I would like to live in Brighton and Hove

Having kids in Brighton and hove is great! There’s so much to do. Endless activities at all levels (competitive and casual sport etc)!and private and state schools. I like Portslade and it has more and more going on but it doesn’t feel like you’re coastal to me.

Southwick? There's no Southsea. I find Brighton absolutely filthy Worthing is lovely but there's no shops left the town center is dead

Similar circumstances to me, love it!!

I’m from the North East, I have lived/worked in Brighton Hove and West Sussex for over 25 years.

it’s been amazing, I was at Fatboy Slim’s legendary Big Beach Boutique and everything!

People have provided links for flats which are leasehold but look at the service charges, one of them was £2,500 a year and they usually increase or rip you off one way or another. £90 to change a communal hallway light bulb etc.

I lived in Brighton for about a year in a block of flats, and then in a terrace in Hove for about 10 years then back in Brighton on the seafront in a Regency property for about a year. It’s great, but there’s nowhere to park, (you have to buy permits), everywhere is really expensive and 250,000 wouldn’t really get you anything least of all with a garden.

Myself and friends/ colleagues all loved living in Brighton/ Hove when child-free etc but as kids get older the trend is that many people (at least among those I know) even those who were die-hard Brighton fans want to leave and go further out.

I can see you asked reliablesource above why they wouldn’t bring up a family there, it’s true what they say there’s lots of open drug dealing, dodgy types, crime, problem areas in town, etc, for me personally it was the issues with noise, antisocial behaviour, wa ting peace, fed up of millions of seagulls and rubbish, and being unable to park the car anywhere after 4 pm.
Also living anywhere in Sussex is expensive. It’s literally London prices for everything but normal wages.

Definitely don’t rule out West Sussex/ Worthing, it’s much more affordable, it’s so easy to get everywhere, Brighton is only a short train, bus, or car journey away.

if you want an even cheaper option, have a look at Lancing, that’s my area, you could probably get something smallish decent with a garden and parking or the option to add, for your money, People knock it but it has a great beach, great links and a fab beachfront cafe/ restaurant called The Perch.

Occasionally the ex Council houses in my area which were bought many years ago go for about 250-270 - might be a doer-upper but they’re freehold and none of the areas are horrific or anything. Same for bungalows, they are in high demand round here but as many were owned by the same people for years they might need some work. But have driveways/ gardens. There are lots of shared ownership schemes too.

Another option is to look at the other side, for example, Saltdean, Peacehaven, Newhaven , Seaford.

I absolutely love Sussex, it has the best of everything, seaside, towns, villages, and fabulous countryside plus easy access to London and all the airports.

Living here is like being on holiday every day, I’m just a few minutes from the beach and South Downs. Good luck. X

Thats what I thought of Hastings until I visited the Old Town. It’s a lovely little area full of nice little cafes, shops etc. Much nicer area and had a real vibe.

Folkstone is definitely up and coming. Many of the Kent and SUssex coastal towns may suit.

I don’t understand why anyone would want to live in Brighton - it’s an overpriced shithole.

@0hIdoliketobebesidetheseaside 😁😁 I saw your comment about a one bed flat and raise you two beds (we are prepared to take offers!!)

I am also a resident of Brighton these last 27 years. It's been facinating to read the mixed reviews and many of the negative comments I just don't recognise as the place I live, (but is clearly their legit feeling and experience). It's definitely a marmite place for sure.
I love it here and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I am 10 mins walk from the centre and 5 from the sea. Yes Brighton has it's problems like all cities. But the creative and arts side of things is brilliant. I am not a lover of shopping, but I do enjoy a wonder in the Lanes and particularly the North Laine, most especially on a Saturday between 9.am and 10.30 they are pretty deserted and a great place to be.
I would add that I am probably twice your age and not about to raise a family though.
Housing is very expensive, but you already know that.
Why not consider it for 2 years and make a longer term decision then?

Absolutely glorious day here. I love Brighton in the sun, and living ten minutes walk from the beach will never get old for me.

I love the Lanes- we got married at the town hall in November and our photographer got some amazing pics of us using the lanes as a backdrop.

