Cheap housing in Nice town / large village within 1 hour commute London

[TAG30]

I know this has been asked a zillion times but i have the extra required info..... the train needs to go into either Charing Cross or Victoria and take max of an hour. My dh works within walking distance of either of these stations and ideally we would like to be walking distance to the home station but would consider a drive to the station for the right place to live

I live in chislehurst at the moment and renting which is expensive and we have no hope of ever buying here. I'm so fed up spending most of wages on extortionate rent and as my dd will be starting secondary school in 2017, it is the ideal time to have a major relocation.
I tried it a couple of years ago but my eldest had a wobble about moving away from here so we ended up staying at the last minute. However, she will be almost 21 by the time we leave so her priorities may have changed by then.

The obvious answer is Kent but it seems the only good secondary schools that exist in Kent, are grammers. I could probably prepare my dd for the test but we would have a very short and possible unrealistic amount of time between obtaining the results and filling in the secondary transfer form (requiring a new local address). I wouldnt want to move her to Kent if she didnt pass the test and we would end up staying here as there are some good comprehensives, just expensive housing.

Therefore, i began to think about non grammer areas but i dont know anything about sussex and surrey except they sound very expensive.

Ideally we'd like to be in a large village but close enough to a town for dd to have things to do. Alternatively, the edge of a nice town which has nice walks (we have dogs so like to get out every day).

Any suggestions would be gratefully received

[TAG30]

forgot to add that we are looking to spend between £270000 - £300000 on the house

[ChippyMinton]

Don't discount the lines running into Waterloo. A straightforward change at Clapham Junction will get you into Victoria in 6 minutes. That opens up whole swathes of Surrey and out into Ascot, Bracknell etc.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32200569.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-48846518.html

[TAG30]

That's something is not considered so thanks for that. However, those areas are still quite expensive and I'm looking for a bit more for my money. I've seen some very nice 1930s 3 bed semis in maidstone for £270000 but just want to see if there are places outside of kent/grammer area

[catherinemm]

Following - also looking to move an hour (approx) away from London, ideally with trains into Victora or Waterloo and to spend around £270k for 3 bed

[AryaUnderfoot]

Bracknell is really good value for money. There are some very good sized properties from when the new town was first built. The town centre regeneration (underway) will make properties like these (within walking distance of town centre and railway station on mainline to Waterloo) quite desirable.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32028129.html

It's a bit of a bland new town, but it has a lot going for it!

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Some food for thought here
www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jul/05/london-soaring-house-prices-make-long-commute-cost-effective

There are lots of websites to help you search
www.commuterguide.co.uk/
www.commutefrom.com/
www.locrating.com/CommutingMap.aspx
commutingexpert.com/choosing-where-to-live-for-the-best-commute/

You'll be able to price up season tickets as well so you can factor in ongoing costs.

[neepsandtatties]

Paddock Wood meets all your criteria. Yes, it is in Kent, but uniquely, it has a genuine comprehensive (i.e. children get places at Oxbridge) that is very well respected locally - Mascalls School.

Cheap housing stock
45 mins into Charing Cross (and you will get a seat in the morning)
Surrounded by lovely countryside (Paddock Wood is the last conurbation before things get properly rural)
Friendly and low-key town with some useful high-street shops (and a Waitrose - to the envy of the surrounding areas!)
An Ofsted Good primary school that is not oversubscribed.