RISING house prices may delight homeowners but what about those trying to get a foot on the property ladder? Two weeks ago MEN Homes highlighted the difficulties faced by young property hunters and their frustrations as they saw any property they could afford snapped up by investors.

We challenged property investment expert Barbara Goldsmith to find four ideal first homes across Greater Manchester.

Originally from Chorlton, she now runs Stratford Properties, a £6m business buying houses across the country for investors and individuals. She claims it is not impossible to buy ideal first homes - you just have to know where to look.

Here are four houses she found and the reasons she thinks they are the sort of houses first-timers should be looking at.

PROPERTY 1
Morgan Place, South Reddish - £80,000. “South Reddish is more expensive than east and north because it has a more vibrant centre. This is an ex council house, well built and very well maintained with new windows so it needs nothing doing to it. Crucially it has three bedrooms and an added bonus of a big back garden. Both major points in favour. It is close to the bus stops but on a quiet part of the road. The area immediately around it will improve over the next 12 months and this is the sort of house you can sell on in a heart-beat. It would be a very good first step – plus the council tax is only £77 a month. A bargain!”

PROPERTY 2
Princess Street, Ashton-under-Lyne - £65,950. “Probably the best of the bunch. It is on a nice wide leafy road where parking is not a problem and it has three bedrooms – houses with two beds on the same road are going for £60,000 so it is worth the extra money for the extra space. Plus it has a garage at the back. The driveway has been well done and there is a new porch and new kitchen extension at the back. It needs a bit of decorating but the basics of the house are all there, which is the important thing. It is close to Ashton town centre and in an area I think will come up. Some new apartments are being built nearby by which is a god sign. It is good first buy because it is in such good condition plus you could sell it on to a family because of the extra bedroom. I think it is cheap for what it is!”PROPERTY 3
Moorside Road, Swinton – £54,950 – “Very cheap but not for the faint hearted because it needs everything doing to it. Central heating, kitchen, bathroom and new windows. But all those will cost around £15,000 to do so for £70,000 you have a cracking two bedroom house which has a garden behind and off-road parking. And the rooms are all a pretty gppd size. Other renovated houses on the street are already fetching around £80,000. It is a seven minute walk up the hill to the station which has excellent rail services into Manchester. Plus I think Swinton is a cracking little town, one of my favourites.”PROPERTY 4
63 Ulundi Street, Radcliffe - £64,995 – “This house is on a super little road, very quiet but near everywhere. It has been very well improved and maintained and you would not need to lift a finger when you moved in here. I wish I had a hundred houses like this one! Everything is just beautiful inside and at the back it overlooks a school and playing fields which makes the outlook very open and green. It has got new windows and doors and is a very reasonable price.” Tweet