Even at the height of summer he only bit that gets really busy is the bit if beach between the two piers and the run down to the beach from the station.

Lived in Hove for 9 years and now live 9 miles along the coast just before Worthing. Worthing is up and coming and not really associated with old people anymore. I actually prefer it for families than Brighton. Also it’s only 20 mins on the train to Brighton. Although houses prices aren’t cheap, we are 1 miles away from the beach and 1 mile from the South Downs. You could probably get a flat for that price.

The thing is, if you like Brighton & Hove, there is nowhere quite like it. I’ve lived here most my life, 25 years in West Hove, and I love it. The vibe is friendly and progressive, I can walk to the beach where even in high summer it’s not nuts like Brighton beach. Lovely parks, shops esp. charity shops, pubs, cafes. 10 mins drive and I’m surrounded by green hills on the Downs.
Worthing and Shoreham are fine but everyone who moves there from Hove would come back if they had the money.

If you can’t afford it then find somewhere else you can like for itself, not because it’s a bit/sort of like B&H. There are some flats on RigjhtMove around £250k so yabu if you want more than that.

We lived in Brighton and hove for 10 years. We moved when our youngest was 2 because it’s not great for kids. Great in the summer. But in the winter, it’s lacking places to take kids to pass the time. and the schools aren’t great.

We moved to Bristol now and love it. It’s missing the pretty laines and the seafront, but it’s culturally very similar to Brighton. Plus there’s the docks and Cornwall / Devon / south wales all on your doorstep for weekends away.

Love it here, we live in north Brighton (Withdean) Two teens, one spending her afternoon today in town and on the beach, the other up at devils dyke going for a walk and to watch the sunset with her friends. 🙂🙂

I think you need to have a good think together about what you’re actually looking for and why you want to move. Loads of the places mentioned upthread are nice places in their own right, but they are quite different to Brighton. If you particularly loved Brighton and its atmosphere and are thinking about relocating specifically for that, then other places along the south coast that are just within a drive of Brighton probably aren’t going to result in the lifestyle you’re imagining, especially if you’re planning on a family soon: life with a young family is tiring and busy, you’ll want things on your doorstep not a drive away, and once you’ve begun to immerse yourself in the community you live in you’re going to end up spending most of your free time in the place you actually live. Ultimately you probably aren’t very likely to be wanting to hare over to Brighton to hang out on a regular basis once the initial novelty has worn off.

irl now

Got a beer from the west tap and watching a low tide

Btw I have lived / known Brighton for about 30 years - so know it very well. and some of the responses here are totally ridiculous.

Someone said you will avoid the lanes because of the tourists - I have never heard such nonsense. I go through the lanes daily to my office - have coffee there/ wander the shops - absoloutely love it and the great thing (which I often think!) about living here is I don't have to go at the weekend when its packed! I can wander about on a wednesday morning enjoying the pretty colours and lovely little independent shops -

So in fact i enjoy it so much more because I live here.

Brighton is genuinely a beautiful place to live - of course grim like anywhere on a wet january

But I have just been having coffee on the beach watching people play volleyball - earlier I had a wander in the lanes.

its not true at all that you won't enjoy these things if you live here

I live in Brighton and it's a great place to live but it is expensive. That's not much to get outside space.

I like Folkstone. Dover is dog rough though. I would have thought you could buy a nice place in Folkstone. Try Lydd also.

We moved to Hangleton in December, it's fabulous, but we paid £400000 for a small two bed semi. I'm not sure how far your budget would stretch in this area. Hastings, Newhaven and Lancing might be more affordable

Hastings is horrid! Lots of tattoo and vape shops, high level of deprivation and generally feels run down. Sad as used to visit family there. Eastbourne is definitely preferable.

I lived in Brighton for a few years after living in London. I really disliked it after a while. The jarring poverty divide, trustafarian dickheads, unfriendly even compared to London, expensive and terrible job opportunities.

I am originally a northerner though and I think it's definitely got a personality that I found jarring. You be lucky to get a bedsit for that price unless you wanted to live in one of the roughish council estates also.

I was going to comment on the OP, but I got distracted by the 'sand is vulgar' comment.

WTF 🫠