Page 2 | To move up north for a big but cheap house!

dancingmonkey · 2020-07-08T09:44:50+00:00

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.

Mynameisrow · 08/07/2020 11:04

I moved from the north away from my family and friends and I would move back in a heartbeat but I have an established life here now.

The north is wonderful, and York is a fabulous choice. Easily accessed by train and you can get plenty of cheap train tickets if booked in advance to the south. But honestly uprooting your life may not be worth it for the loss of your support circle. You’d have a lovely big house but no friends or family close.

emmathedilemma · 08/07/2020 11:04

I think you need to look at the bigger picture and not just house prices and think quality of life. York city centre is lovely but it's relatively compact and a lot of houses in YO postcodes will be in small rural villages. it could be quite isolated if you're away from family/friends and work from home.

Teacuplady86 · 08/07/2020 11:04

Go for it! I absolutely love the north and I’d move there tomorrow if I could.

Very friendly, beautiful and tasty tasty food

Original poster

dancingmonkey · 08/07/2020 11:04

@user1471462428

Could you link to the house which has a large garden, utility room and 4/5 beds in YORK for that price. I’ve been looking for years and never seen anything like that. Mine is 280 I have a small garden, 3 beds and no utility room just a tiny kitchen/diner. We’re the cheapest house with all that in YORK at the moment

This is one of them..

Back Lane, Skerne, Driffield
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81515233.html

OP posts:

ChasingRainbows19 · 08/07/2020 11:05

We moved from south to north as kids, my older sister got some ribbing for her accent but I don’t recall any. However she made friends easily.

I was primary age.I don’t recall any bullying. To be fair we were so young we picked up the accent quickly and I had lots of friends in and settled well into my primary.

billy1966 · 08/07/2020 11:05

I think if you are close to your family and enjoy their company on a regular basis I believe it could be a decision you would regret.
It does change your relationship in so much that you miss a lot of the little impromptu get togethers and more importantly you are ALWAYS a guest when you visit.

If you are ambivalent about friends and family it might be fine and suit you.

Also some areas are more welcoming than others of blow-ins, for example perhaps in an urban setting.

I think 400 miles is a massive distance and it would definitely hugely reduce the amount of visits.
As children grow up and they get involved in sports and their lives, families inevitably travel less IMO.

Happy to be corrected though.

Hardbackwriter · 08/07/2020 11:06

Another one to say that either that house isn't in York but somewhere vaguely near it, or there's something wrong with it. York looks cheap compared to London but not really compared to many places in the south east.

Are you a single parent? I would have thought that would make it a lot harder to be so far away from family. If not, don't you have the other job to consider? And what if you lost your job, or wanted to leave it? I always think it's a big mistake to get yourself in a position where you can only stay working for your current employer if you want your life to work (people do it a lot with childcare arrangements) - it leaves you potentially really trapped.

sitckmansladylove · 08/07/2020 11:07

I moved away from London and live rurally. Have a huge house but I would say I miss the city and diversity. But if you want a big house and open space and so on I would go for it. It's beautiful in Yorkshire.

PickwickThePlockingDodo · 08/07/2020 11:07

YANBU but .... the north is an acquired taste.

What? How ridiculous
I'm from the south and I think York is lovely. I'd do it now OP before your lo starts school.

Original poster

dancingmonkey · 08/07/2020 11:08

@billy1966

I think if you are close to your family and enjoy their company on a regular basis I believe it could be a decision you would regret. It does change your relationship in so much that you miss a lot of the little impromptu get togethers and more importantly you are ALWAYS a guest when you visit.

If you are ambivalent about friends and family it might be fine and suit you.

Also some areas are more welcoming than others of blow-ins, for example perhaps in an urban setting.

I think 400 miles is a massive distance and it would definitely hugely reduce the amount of visits.
As children grow up and they get involved in sports and their lives, families inevitably travel less IMO.

Happy to be corrected though.

It's not 400 miles for me, that was another poster, it's 160 miles for me.

Around 3 hour drive

OP posts:

Hardbackwriter · 08/07/2020 11:08

That's not York!

