like any other place..kids playing on the street and pretty much a non event every time you drive through, but people would have you believe these places are awful.
Mountain ash is your typical place, village pub and a few shops and takeaways. If they want night life and restaurants they'll be going to aberdare/pontypridd/Merthyr/Cardiff for that.

I'd say Treorchy and district is not too bad except for the poor road links to Cardiff. At my age, I like the quiet picturesque walks and spectacular views, but if I was eighteen or if I were still drinking, I think the urge to pop down to Cardiff would be so much stronger - I can see why someone below middle aged might find it boring up here.

I'd also say that flooding does not seem to be the issue at the top of the Rhondda valley that it is further down it.

What about Ponty itself? Cheap isn’t it? Jump on the train and in centre of cardiff in 20 mins also

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Originally Posted by goats

What about Ponty itself? Cheap isn’t it? Jump on the train and in centre of cardiff in 20 mins also

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I'd say Ponty is cheaper, but not cheap - there's no way I could have got a house like the one I have now in Ponty at the price I paid.

Mountain Ash is a bit of a red herring in this thread, personally i would say this house sits in the boundaries of Penrhiwceiber, Perthcelyn and Mountain ash. The estate agent is more than likely using the Mountain Ash address to make the property a little more attractive.

Its a bit of pot luck on what the neighborhood is like, it could be fine or it could be a nightmare, depends on the attitude of the people moving in also.

I wouldn't say there is too much going on the the vicinity, and you are probably caught a little bit too far away from either Mountain Ash Train Station or Penrhiwceiber to walk to.

Abercynon is the railway junction which takes trains from the Aberdare and Merthyr lines, so trains are less frequent if you go up the valley from there.

With all respect to Mountain ash - there's no way I would have wanted to live somewhere like that when I was 18 (that said I also wouldn't have considered moving in with a girlfriend OR buying a house at that age either).
How about somewhere like the Graig in pontypridd - houses are still cheap, close to the train and the a470 for getting to places, and at least you have a bit more choice on shops/pubs/bars/restaurants

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Originally Posted by Rjk

With all respect to Mountain ash - there's no way I would have wanted to live somewhere like that when I was 18 (that said I also wouldn't have considered moving in with a girlfriend OR buying a house at that age either).
How about somewhere like the Graig in pontypridd - houses are still cheap, close to the train and the a470 for getting to places, and at least you have a bit more choice on shops/pubs/bars/restaurants

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Probably looking at an extra 20-30k between that area and Pontypridd.

I was born and grew up in Mountain Ash but left in the mid 60's to go to university in London so I only have sentimental memories of the place. It was a typical mining valley town then and a thriving community, so sadly a lot has changed since! If your son's girlfriend is to start a midwifery course in Ponty then it seems to me that that would be the obvious place to live, being as they have a blank canvas as it were. However I no longer have any local knowledge about housing costs, best locations etc so all I can advise is for them to do some research on-line with Zoopla or similar.

I knew this would be the right place to come for some top advice.
Cheers everyone I will pass this onto my boy👍

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Originally Posted by mps1

I knew this would be the right place to come for some top advice.
Cheers everyone I will pass this onto my boy��

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Its always a punt, ive grown up with a few people who have moved up the valleys and been dazzled by the cheaper house prices. The reality is that they become initially isolated. The friends that they have grown up with are not there and you are now in a new area where you know no one and there isn't a great deal to do locally.

In the valleys you generally commute. So be prepared for that. However living in the valleys myself i wouldn't commute to Aberdare, Mountain Ash or Abercynon for anything because there isnt much of anything in either of these places. If you are from Cardiff you will be commuting into Cardiff.

There are decent and thriving local sports clubs in these areas, so that is something that you can always get involved in if that'd your type of thing.

Generally in my youth the people that moved up the valleys generally moved back closer to Cardiff after a couple of years.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

I'd say Ponty is cheaper, but not cheap - there's no way I could have got a house like the one I have now in Ponty at the price I paid.

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You are after different things bob, young folks want to be closer to action, that means Cardiff.

“UPPER BAY” (splott) is the place to be

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Originally Posted by BLUETIT

“UPPER BAY” (splott) is the place to be

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Upper Bay, is that anywhere near Lower Roath? :hehe:

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Originally Posted by xsnaggle

Upper Bay, is that anywhere near Lower Roath? :hehe:

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Splo

I'd say the Caerphilly area is a good choice for a commute to Ponty with the benefit of missing the rush hr traffic as its all heading the other way. House prices are cheaper than Cardiff and your Cardiff fix is just over the hill.

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Originally Posted by sneggyblubird

I'd say the Caerphilly area is a good choice for a commute to Ponty with the benefit of missing the rush hr traffic as its all heading the other way. House prices are cheaper than Cardiff and your Cardiff fix is just over the hill

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Caerphilly people call it a mountain !!!

Caerphilly is a good bit more expensive though.

What hospital in pontypridd?

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Originally Posted by dembethewarrior

What hospital in pontypridd?

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if it's Dewi Sant then I'd definitely recommend buying in the graig, walking distance to the hospital and the station, and it's cheaper than the rest of pontypridd, I've seen houses there for sale for like 50k.
and close enough to the pubs and shops in ponty to keep an 18 year old entertained, and a short train journey to Cardiff.

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Originally Posted by dembethewarrior

What hospital in pontypridd?

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Dewi Sant. It treats Sexually Transmitted Diseases, I believe.

A friend told me.

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Originally Posted by Rjk

Caerphilly is a good bit more expensive though.

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Yeah you would say that the average house price in Caerphilly is £183,305 and the average in Mountain Ash is £99,533.

Knowing the area and the fact its outside Mountain Ash i would say we are looking at a property under the £80,000, and that is what is making it attractive to move to the area.

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Originally Posted by Rjk

if it's Dewi Sant then I'd definitely recommend buying in the graig, walking distance to the hospital and the station, and it's cheaper than the rest of pontypridd, I've seen houses there for sale for like 50k.
and close enough to the pubs and shops in ponty to keep an 18 year old entertained, and a short train journey to Cardiff.

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I thought it was just being used as a doctor's surgery atm, and for some reason when I read hospital I was thinking something to the scale of RGH so it threw me off..
Don't think there's much for sale on the graig but you'll pick up a bargain if you're willing to work on it, 50k would be something in a bad shape tbh as they're definitely going for a lot more than that.

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Originally Posted by Jordi Culé

Dewi Sant. It treats Sexually Transmitted Diseases, I believe.

A friend told me.

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STD = St David?

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Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie

STD = St David?

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No. Sexually Transmitted Disease, he believes.

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Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie

STD = St David?

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No you daft sod. It STD = Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes and genital warts.

So my friend says.