Good afternoon, Mumsnetters!
I'm a long time lurker who, until now, didn't have an account. I've found all your insight and community both helpful and inspiring while trying to narrow down areas in which to relocate or to buy.
We're based in the South East and, like most people who rent here, we've been completely priced out of the property market. There's just no question, anymore. We'd love to stay here with our support network, family, and friends, but this is the sad reality of low wages and sky-high property prices.
Since the big C hit in 2020, DH and I have been working from home. Our company has dragged its feet coming to decision about whether this will be a forever situation, but all signs say that it will be. The company have indicated that, as long as we can make it into an office site once a month, they can't tie us down to living within X miles of an office.
Now, to the material point.
Because of the C-who-shall-not-be-named, we haven't been able to leave our area to explore where we might relocate to. We've relied entirely on google maps, crime statistics, reviews and, of course, the good word of mumsnetters to get an idea of what it's like to really live in certain areas.
DH and I are quite taken with the idea of Market Harborough.
It reminds me of my childhood in and around certain parts of Devon, it seems to have a nice sense of community and, most importantly, we could afford a two to three bedroom house with a garage (garage is very important to DH). We both understand that it is considered a more expensive part of the general area but, believe me, it doesn't have a patch on our current location.
In fact, we are so indoctrinated into the idea that a house is beyond our means that we question what might be wrong with it if we can afford it!
The other advantage of Market Harbs is, of course, the high speed rail line which I would be entirely dependent on to reach an office as and when is necessary.
During our investigations we've also considered Desborough as it's close to Market Harbs, but have heard mixed things about it.
We also looked at Uppingham (which seems lovely and makes me think of little Cornish and Devonian villages), but noticed that it's a bit of a pain as it doesn't have a train station. As a byproduct, we also looked at Oakham, and have heard mixed reviews about this area, too.
We aren't looking for an area where we would flip a house, sell it, and move on. This isn't an 'investment'. We want to own a home and stop throwing money at landlords. We would like to build a life that isn't transient which, lets be honest, renting always is if you have fickle landlords.
I would love to hear what you all have to say about any of the above areas, your honest experiences, whether you think we might have trouble moving into certain communities, safety (I was a victim of a burglary situation as a child while we were all home and, although it's people and not places that cause crime, I am always wary of areas that generally feel 'unsafe'), what you would avoid, what you can recommend, etc.
We'd like to narrow it all down a bit so that we can make plans to visit some of these lovely places when it's safe to do so.
Many thanks in advance for anything that you have to say, good or bad.
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First time buyers relocating to Market Harborough or Uppingham, advice?
Nightshade26 · 13/04/2021 13:20
I'm not too familiar with Uppingham but I know Market Harborough quite well and would happily move there. I would definitely consider it safe and there is a good community feel. Desborough is much cheaper, you can get a lot for your money there, but it is a bit "meh". It's fine but nothing special. You could try neighbouring Rothwell which is also cheap but a lot nicer and a bit more quaint. Both safer than many places (especially bigger towns). MH has more going on than both of those places. The general area is lovely and IMO a bit of a hidden gem.
Happy to answer any other specific questions about north Northants / south Leics 
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You might struggle with your budget in uppingham. I live in a village not far from uppingham, and it's nice to pop into for the shops or a coffee. I used to live near Market Harborough, but it was too big and bustling for me! 
I think Harborough would be great for you getting to work. I used to get the train to London occasionally from there. There were quite a lot of London commuters. In terms of a social life, it depends on what you want. There is no cinema, for example.
@MasterGland
I think Harborough would be great for you getting to work. I used to get the train to London occasionally from there. There were quite a lot of London commuters. In terms of a social life, it depends on what you want. There is no cinema, for example.We found two properties in Uppingham. One was a house which, to be honest, pushed the top end a bit. The other was a kooky flat right in the town with a garage that looked like it had been converted out of a shop, but was in fact once a house?
It's entirely impractical, needs a lot of work, and we think the windows would all need replacing. It's also on a leasehold which isn't something we're keen on. It doesn't tick many boxes but it was just so weird that we also have a real soft spot for it.
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