To ask where you'd live?

[EscapeAnywhere]

If you could move anywhere (in the UK)?
You don't have DC (yet) or any family commitments, work from home, and have about £250k in savings to buy a house. Where would you settle?

Quite insulted that where I live has got no more than a passing mention on this thread (although... it's gorgeous but expensive!)

Agree with the PP who said that if you want children, to think about factoring in schools to your plans. This will be very important if you have any!

Bristol. I would love to move there

Op waiting for you to give even a clue in response to as as to whether savings would be addded to by mortgage at all ? No point suggesting loads of places if 250k is your total. Well done re that btw.

Canterbury and then out to the coast from there, south or east.

Yorkshire... Haworth

Sorry for the late update, thanks so much for the replies.

£250k is the full amount of cash, and of course it'd be amazing to live somewhere owned outright.

But we could raise an additional £200k (borrowed).

My thinking was to buy outright, see if I love the area, get to know it, and then raise the additional £200k to move into The Forever House. I hope that makes sense.

I'm in a Cotswolds town now, it's nice enough but it's my hometown with pretty awful memories and I feel like mentally I need a fresh start.

All my friends have moved here, there and everywhere and there's no family at all. I'm quite isolated with no friends/family and working from home so I feel I need to move and make a new life.

So far I've viewed lots of houses in Wales and the Midlands - I haven't looked any further north yet.

The £250k budget does rule a lot of locations out, but TBH even with more I still wouldn't know where to go.

At this rate I think I might end up blindly sticking a pin in a map.

Somewhere with a sea view and a balcony.

Isle of Wight, maybe.

I would live exactly where I am.

20 minutes from the cente of Edinburgh. And not far from wheer JK Rowling lives- so I guess she has made the decision that this is a good place too.

OP £250K would buy you a big house with a garden in a pleasant area around here. access to good schools, minutes from hills, wild beaches, great employment opportunities, world class Universities, great IT, financial and biotech industries. Low crime rate, great arts and culture, stunning architecture.

@cheesenpickles yes exactly and heaven forbid you should try and get to the Witterings between May and September.

I've always wanted to live on the Isle of Wight but DH reminds me that no-one would visit us as it is so.expensive. I think that is a bad thing.

Sometimes I dream of living hants/Dorset border

Coastal living is great...in fact being near most large bodies of water is great if you like that sort of thing...Rutland Water? Cotswolds?
I live on South Coast in a not massively desirable market town but greatbtransport links average three bed semi house price is around 240k according to letter from estate agent through our door yesterday. I love living on the coast!

@English rose I'd live to live in the Island. So much so that after my last trip I spent hours looking at COAST magazine and looking at houses.

@speakout I think I'm sold! Sounds amazing, actually.

@OrangeCinnamon if I was rich and there was more schooling choice I'd move to the Island in a heartbeat. St Lawrence is absolutely beautiful.

@OrangeCinnamon https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63067568.html

This will do.

Ooh I'd love Scotland!

I do get scared about the weather though now I'm a South Coast Softie.

@cheesenpickles it's lovely !

Cornwall. There are still areas where £250k buys you something reasonable.

Scottish borders is beautiful (fabulous beaches) and you get a lot of house for your money there, at least compared to prices in my part of Sussex.

South Cambridgeshire/Suffolk/Norfolk

Exactly where I am. West Yorkshire village. Stunning countryside and friendly people.

I was going to echo Southampton/Portsmouth. Everyone I know is very happy, easy access to lots of great places, lots of stuff to do in town (culture etc). Lots of places to work. An hour from London. Good (and improving) public transport. But without the usual South East price tag. £250K would be fine here and £470K would get you a lovely old property in a nice area in town.

But having said that, where speakout said sounds like my actual dream sort of place!

*Ooh I'd love Scotland!

I do get scared about the weather though now I'm a South Coast Softie*

Me too!

South Wales, near Cardiff or towards Bristol. Scotland is lovely too, if Edinburgh is too expensive, somewhere like Stirling is lovely and within travel distance of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Best to think about schools if you're planning on children.

Ps I meant £450K would get you a nice old property... (can’t do maths first thing).

Actually thinking about schools I would actively avoid any grammar school areas as the stress sounds horrific. Most of Hampshire is good for schools except the big city areas. This was the view on a little walk I went on yesterday ...yes no sand but gorgeous , relaxing and on my doorstep plus good harbourside pub !

It would depend on what you want to do away from the family home. if you travel a lot, you would not want to be too far from an airport with a reasonable choice of flights for example. Do you drive or not, and if you do, what do you want to be able to do without a car?

Edinburgh is expensive, but you don't have to travel far outside the city to find cheap property.
Within 10 miles of the city centre there are lots of lovely towns and villages and good transport links.Easy quick commute.
If you want to live in a Georgian villa in the New Town it will cost £££, but a 15 minute railway commute will find you in a lovely seaside town.
I live in a 5 bedroomed home surrounded by ancient woodland. I can be in the centre of Edinburgh in 18 minutes
My home cost ( in a ready to move into state) cost me £210K f.