Thinking of moving to Maidstone

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I've lived in South London all my life but we are looking for a new house and are going to have a look in Maidstone next week. I've registered with Page and Wells as they have a lovely house we want to see. Which other estate agents would you recommend?

Can you tell me what you like/dislike about Maidstone and which areas I should look at and which ones I should avoid.

We don't need to be near a station as DH works from home. I think I'd rather be in town than in a nearby village or it might be too much of a jump for me. I have a licence but I hardly ever drive - I hate driving but I realise I'll have to drive more if I'm not living in London.

I have a toddler and I'm due to have another baby in April - are there plenty of things for mums and babies to do?

Thank you!

Hi, we are also relocating to Maidstone... But struggling with finding a decent house near a good school??
The villages around maidstone are great but a bit expensive, Maidstone is in out budget but I'm worried about the bad reputation it has....

@ lillizzylea ....... i am in the same dilemma,have managed to sort schools first then location but everyone is scaring me off but we have bought now and due to move in around April,all i can say is i was in a blind panick about to cancel the whole thing even though ive been more than impressed wiv visits weve made,my husband put it into context....we r moving from south london and i did a crime statistic check on both areas wivin a mile of my current and my new address...my current had 1547 crimes reported in jan 2013 nd my new one in Maidstone (the 'bad') area had 137.......i am over processing and over worrying about nothing,yes every area has problems and crime but the benefits of Kent are far better for children and an outdoor life i think and i found the secondary schools r far better than London,primary i have had to sift to find an Ofsted 'outstanding' but have found one or two very near to that.

We are looking at moving to the Maidstone area. We have visited the village of Bearsted which looks nice and the local schools look good.

Could any locals tell me what it is like to live in Bearsted or the surrounding area in terms of community feel/anti-social behaviour etc. I also have a 3 year old and so will be looking at schools for 2014. What are the local schools like in terms of pastoral care/academic success etc.

I'm a bit concerned after reading this thread as Bearsted seems to be quite nice. Weavering, Madginford and Downswood seem a bit cheaper. Are there any problems in these areas?

hi im considering moving to larkfield kent, does anyone know of the area?

Sara007 and lizzielea, how did your moves go in the end?
I was going to say that re: crime and 'bad' areas etc it's realy not that bad. Even the worst areas are better than where I used to live for example. I've found it's often people who have always lived here who have a bad opinion as they've never known anything else.

Sondico - most people I know who live in Bearsted love it.

All I'd say about Sutton Rd is the drive into town can be a nightmare-and the links to m20 aren't good on the south side of town either(Sutton Rd/Loose Rd area)Park Wood & Mangravet are a bit dodgy, Tovil social housing areas are definitely no go areas (the rest of Tovil is fine, but the traffic & access during peak times is dreadful)

No problems in Weavering,Madginford & Downswood-very nice areas. Bearsted, Grove green & Vinters Park are lovely too.

hello everyone, we are a young family looking to move in maidstone to. We've seen some properties in different areas,most in shepway. Unfortunately our budget is around £160K, more or less, and there are big bright houses with big gardens, parking spaces and aired streets, which we like.I am a bit confused about this area I don't know what to thing, we live in london now and I now very well what an estate area may be like, in here there lots of them. Can some one bring a light into my mind?I would appreciate any advice.

Hi Andra10. We're a local Estate Agent based in Maidstone, hope this helps.

The area you are looking in offers what you are looking for with housing; ex-local authority housing is well made. The advantages of Shepway are:

• Short walks to Maidstone via Mote Park
• Local Co-op
• Good Motorway Links
• Local Offices in Shepway
• Neighbourhood Watch Schemes

As with all areas, what one person may like another person won't. Take a drive around the area and different times and speak to people from Maidstone. (I know you are in London at the moment but when you are looking at schools, nurseries, workplaces etc . people love talking about their local area so you should get some honest opinions)

Ask the local estate agents as well. Tell them honestly what you are looking for and what you are concerned about. Most of an estate agent's business comes from word of mouth, and we don't want to sell you a house that you would be unhappy in!

Hope that helps! If you or anyone else has any more questions we'll be happy to answer them.

