Where do you get more for your money - North

[Thecarroway]

Dh and I asking ourselves why we work ourselves to the bone to live in a new build terrace townhome albeit in a very nice town but with absolutely no time/energy to enjoy it.

We have decided to move further north.

Just wondering where we get most bang for our buck. Areas we are looking at:

Birmingham - specifically Warwick, Stratford, Leamington Spa, Dorridge

Liverpool - Wooton, Calderstones, Allerton

Manchester - Knutsford, Alderley Edge, Altrincham, Wilmslow

York - 5 miles to town centre (haven’t visited so not aware of specific areas yet).

We have young kids and I will be on maternity leave in the next year or so. Living where stuff is going on is important.

Thanks in advance

🤣 knutsford, Wilmslow, alderly edge. 💰💰💰

Leamington Spa is your sweet spot. 1hr 20-30 mins to Euston and Marylebone. 35 minutes to Oxford and Birmingham. 800k will buy a four/five bed detached house in North Leamington, stay to the East of the train lines. Roads north of Rugby Road and bounded by the Trainline on the west and Lillington Road on the West.

Warwick isn't as nice to live (but good to visit).

Stratford is full of tourists and not good for transport.

Leamington is not posh like Henley, but provides a very good quality of life, community, and good schools in state and independent sector.

Just flagging as someone who lives in the is area, the trains between leamington and Birmingham are far better than Stratford. I would not choose Stratford unless I worked locally and travelling about by car. Plus the tourists...

Stratford is absolutely packed with tourists at most times and is unbearable in the summer. Avoid.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151271828

Great schools, vibrant place, all house requirements, next to beach and good restaurants and cafes, not far from Liverpool and Chester, safe area.

I'd be considering here.

Solihull

Plenty of nice detached houses in Solihull for £800,000 or less. Solihull has a lively town centre. Dorridge is a bit further out (on the same railway line, which runs between Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone) and there's not much there.

The south Liverpool towns are nice and I’m considering relocating there myself, with a much smaller budget. You’re very close to the city still but they are good safe areas for raising kids

Is the correct answer

Unless travelling at night, none of Northumberland is within an hour of Edinburgh and most of it is 2hrs+. The Scottish-English border is actually fairly unusual because there is so little linguistic merging between the areas; there are two distinct accents because people don't routinely travel over the border. Having lived in Edinburgh, the Borders and Newcastle I really didn't experience people travelling from Northumberland to Edinburgh routinely.

Liverpool out of those places, it's a great city!

Add Childwall to your Liverpool list (specifically the 1mile radius around Calderstones Park which includes Childwall, Woolton, Allerton & Mossley Hill). You’d get a very decent 4 bed semi detached for your budget or maybe a 3/4 bed detached if you were lucky. The issue around here though is a lack of detached houses; the larger ones are around a million (plus). Lots of beautiful property though in your budget but this is a pretty expensive area for the north (our 3 bed semi - although large and period - is £500k with no extension etc; my neighbours’ extended version is around £650k to give you an idea)

Sutton Coldfield has brilliant links into Birmingham. Lichfield pretty too with links to London and Birmingham.

Stratford and Warwick not cheap and transport more tricky. Same as kenilworth. Leamington I'd say would not suit a snob.

Consider the Wirral too, lots of nice areas and very close to Liverpool

Leamington Spa is my favourite place on your list.

Maybe Chester https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151032728#/floorplan?activePlan=1&channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148164068

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147111320

Idea of the properties, in your range, in the areas that you mentioned in Liverpool

Agreed
Or oxton for the village vibe

Solihull has good schools and very close to Birmingham. Lots to do there too.

Maybe consider staying put, you're husband might struggle to fit in if that's his attitude.

Have you thought about Harrogate, it's really lovely and only half an hour on the train to York. I am from London but used to work up there a bit and it is very posh and lovely! Some great houses in your price range

Solihull is great.fast trains, lovely schools, diverse & vibrant, good facilities

For York, these are the sort of homes you will find in your price range.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146508494#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147926165#/media?channel=RES_BUY&id=media0&ref=photoCollage

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150493079#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one doesn't quite tick all your boxes, but is too pretty to leave out:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147243866#/?channel=RES_BUY

Holy Macaroni! Thats a lot of dollar. Have you considered buying a small street?

For York, you would be looking at villages surrounding York if you wanted detached- there is not actually much detached housing stock within the city (though some lovely properties). You would easily get something lovely for your budget.