Areas round Edinburgh - house prices / nice/bad areas?

[MagicMelon]

So further to my last post, we may need to move to the Edinburgh area. My OH's office will be in Roslin so he will need to be within commuting distance of there. I have been trying to look online at what we will be able to afford but I have no idea what areas to search - which ones are cheaper to live yet still nice? Decent schools are important too. Would prefer to live in the country / village, ideally with 2 acres but it looks like that will be impossible in our price range (max £350k sort of level as I will have to quit my job to go). So realistically I think I'll have to consider livery yards for my 2 horses, which opens up what house we get. Want a newer build / upgraded type but 4/5 bedrooms... where on earth should we look for something like this please? Would prefer North if possible as its closer to Aberdeenshire for return trips to see family and friends but doubt my OH will fancy doing the bridge every day... Help please as Im getting pretty depressed as everything looks expensive We have a 5 bedroom house with land, stables etc. in Aberdeenshire so its disappointing looking at having to downgrade

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Stay where you are Magicmelon...OH could stay in local hotel on good rates when needed in office and work from home the rest of the time. Surely the past year has taught us that many jobs can be fulfilled from home. You can keep home fires burning and be with family. To put my thinking in context....20 years ago my OH would drive 300 miles to central belt to work...leaving on Monday..returning Friday. After a few years we decided to completely move north to the central belt to live as a family even though it meant leaving my parents and extended family..house and land etc. Now I love my life here...worked hard to build friendships and contacts etc but I have missed not being closer to my family and never more so than this past year when I last saw my 80year old parents in July. I cannot have the past 16 years back missing out on nieces and nephews etc. If family and your current home cannot be replicated then Aberdeenshire is not far away...for your OH to do some level of commuting. If mentally you feel you will be downgrading by moving you will be unhappy.