Thank you very much SimonMillerEstateAgents, we would be in Maidstone again this weekend to sort out some things and do some viewings. As far as I know we are registered with your agency, but it would be nice to have you as our agent. I am also watching online on zoopla, rightmove, etc. We hope we can find something that please us both, unfortunately we need to compromise something in order to buy a house, you can have everything as you like, not on our budget. The area needs to be detailed and probably schools,a park near by, with the rest we can adjust. Hope to have good neighbours, I'm a chatty person and very sociable.
You said that is a ex-local housing area, that means that most off the people own the houses and are only a few left like council houses? Or there is a certain area with council housing?

Hello! We're thinking of staplehurst - anyone know it? Or possibly one of the nearer villages - east farleigh / Peckham? Tia!

how is the shepway area these days?..m thinking about settling in the area in plains avenue if possible. need peoples suggestions. can anyone help me out to find out about the areas situations please.

Hi ive just seen this as not been on in ages. Well im here in the new Redrow Development on Sutton Road,my kids are in school and i now work in town,and i TOTALLY LOVE IT!!! Yes there are pockets of areas of undesireables but coming from South London has been somewhat of a culture shock and im still months on in total awe of how lovley and green and family friendly it is here,so much to do and i love where i live as kids especially my girl who goes to Valley Park can catch the bus from our door to the school gate x town is so accessable and friends i have made have been so friendly. We will probably aim to move to Grove Green/Bearsted but for such a transitional move this has so far been perfect and i will stay located here for a few years.This summer the plan is to try all pubs and museums/castles etc weather permitting of course,my London Designer wellies r in the hallway inch thick covered in mud haha and i love it x For all the people that said how bad it is here yes i would be naive to say like anywhere in the world u get poverty and crime but i recomend a year in South London to really feel lifes edge and desperetion and crime and in comparison Maidstone is heaven x BEST DECISION WE EVER MADE FOR SURE!

Lansdowne Avenue is behind the Police Hq. It is not the worst bit of Maidstone but it is not one of the best. It has shops locally and it also has both a high school and primary school . You may want to look at the Ofsted for both of these schools New Line Learning is the senior school and Treetops Academy is the Junior/Infants . I have lived most of my life in Maidstone . It has some really good things about it - the town centre isnt at its best at the moment but there are some really lovely villages around it . All of the ones that have been mentioned plus maybe Grove Green . If you are moving to Kent you really will need to understand how the schooling works - its not like anywhere else and catchments can be very small- this makes the house prices inflate in prime areas. Kent is one of the few areas in the country that takes the 11plus .

Hi all

We are also about to make the move from SE London to Hastings Road in Maidstone. Excited but very nervous. I have 2 boys and am still trying to find them school places. It would be great to meet some friendly faces when we move :)

In order of witch to avoid
1 TOVIL
2 mangravit
3 park wood
4 Shepway
5 senacer

Hi,
I am new to this site. We are looking to moving into maidstone from orpington and have just put in an offer in the oakwood park area of tonbridge road. My daughter will be going into year 3 in sept and my son starting in reception. I can see 2 very good schools in the area but I am worried they will be to over subscribed to get them in, any advice please!! Any mums from the schools Brunswick house or st micheals? Also new too area so will be keen to make new friends! Thank you xxx

Hi Hansky,

Did you make the move?

It's really odd... we alsoo currently live in Orpington and have just bought a house in Maidstone, so would really like to know how your finding it?

We have 2 children too and have luckily managed to get them both in to the local primary school.

Very nervous about the move but hoping it's a positive one :-)

Cheers.

Jamie.

Hi everyone,
I appreciate this thread has been dead for a while now, but I thought I'd just chance my arm here. After reading this thread, and a few others I am still unsure whether to put in an offer on a house I have seen. The house is in ellingham leas close, dangerously close to the infamous mangravit road, but as I understand it, no access to it (accept maybe on foot through the cemetery). If anyone out there has any advice as to whether or not I should proceed with this house in this location I would love to hear. My wife is pregnant and we looking to lay down roots for a minimum of ten years. We currently live in chislehurst and don't know Maidstone well at all.

Many thanks in advance,

David.

