Where is good for families in Devon to live

[DIanaRiggFan]

Posting for traffic. We currently live in Guernsey but the house prices/market have gone crazy stupid and we also think there is a BIG problem with a ticking demographic timebomb here, that we are just not sure about the future.

We are thinking about moving to Devon as it’s close enough to Exeter airport to allow us to come back and visit family.

Where would you live? (For info, our kids are 3 and 1, I can work remotely so will be able to keep my job, DH may possibly be able to do same but if not, would do something else)

Topsham is a lovely village near Exeter. Good transport links with train about 10 minutes to Exeter, nice village high street, lovely farm shop and easy to get to exmouth beach

Depends what you are looking for? Exeter itself is a nice city but there are plenty of small towns and villages around which are lovely.

Exeter itself is a very nice place to live. If you’re after rural lifestyle more than beaches, I’ve always fancied Ashburton on the edge of the moors. Very easily commutable to Plymouth or Exeter, almost as characterful as Totnes but not half as wanky

Thanks all. We would probably prefer rural (with some land) but not wholly isolated. Near to good schools, nice pub which does food etc. We are not massive beach people tbh.

Just a bit scary thinking of starting again where we have no family!

I have friends who live in Tiverton. They love it.

almost as characterful as Totnes but not half as wanky

I didn't want to mention it!

There are some lovely places on Dartmoor but if you want really easy access to the airport then you would be better looking at villages off the A30 in East Devon. Cranbrook is a large and expanding estate which is encroaching on nearby villages so probably best avoided if it's rural you're after.

Exeter is good for culture. If you want grammar schools, there is Colyton in East Devon and Torbay has 3 excellent grammar schools, Plymouth also has grammar schools. If you want Guernsey weather, you need to be on the south coast near the Gulf Stream. Dartmoor is beautiful if you want rural but the weather is worse.

House prices are mad in Devon as well, stay where you are

Woodbury nr Exeter.

@Demelza82 not as mad as here, by a long long way. Average property price here is 500k

Look along the M5 corridor from Exeter, as then you can go further inland but still easy to get to Exeter & the airport.
Uffculme School is very highly regarded.
Im just over the border in Somerset which can be cheaper than Devon, but we're still only 30mins from Exeter & an 1hr from Bristol.

Thanks all. @APurpleSquirrel - thank you, that's a good tip as we hadn't thought of that. Hoping to do a reccie when we can travel again!

Exeter is great

How about booking a holiday this summer and explore various towns?

Teignmouth, torquay, Exmouth, bovey, chudleigh, topsham? Honiton

Have only been in Devon on holiday but we've stayed in Great Torrington and Appledore and loved the area. Bideford was fine as well and my personal favourite is Westward Ho! Might be different when it's not glorious weather though.
We drive almost 500 miles to get there from Scotland and it's stunning. I personally prefer the north rather than the south.

Now definitely isn't time to make the move, as house prices are absolutely insane in the South West. Houses are easily going for 50-100K over the guide price (depending on the sort of house you're looking for). We are looking for 3-4 bed rural detached house with land in South Devon. You'll won't get anything for less than 700K right now. Houses we're looking at in that price range are easily as I said going for 100K over the guide price. It's madness.

We saw a house we liked on Tuesday, 3 bedrooms with 3 acres, called within 2 hours of the listing going up and they'd stopped even taking calls. Called back the next morning, less than 24 hours after the listing went up, they've already had 4 offers (presumably sight unseen) since the listing went up all, over guide price and they weren't registering anymore interest.

Anywhere generally around Exeter is nice, but I would really give it a year or two because the prices are so high right now that you'll not get your investment back if you need to sell again anytime soon. Dh and I have been looking for 2 years (previous purchase fell through last summer due to COVID and vendors deciding they didn't want to sell after all) and we've just pretty much stopped now as it's so ridiculous. It's hard even to get a viewing as most of them are STC within a few days.

@mindutopia - for 700k here you’d currently only get a 3 bed bungalow with a postage stamp of a garden. Things are going for 2-300k more than 2 years ago.

It’s difficult to know what to do. We are in rented currently with nothing to sell. My mum normally says when in doubt do nothing so maybe that’s the way

@mindutopia - we’d be looking for the same as you too! We are pure cash but I believe there are a lot of people in that position (we’d be pure cash in Devon but will needs significant mortgage in Guernsey to obtain equivalent)

@BeastOfBODMAS

Exeter itself is a very nice place to live. If you’re after rural lifestyle more than beaches, I’ve always fancied Ashburton on the edge of the moors. Very easily commutable to Plymouth or Exeter, almost as characterful as Totnes but not half as wanky

Both Ashburton and Buckfastleigh are lovely, in beautiful locations.

@Ladylunchalot

Have only been in Devon on holiday but we've stayed in Great Torrington and Appledore and loved the area. Bideford was fine as well and my personal favourite is Westward Ho! Might be different when it's not glorious weather though. We drive almost 500 miles to get there from Scotland and it's stunning. I personally prefer the north rather than the south.

We moved to Bideford from Birmingham. Westward Ho is glorious whatever the weather. Walked over today in the wind and rain and looked at the sea (high tide) crashing in over the pebble ridge then had hot chocolate and cake.

In a lot of ways I prefer it when the weather is grim. It’s still beautiful and majestic. I run all sorts of local routes and it’s amazing.

Look at the towns and villages along the railway line, I love the villages in east Devon

@swampytiggaa oh I'm delighted to hear it's still lovely all year round, it's my happy place I think of when trying to think calm thoughts
Not coming down this year but hoping to be back next year.

It’s really windy today and the waves crashing were incredible. The sound of the sea makes me very happy and if the wind is in the right direction I can hear it in my house at night.

We’ve been here 11 years now and never once regretted it 😊

Honiton or the surrounding villages. Good transport links.

Thanks all. We’re going to check it all out after yet another couple of disappointments here today. If we’ve not found anything here by end of year we will look seriously at Devon.

OP How are your thoughts on moving now? Literally in the same boat, we recently bought our third house here in Guernsey, no change out of 800k for a 3 bed bungalow which needs to be completely renovated!
the prices are getting crazy and honestly, the lack of things to do with the children (especially in winter) is starting to drive us crazy, along with the ridiculous prices of everything (food shop, etc).
our plan is to renovate our house and hopefully make enough money on it to settle our (luckily small) mortgage and move to England! We have been looking Devon too and currently researching villages etc along with schools. Our children are 7 & 3, youngest starts school in September 23.