To ask you where to live

[MovingOutofZone2]

Cross post with property. DH and I currently live in a flat in London. We’re planning on moving out, in search of a decent sized garden and an actual house. The thirty something dream.

We’re in our early thirties, no kids, but currently TTC. He works in the City, so needs decent links into Liverpool Street (or London Bridge). I mostly wfh.

We’re an interracial couple (he’s white and I’m black), so would like somewhere fairly diverse. (Recommendations from POC are especially welcome). Good schools, access to the countryside, and decent restaurants/bars/pubs.

Budget is up to £850K. If you were us, where would you move? We have no real links to anywhere other than London (neither of us is English), so pretty open minded. Probably staying South East, as a super long commute would make DH miserable + we still want to be able to see our friends.

Beaconsfield , Gerrards cross, Amersham

Brighton. Particularly, the golden triangle. Great schools, close to trains and excellent community.

Hi OP, whilst I can't recommend a place I do think renting first and then renting out your flat is a good way of giving yourself a way back to London if it doesn't work out. We left our London flat for Hertfordshire but moved back after 4 years. There is some diversity but there was a lot of unconscious bias and ethnic minorities stuck together. Very odd but not very apparent initially.

I live in Ipswich and have done for the last 10+ years since leaving uni. Twenty mins from the coast, less than an hour on the train into Liverpool Street, property still reasonably priced although it has gone up a lot recently (but I don’t think that’s very different to anywhere). Amazing parks and the docks area is really nice. We love raising our family here. Worth looking at places on the train line from Norwich to London, there’s some really nice spots. Norwich itself is really lovely, although I’d say a bit far on the train for a regular commute.

Why not move out to Zone 4/5?

places like Surbiton, New Malden, Worcester Park, Carshalton, Beckenham, Bromley would get you a decent size house/garden, good schools & green spaces with good access to countryside. Don't know North but sure similar places there.

I live in East Sussex, it's an hour and 10 into London Bridge (and can always get a seat). Might be worth you looking at places along the line. It is in no way diverse though.

Agree with all of this.
Easy access too to Oxford city and and villages/countryside.

Windsor might be another option, but you won’t get as much for your money there property wise.

Beckenham, Leigh on Sea, Hitchin, Ware, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Whitstable, Folkestone, Tonbridge.

I personally live and love NW London but as per your post when you said "planning on moving out" it sounded like you meant move out of the flat into a house with a garden.

That said, I really like Windsor although not as diverse as some parts of the UK or London there is a bit of diversity (I also look for this as I am mixed). Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross are also nice but maybe not as diverse. All have great links into London.

Overseas at the moment but I have a flat in Fiveways near Preston Park. Station is quite close by with direct trains into London.

Should have said Brighton.

Chelmsford is a nice place to live and fits the OP's request in most ways, but it's absolutely not diverse. And the train is not 30 minutes to London unless you're travelling outside of rush hour with a head wind - it's usually around 40 minutes.

I like all three but perhaps not the most diverse - Moor Park and Northwood are though and (along with Amersham) are on the Met line so direct to Liverpool Street.

£850k won't go that far though, if you're after a 4 bed detached type house in walking distance of the station.

How much of a commute is acceptable? Petersfield is on the mainline to London, we live in a nearby village and it's a beautiful area. It's a small market town. You have the South Downs, the coast is not too far, it has good schools. Haslemere is also a lovely town with good rail links.

Do you actually want to leave London? There are decent areas of south London, e.g. Tooting, where that budget would get you a really nice 3 or 4 bed terrace with garden. Ticks everything on your list (diverse, good schools, easy commute for DH, in budget for a nice house with WFH space), except countryside on the doorstep, but plenty of green space nearby and you get the London buzz instead.

Guildford or elsewhere in Surrey.

South coast - goring-by-sea, findon, ferring, Steyning ... some lovely houses by the sea for that budget, plus easy commute to London.

Eg: www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/62444333/

Ware, Bishops Stortford, Sawbridgeworth. You can commute direct in to Liv St from all of those. Stortford has the advantage of being busier, more diverse and has more going on. Also has some very good schools. On the airport line to Stansted so issues tend to be fixed reasonably quickly to keep the trains running.

Chelmsford you will get a lot of bang for your buck and it’s very different to 20 years ago but I don’t find that train line to be very reliable when I’ve used it.

I’d agree with Hitchen and St Albans too, but St Albans is pricy. They are Kings X line if that makes a difference.

we currently live near Crystal Palace in a flat - we’d love to stay in the area and buy a house and garden, but unfortunately our budget is less than half of yours. If yourre needing to commute most days, I’d personally stay in a London zone as it is much cheaper to commute. What about Crystal Palace, Brockley, Forest Hill, Beckenham, Hither Green? It depends what life you want really, and if it’s important to stay nearer your friends.
We’re looking at Lewes in Sussex as we can just about afford a house, and it’s close to my in laws and some friends.

Ickenham in Hillingdon. Close to the countryside and tube into London.

I’d go to one of the places on the Thameslink train line - St Albans sort of way.

The towns in Hertfordshire are a bit more ethnically diverse, have lots of ex-Londoners in them, and are very commutable to Blackfriars/City Thameslink, while still being close to countryside and good schools.

This! The reality of leaving - even the best connected towns only have trains to specific places, only have so much going on etc… If you want that then fine, but otherwise £850k will get you a fab house in Upper Walthamstow/Chingford, or Tottenham/Wood Green - potentially even Haringey Ladder depending on criteria and you’ll still have all the benefits of London

The reality of places like Tooting is 850k won't get you a house with a decent sized garden close to good schools.

Bishops Stortford is my home town, I’d pick it over Reading (near where I live now) if you want to get to Liverpool Street side of town