I've just seen your post David- probably a bit late for you but I will answer.
That area of Maidstone is a bit iffy, Mangravet is a bit of a hit & miss place-some dodgy people wherever you live I know. Given the choice I would avoid it & opt for Shepway-much nicer, roads like Kent Avenue, Sussex etc have a good family feel.
Good luck.
I live in Maidstone & would just repeat that the best areas are Allington, Bearsted, Grove Green, Penenden Heath, Vinters Park or the houses round by the prison are a lovely area (ME14 2 postcodes)

Hi, we were wondering what it was like around ME16 0SD and also Lacock Gardens? Also, is Lacock Gardens part of Tovil? We are also moving into the area and are unsure of the places to avoid.

Hi
I just read the comments about Maidstone I am going to see a house on Camp way which is very close to Mangravet avenue. Can someone who live in the town give me more information about this area Are the primary schools good?
I would like to move from South London (Tooting ) to Kent but I don't know much about Kent I am still choosing between Rochester ,Maidstone and Walderslade

Some advise will be appreciated

Sorry I know I'm a bloke, so probably shouldn't be commenting on here, but I used this thread whilst looking to make the move to Maidstone for me and my family. I thought maybe I can be of help to others. We are a family of 4 (me, my wife and 2 boys under 4) who moved form Banstead in Surrey which is VERY posh! Fact is we could only afford a 2 bed flat there, and we wanted something bigger but it would never have been possible. I work in London so need to commute (I commute from Maidstone East - 1 hour to Victoria. Only 5 minutes longer than from Banstead in Surrey!). We settled on Maidstone, and loved the villages of Loose/Boughton Monchelsea/Coxheath/Linton etc most. We made the move 9 months ago, and firstly had to rent a 2 up 2 down in the Upper Fant Road area whilst we waited for our house to be built. This area is so-so. We brought a house in Hayle Park which is one of the new estates in Tovil. To be honest it is beautiful, and overlooks countryside and parkland. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this area at all, and we are VERY fussy coming from where we have. The Coombe Road area is nasty though which is much further down towards town. The funny thing is that this is classed as Tovil, but it isn't actually in Tovil. Tovil itself is lovely, 80% countryside and full of friendly people. As soon as you're past Courtenay Road up the hill, you come to Forest Hill and Caernarvon Drive and the mood instantly changes to one of tranquillity! This is into the real Tovil. The town of Maidstone is not particularly great and there is definitely a very high number of chavs to be honest....! My advice is to live in a village outside Maidstone because it is like a different place completely..... Beautiful, friendly, stunning walks and countryside etc. Maidstone itself is only used for essentials such as banks/shops once every 2 weeks by us. Our little boy has just got into Tiger Primary which is a great school. The Ofsted isn''t amazing, but if you read it it's the first report and they are greatly improving. My other half is very fussy on Schools, and originally we looked at Allington, but once we visited we thought it was a little exclusive, and despite it being amazing Ofsted wise, didn't quite have the right feel. Tiger really encourages active learning and outdoor play. Loose Primary is also very impressive, however it is a little cramped with 90 kids per year being accepted. This was our second choice. All in all, if you're wondering, make the move! You won't regret it, however pick your area carefully! We sold our 2 bed flat and brought a 4 bedroom brand new house for 10k less than we sold the flat! I would throughly recommend the "real" Tovil, and pretty much any of the surrounding villages of Maidstione. Worth noting, East Farleigh, Wateringbury, Bearstead are all stunning. I have to disagree slightly about Allington.... I like the area, but the shopping area gets a bit chavvy, and it isn't as amazing as the others. I think the south side of towns villages have a completely different feeling to the north/west and I much prefer it. From a Surrey convert and now very much a man of Kent!

Hi we are looking to move into the area, but my DH has been looking into the train journey into London (city) so i hope you can help.

Having a few stations is great (west and east) we know from National Rail and train line for the fastest possible journey:
West - goes to St Pancras (direct)
East goes to Blackfriars (6.04am and 1 more) but majority will go into London Vic.
Are the trains to Blackfriars busy i.e standing room only. Also what about trains in London Vic are they busy too i.e between 6:30-7:30am
Season tickets we understand is about £5k a bit more for the St Pancras route.
What is the future of the train schedules, do they plan go into London Bridge (once work is completed as a colleague mentioned it being developed) or even Cannon St. without multiple changes.

thanks in advnaced