Help me decide where to live please

[Omghowmuch]

As per the title, I have to move from my current home and I am going around in circles trying to decide where to look to buy my new home so I thought I’d ask mumsnetters for their opinion.

I live in a very expensive property area in the South East and my share of the sale will not enable me to buy very much at all around here - which is an area I have lived in for around 50 years.

My dilemma is do I buy a flat/maisonette in the surrounding area (if I can find one) just to stay fairly local but unlikely to have any garden/outside space which is important to me, or do I look for a property that I can make my new home in an new area that I don’t love but have good friends already living there.
Another option would be to try and find an completely new area that I like the look of and try and find a property?

I have to move quickly on this as offer has been accepted on current home and they are in a good position to proceed quickly.

Please help me stop my head spinning!

Oops sorry, just realised I missed out a key bit of info … I live just outside of Marlow in Buckinghamshire.

Hmm you are right that there isnt much in Marlow. Im guessing its High Wycombe you don’t like? There are some places there but not the prettiest. Retirement places will have high service charges I think. I wonder if there is an area closer to your Essex friends but not coastal?

Marlow versus Manningtree ?

Oh Christ OP definitely not a retirement place I was talking to a couple who've just escaped one of those. At best anondyne at worst stuffed with petty little Hitlers critiquing your curtains and decor, policing your washing machine use, complaining about your cat, policing every scrap of rubbish you put out, moaning about every sound and reporting you to the warden!!.
You get clobbered for enourmous service charges as well.
I woudnt live in a narrow boat for all the tea in China but I suspect thats prefable to a retirement home.

@Omghowmuch Aylesbury? There's 2-bed houses within your budget there. Or look at north Hertfordshire / mid Bedfordshire.

According to Rightmove, there are 226 houses (I didn't check for other types of property, but a few seem to be park homes), with at least 2 beds and within 15 miles of Marlow available for up to £300k.

In terms of knowing plumbers, electricians etc, you can easily get recommendations on local social media pages if you move. We moved three years ago and found brilliant tradespeople after asking locally.

Pic didn't load, but do a Rightmove search and you'll see.

Somewhere like Winslow ?or Outskirts of Aylesbury ?

For what it's worth, I have read your posts and don't think that moving to a completely new area where you know no one is the right thing for you right now. So I would cross that option off the list.

Re the bigger, cheaper town nearby where you would not want to live, are you quite sure there are no nice corners of it which would be OK? Are you being too quick to write off the entire town?

I think staying in the area you know sounds your best bet OP.
Auctions are a great way of buying cheaper properties and are ideal for cash buyers short on time.
You would be able to get a house plus garden I am sure, you might well have to do work. Some are esp cheap as they are not mortgageable, which might be a good option for you.
Good luck, am in a similar situation to you and am finding it hard too. There are some good recent threads on the Property board.

Could you rent for a few months breathing space?

High Wycombe isn’t bad….there are areas like Loudwater that are nice. What about Wooburn Green? Bourne End? Hazlemere?

Or a bit further….Wokingham, Maidenhead, Twyford, Taplow, Burnham or Woodley? All on a railway line and the last four are not far from Marlow on the train?