Buying in North Belfast

What you'll find

Terraced streets off the Antrim Road, around Cliftonville and towards Oldpark; big Victorian and Edwardian houses on the Antrim Road, the Cavehill Road and around Fortwilliam; 1930s semis and later estates out towards Ballysillan and Glengormley; and apartments near the Waterworks and along the shore road. Belfast Castle and Cave Hill Country Park sit above it all.

Who buys here

First-time buyers who would rather have a house than a city-centre flat for the same money, landlords drawn by rents that compare well with purchase prices, and families trading up into the larger homes near the hills.

Mortgage points to note

• Affordable first homes. Much of North Belfast sits comfortably under the £300,000 first-time buyer stamp duty threshold, and well inside Co-Ownership limits. That puts a house within reach on a single income more often than elsewhere in the city.
• Buy-to-let. Lenders test the rent against the loan, usually at a stressed interest rate. Higher yields help that test, which is why landlords look here. Buying through a limited company changes the tax picture and the lender list. Read the buy-to-let guide.
• Big houses with a past. Some of the large period houses have been flats or shared houses at some point. If you're buying one to live in as a single home, check the planning use and building control history; a lender's valuer will notice.
• Older terraces. Damp, original roofs and old wiring can lead to a retention, where the lender holds back part of the loan until work is done. Budget for it rather than being surprised by it.

Nearby

See also Newtownabbey and Glengormley, West Belfast and the city centre.