you have a property budget of £145k and can move anywhere any the UK. Where do you go?

[NotQuiteUsual]

Definitely, totally theoretical situation...absolutely not mucking about on Rightmove and Google trying to find where to move my family to...

But let's say you were a young working class family who a had 145k budget and could move anywhere, where would you go? Requirements being that you need at least 3 bedrooms, public transportation, schools nearby and somewhere relatively safe. We're not very fussy and open to anything! But I am absolutely overwhelmed by the options!

I think I would do Chesterfield like a pp too. It’s near to lovely countryside, I like the town centre, and it’s on a main trainline.

North Warwickshire/Leicestershire borders.

£150k in Hinckley for example would get a reasonable 2-3 bed with a drive/garden

Don’t look anywhere south of London.
£145k would get you a beach hut maybe in Brighton.

West coast of Scotland. Right on the coast, overlooking the sea.

Scotland still has nice family homes for that price but is that too far?

Carlisle in Cumbria

In some of the “rougher” areas of Chester (the rough parts of Chester are just normal, as it’s a posh city!!) you can get a nice 3 bed house for that money.

Lovely place www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82804619.html

Lots of places in Scotland - eg Fife and West Lothian. Bear in mind the offers over system though.

West Lancashire.

Leicestershire/Warwickshire borders. Close to all motorway networks, trains, cities, airports yet with some beautiful small towns and villages, great schools, good communities

Torquay - somewhere like here right by the sea:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-60375798.html

Newark on Trent.
1hr10 direct to Kings Cross.
Good sized town, lovely countryside nearby. Direct access to the A1.
Some decent schools.

I found this property on the Rightmove Android app and wanted you to see it: www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/74651218

We are East Midlands-north Nottingham.
Train into the city centre takes 15 mins/7 mile drive.
Doesn’t take us long to get into the countryside, decent schools & our local town has decent pubs/restaurants/shops/market/softplay and swimming etc.
Lots of the ex mining towns on the Robin Hood line from Nottingham will have houses in your budget. Happy for you to drop me a pm if you want the exact towns etc I’m thinking of

I think it's quicker to list where you can't live, because most places outside London and the south east will have places to fit your requirements.

Lots of areas around Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield would also suit. Good access to London on the east coast main line, Leeds is a great city, lots to do, easy access to countryside, not too far from the coast, pretty much everything you could ever want.

But obviously you can say the same for areas around Manchester, Hull, Nottingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow etc etc.

You need to be able to get a job and that should be the starting factor. Many or the areas described have high unemployment, isolation and zero hours NMW employment. Poor educational outcomes as well in some of the towns listed.

Lincoln

Hornsea? nice little seaside town.

Have you ever been?
Employment prospects?
Coastal deprivation?
Educational attainment?
Drug related crime?
Transport?

Edinburgh or Glasgow

Not a chance you'd get a 3 bed house in Edinburgh for £145k. You'd get something good in between the two though, think Falkirk, Livingston, Bathgate.

Hornsea doesn't have great transport links.....

And you'd most likely need to travel for work to Hull or Beverley.

Hartlepool. You'd have a decent amount of buying power in different neighbourhoods. You can get a 3 bed end of terrace ex council house for 60-80k depending on condition and the estates isn't even that rough. Then there's the "nicer" estates still 3 beds under 150k. The town has some shops, not gentrified and you have newcastle close with metro and independent high streets in places like Yarm.

And you'd most likely need to travel for work to Hull or Beverley

And that would be a problem how? like no body ever works more than a 15min walk from where they live do they?

also OP said DH can work from home, and she works in care.

OP was happy in Scunthorpe, which is probably the same 're jobs prospects and schools.

Drugs are in every town

There are buses to Hull and Beverley, and (can't remember) but probably Brid too.

I stand by 'it 'is a nice little sea side town'. Which is actually affordable on lower incomes.

I have a few friends live there, and some of their older DCs are at Uni, ( I know right! how on earth did they manage that? when not living in an expensive middle class area with umpteen outstanding school on the door step, I mean it must be unimaginable for you?)

Liverpool In the South , for your budget somewhere like Garston.