To move up north for a big but cheap house!

[dancingmonkey]

Just that really. I l live in Hertfordshire- south east and very expensive part of Uk. Budget is around £270,000 and around here that will get me a small 2 bed/ poss 3 bed. But have looked at properties in York which I know is lovely and the will get me a 4/5 bed with massive garden, playroom, utility etc!

Has anyone on here moved far from friends and family to get more value for money on a house? did you regret? I have a 2 year old so obviously it would be hard to not see grandparents and friends but other that that not sure what I would miss! I also work from home so wouldn't need to worry about that.

OP - Are your thinking York because it’s similar to St Albans? If so, have you thought about Canterbury? Also, very like York. But sunnier and less damp!

Do you seriously think that York, on the east of the country, is really damp?

Wow, people really sign up to the 'northern' stereotypes!

@NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace

YANBU but .... the north is an acquired taste. It's a big decision, in my opinion.

Good luck with whatever you decide

Hahahaha Hahahaha

Sorry what?!

I suspect that BikeRun and I might know eachother professionally

She’s very, very right.

Christ! The person who said "the north is an acquired taste" was making a joke surely?! I thought it was funny.

I live in the midlands...used to it now but still find public transport provision poor. And this is a major city. The south east is truly spoiled in this respect.

@Goldenbear, Farnham
I haven’t said that Cheshire is more expensive that Surrey. All I said was that the expensive areas of Cheshire were as expensive as many areas of the SE and that the OP could not move North with her budget and be able to afford the nicer areas. There’s definitely many cheaper areas in the North but the main difference in my experience is that the crappy areas of the South are overpriced. We moved from St Albans to Cheshire. We also own a buy to let flat in Berkshire. So I do have experience of the SE property market.
The spectrum of prices is wide up there but you’ll still pay a huge amount for the most desirable areas. It’s definitely cheaper here in Sussex.

It's cheap for a reason...
Possibly less job opportunities, lower wages..... all depends on what area you work in.

Personally, I would compromise and look at areas where you also have the best opportunities.

I'd prefer to be within an hours drive of the grandparents/friends.

But I don't get the need for big houses and big gardens! Maybe you are planning a big family and need a home office...but 5 bedrooms for 3 of you?

I know a few families who have bought the big houses, then a few years later the kids have left home and there's a couple living in a 5 bedroom 5 bathroom house and they only actually live in less than a quarter of it. But have all hassle of maintenance etc.

It's cheap for a reason...
Possibly less job opportunities, lower wages..... all depends on what area you work in.
@whattodo2019, do you mean a particular house or the North in general because if the latter that’s surely a ridiculous statement. Most people Including those in the banking and financial sector can work in many big cities in the UK. When we lived up there, DH commuted down to London a couple of days a week. Just over 2hs on the train from Wilmslow. It can take that long from the outskirts of London.

Plus it takes him an hour and a half from here (Sussex)

@beatrixpotterspencil you're talking absolute rubbish. I also live in the Lakes, Kendal has a mosque. I went to school with several others students from ethnic backgrounds. I had mehindi patterns drawn on me by my classmate.

Ulverston has the Buddhist centre. No the Lakes isn't as culturally diverse but there are plenty of others from different ethnic backgrounds.

Bet you're from away.

I would be concerned about the lack of diversity.

Abbazed what does "I bet you are from away" mean?

Your post reads like people who claim they are not racist because their sister-in-law is black.

@SallyCinnamon3009 not looking in Leeds as it's too busy for me - I work there though. Looking at villages around the wakefield area mainly. Anything less than £400k seem to have something that puts us off such as very busy main roads, shared access or tiny gardens etc.
My house is quiet and private and I want the same closer to work, but that seems to come at 3 times the price just over the county border .
We looked at one a few months ago just 5 mins from where I live now. £388k and it was an absolute shithole. Needed a full refurb including wiring etc. Owner has done nothing to it in the 4yrs she's owned it yet is asking an extra £100k than she paid. Needed new windows, conservatory was buggered, new bathrooms needed, kitchen was from the 60s with very dodgy wiring. Funnily enough it hasn't sold yet

@Wheresthesanitygone

I think the frequency of these threads of vague “I want to move up north” with absolutely no idea of where in that half of the country they mean, and the fact I’ve never ever seen an “I want to move down south” thread with no idea of areas, just proves that either southerners are a lot more stupid than northerners or there are a lot of troll threads about this.

Yep! But there are still 16pp of discussion about it...

I’m curious @YouUnlockedTheGateAnd. Do you work for an organisation generally know by its initials? 🌳

Where in York
Buys you that? York is expensive

@blueshoes you what???

BikeSkiRun Do you think your professional role has made you significantly more risk averse? Not saying scare-mongering, that was not my phrase/post. I do not take such risk lightly and am closely following www.hull.ac.uk/work-with-us/more/media-centre/news/2020/leaders-rally-behind-plans-for-national-flood-resilience-centre
If 1 in 6 homes are at risk of flood many millions of us tolerate a small risk. At street level the house I linked has >0.1% risk of flooding on the gov website. I would suggest the price reflects a lot of new build in the town not flood risk. www.google.com/maps/place/14+Laburnum+Dr,+Beverley+HU17+9UQ/@53.8568775,-0.4216965,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4878c77b1ff3c213:0xe58efdabdf93c1a3!8m2!3d53.8568775!4d-0.4195078

20 years ago I lived on a street in York that never floods. And then it did. The house I was in wasn't affected thank goodness, but near neighbours were. I think BikeRunSki is right to advise caution.

People from other areas of the country may not realise how much of a risk it can be.

Since that experience, I have always chosen to live on hills, away from watercourses (as even houses on hills can flood in the easiest path for the water is through your house). When living in York, I chose to live at one of the highest points in the city, because I know how unexpected floods can be.

If you want a three bed house, and still a city-style life, rather than rural countryside, I'd actually suggest you look at the east midlands, rather than 'the north', where cities can often be surprisingly expensive to ye southerners. For your stated budget, you could get a 3-bed semi in a pretty nice suburb in Nottingham, which is a great city despite historically bad rep, and it's easy to get to the south Peaks if you want some countryside. If you want 'north', Sheffield has a similar vibe and is definitely cheaper than York (which is crazy expensive - though does seem to be the repository for southerners fleeing the south) and the 'nice' bits of Leeds/Manchester and the 'nice' big towns around the peaks. I don't know the north east that well, so couldn't speak to Newcastle - though it is a cool city when i've visited.

Yes I regret my decision to move away from friends and family most days.

Relationships are a key to happiness, not a spare bedroom.. I haven't made any deep meaningful friendships in the 15 years since I moved away, however I met my husband 12 years ago here and he's the reason I haven't moved back. My friends from back home visited me one time each, they have their own busy lives and families. My brother never visited, ever, he doesn't travel. I visit them 2-3 times a year (it's only a 2 hour flight). I dread of raising a kid without a support network.

However, what's to stop you doing it, you can always come back if you are not happy!

Another option is a buy to let, while renting a house of a bigger size for yourself in your current area.

I moved from London to the north and would never move back to London. That house is not in York .

Would you not fancy moving to somewhere in the south that is cheaper - North Essex or Suffolk maybe? Nowhere near as far from family and you get more for your money than Herts.