What you'll find
Terraces around Connswater, Bloomfield and the Newtownards Road; Edwardian and interwar semis and detached homes in Belmont, Knock and Ballyhackamore; post-war estates around Cregagh and Tullycarnet; and newer developments off the Comber Road and on the city's eastern edge. Sydenham sits beside George Best Belfast City Airport and the Bangor railway line.
Who buys here
Families who want parks, schools and the Connswater and Comber greenways on the doorstep, first-time buyers priced out of South Belfast, and people working in the city centre, Titanic Quarter, at Stormont or at the Ulster Hospital. The cafés and restaurants around Ballyhackamore keep demand strong on the streets nearby.
Mortgage points to note
- Altered terraces. Loft conversions, knocked-through rooms and kitchen extensions are everywhere in East Belfast. Your solicitor will ask for building control completion certificates and, where needed, planning approval. Missing paperwork doesn't usually stop a sale, but it can delay one and may need indemnity insurance.
- Former Housing Executive homes. Some of the stock around Cregagh and Tullycarnet was sold to tenants under the house sales scheme. Most lenders are comfortable with houses; flats and maisonettes in former Housing Executive blocks have fewer takers.
- Non-standard construction. A share of post-war houses were built with concrete panels or steel frames. Many are lendable once repaired and certified, but plenty of lenders say no, so find out before you pay for a survey.
- First purchases. A good amount of East Belfast stock falls under the first-time buyer stamp duty threshold and within Co-Ownership limits. See how Co-Ownership works.
Nearby
See also Dundonald, Holywood, Comber and the city centre and Titanic Quarter.
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