Ginfordinner · 08/07/2020 11:09

I moved oop north from that there London, and have never regretted it.

I think you are being deluded that £270k will buy you a big house in a nice area though. For example, you will get a 3 bed semi in Leeds for that or a 4 bed detached in Barnsely.

Ginfordinner · 08/07/2020 11:09

Barnsley
I can spell

Abraid2 · 08/07/2020 11:10

York and North Yorks and parts of West Yorks are glorious.

Original poster

dancingmonkey · 08/07/2020 11:10

@Hardbackwriter

That's not York!

Ohh really 🤭 clearly haven't done much research! I just type in York in right move and I came up.

Not set on York anyway it was just a starting point as I have been there and loved it, few miles out would be fine

Any areas I should avoid?!

OP posts:

Shoppingwithmother · 08/07/2020 11:11

That is nowhere near York, though. It is just in the county of Yorkshire. That’s why it is cheap. Doesn’t mean it’s not a nice place to live (I wouldn’t have a clue) but it is by no means in York.

Anewmum2018 · 08/07/2020 11:12

Yep we did that, never regretted the move. Have lovely house and garden in the north west, 300k, and a great area with good schools. The move was scary but we made lots of friends when having kids

user1471462428 · 08/07/2020 11:12

That’s certainly not York!!! About 45 minutes drive away. I was starting to panic that 3 estate agents had massively over valued my house!!

Original poster

dancingmonkey · 08/07/2020 11:13

@Hardbackwriter

Another one to say that either that house isn't in York but somewhere vaguely near it, or there's something wrong with it. York looks cheap compared to London but not really compared to many places in the south east.

Are you a single parent? I would have thought that would make it a lot harder to be so far away from family. If not, don't you have the other job to consider? And what if you lost your job, or wanted to leave it? I always think it's a big mistake to get yourself in a position where you can only stay working for your current employer if you want your life to work (people do it a lot with childcare arrangements) - it leaves you potentially really trapped.

I am self employed, and partner currently works as builder in family business, but has also worked for himself in same industry. So think work situation should be okay,

OP posts:

okiedokieme · 08/07/2020 11:13

That budget won't get you a big house in a nice area, sorry. I was looking in teeside, hardly a property hotspot, and my £200k budge got me a small 2 bed cottage in a village, or a larger house but dodgy area.

Mynameisrow · 08/07/2020 11:13

Driffield is miles away from York! If you want my advice you do not want to move there you will isolate yourself.

HogwartsForever11 · 08/07/2020 11:13

If you look on a map the house you've linked is a good hour drive from York and looks to be in the middle of nowhere - I think that explains the price.
I guess it all depends on how important being close to the city/things to do is for you

Hardbackwriter · 08/07/2020 11:15

It's 30 miles outside York!

That's the thing, I think you'd have to go see the areas yourself, and I think what you might find is that places are often cheap for a reason. York isn't cheap, because it's lovely. Even if you don't actually need work, do you want to live somewhere very economically depressed with high unemployment? Is that where you want your child to grow up? Because that's usually why the very cheap places are very cheap, because they may have lovely countryside but there's no skilled work in the area.

Shoppingwithmother · 08/07/2020 11:15

I’m starting to think this is a wind up - “any areas I should avoid?” !!

Any areas of The North you should avoid????!!!

What length of answer are you expecting? A breakdown of the areas to avoid in every town and village in the north?

Badbadbunny · 08/07/2020 11:16

You need to do some proper research. Make no assumptions as to what amenities are available. Understand the weather is often colder/wetter than the South. If you buy in a rural area, don't moan about noisy cockerels or church bells or tractors. Ideally you should rent a few holiday homes in different areas for a week at a time to get a proper feel for the different areas.

I think the biggest problem is that people assume amenities, such as public transport, theatres, shops, museums, range of good schools, etc are the same in smaller towns and cities as the big cities and then moan when they find out they're not!

Another aspect if you work from home can be lack of fast broadband. Plenty of small towns, villages etc don't have superfast fibre, nor cable, etc. Like I say, don't make assumptions.