the best place to live if only can afford £300K for buying a house?

[happyfishcoco]

hello everyone.
recently My DH found a full 5-day WFH job. And as I quit my job for my DC, now just have some freelance job. So we don't have to stay in London anymore.

we both don't like crowded places, living in London is just for work.
We never live in other cities before, not sure if we can fit in.

Now I live in London in a 2-bedroom flat.

And I really want to move into a house with a decent garden, at least 3 bedrooms, as the second baby is coming and My DH need a room for his home office.

And I need a good school catchment!!
good primary school (maybe move again for a good secondary school 5 years later?)
or give up primary school, only target good secondary school.

I have a look many many places, £300K is really not enough.

1. three bedroom house
2. garden (I am happy maybe just 300 ft )
3. in good school Catchment
4. good area, less crime and less racism

Any recommend? thanks a lot

Cumbria, we have just paid 300k and have everything that you had on your list. We are just outside the national park boundary where prices are a bit cheaper. We have a lovely village school, a choice of good secondaries and it is a beautiful place to be.

North Staffordshire, £300k will get you a 3 bed detached in a very nice area or a 4 bed detached in a decent area. Close to very many lovely places, Peak District, Wales, Lake District for example.

northern ireland?
www.propertypal.com/12b-annadale-avenue-belfast/760126/photo-10
www.propertypal.com/9-rockfield-park-comber/780628

@Floralei we have higher taxes because we provide better social care: free prescriptions, free university etc.

“Heinous politics”, yeah Holyrood are entirely responsible for the huge number of people who will die, avoidably, directly due to fuel poverty.

What’s your problem with Scotland?!

In NI you could have a house to meet all your specifications , detached, 4/5 bedrooms semi-rural within a 15 minute drive of Belfast City centre for under your budget

South Yorkshire?
Sheffield or Barnsley (West of M1) or into West Yorkshire border villages. Great schools you'd be able to get 3/4 beds for that price.

@GarlicCrackers which is the one dog shit high school ? Of course it's ace. Like loads of desirable places up north locals can no longer afford anything decent. We are just left with the places providing dog shit education for our children.

300k will get you a mansion in the east mids!
I second PP with Worcestershire. Try Staffordshire too.

Thats right, just drive up the prices so the locals can’t afford anything. @Lunificent The island needs workers.

Sorry OP, not the point of the post, it just makes me mad people with money are oblivious of these problems.

South Wales
Give us an idea of which part of the country you fancy

How about Northamptonshire? I watched an episode of Location, Location, Location where they searched in Kettering recently which looked lovely and houses were good value. I don't know anything about the schools admittedly.

www.channel4.com/programmes/location-location-location/on-demand/69727-012

(The prices were 2018 if I recall correctly so obviously will have risen since then.)

Lanarkshire, central for Edinburgh and Glasgow. Less than an hour for coastal and countryside. We bought our 3 bed mid terrace
for £70k 6 years ago. Similar house now about £100k

Kettering - Desborough - Market Harborough?

Don’t go to Preston- Aim more for Penwortham/Longton. 3 good outstanding high schools, and pretty much only good/outstanding primary schools. 10 minutes into Preston city centre, then only a couple of hours to get to London or Glasgow, and 10 minutes away from the major motorway network. Plus we’re surrounded by countryside and green flag awarded parks!

Milngavie (Glasgow)?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126910481#/?channel=RES_BUY

or Bearsden (Glasgow)?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126811382#/?channel=RES_BUY

Durham region, we live 5 miles out of the city and it’s glorious, 4 bed detached for £287,000
You do need to drive, 14 mins to the city and major shops, 5 mins to local Asda, decent schools all a short drive, very quiet and low crime.

Is that Southport or somewhere? Wirral? You wouldn't get that in any decent part of Liverpool.

"I have Cambridge on line one."

www.fermanaghlakelandproperties.com/8-meadowvale-garrison/776375

Why mess about with the windows, white frames would have looked lovely.

The north east

Lincoln

Devon has some good grammar schools and is in your budget eg Honiton/Axminster for Colyton, Brixham for Churston Ferrers, Torbay and the surrounds (Teignmouth, Dawlish, Exeter, Dartmoor, Torbay) for the Torquay Grammar schools, Plymouth for Devonport etc

Scotland! You will get loads of three and four bedroom houses to choose from for your budget.