To buy a house outside London or rent in London

[ILikeEggsAnd]

The title really sums it up! I’m in such a dilemma. We have a one year old DD (we want more in the future), a small dog and DH who would need to visit London almost every week for work (other days WFH).

Should we buy a freehold four bed with a private back garden in the Midlands (75min train ride to London). We love that DD will have her own garden to play in but there will be so little else to do with her! Zoo, shows, galleries are all in London! Plus, train ticket prices will only soar and public transport isn’t comparable to London (and I’m not confident to drive!)

or do we stick in London because of great public transport and lots to do with kids but rent in a small apartment? (We could barely manage to afford a good sized one in a safe location)

Did you’ll move outside London after you’ll had kids?

If you stayed in London, which place would you say is safe? (I always felt Wandsworth and Kingston Upon Thames to be safer)

100% buy the house!

They have all of those things in the midlands, it’s not the outer Hebrides 🤷‍♀️

Buy the house. London is not the only place with things to do

🤔

I like flats and have enjoyed living in them, but would never, ever want to live with a child in a flat without easy access to outside space.

You may be amazed to hear it, but there are zoos, shows and galleries outside London too.

Why do you think there's nothing to do in the midlands? Look for a well located house in a town/city where public transport is good.

The midlands is pretty far! Is there not a middle ground option in the counties around london (kent, Essex etc).

I wouldn’t want my partner to be commuting that far every week. The trains cost a fortune and are not always reliable (they often get cancelled last minute/delayed etc).

There's a lot of country between London and the midlands - why go so far away?

Buy, but maybe not as far away (cost of commute).
I'd look in the middle distance, so 30-45m commute, and you'll find some lovely family friendly areas. eg this one is a 15 minute walk to the station, 25m to Paddington (also on Lizzie Line), sorry no idea of your budget: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149800883#/?channel=RES_BUY
Or try further out eg Newbury for lower prices, longer commute but still walk to station www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149745881#/?channel=RES_BUY

We love that DD will have her own garden to play in but there will be so little else to do with her! Zoo, shows, galleries are all in London! Plus, train ticket prices will only soar and public transport isn’t comparable to London

Jeez OP, are you for real? I didn't think this mindset really existed.

If your kids (and you)have a garden, you don't need London level entertainment. If you have a four bed house in a good community, you have room for play dates etc and room for your kids to play at home.

Have kids in a little flat, and they'll be begging to be taken places and you'll want to escape the four walls as well.

Do family attractions only exist in London or am I missing something here?

What a odd thing to say.

Also look for places on the edge of the commuter belt. Bedford for instance will cut the commuting costs and have more frequent trains. And you can get to shows and galleries probably more quickly than you can from some areas of London.

I go into London at least every couple of weeks from on that line. When I meet my London friends it often takes then as long to get to our meeting point as it does me.

I love London and have never lived anywhere else, but even I know there’s plenty to do elsewhere!

I'm in the north east (North Yorkshire area) and have 2 friends who work in London and commute once a week. They work from home the rest of the week. East coast mainline runs through the town with access to London (and numerous trains throughout the day). It works for them and they earn more working in London. They also have beautiful houses, with gardens, surrounded by North Yorkshire countryside and, of course, lots of lovely places to visit nearby.

More and more people are leaving London because of ridiculous property prices. Lots make it work.

A lot of people commute from York to London (2 hours). And, York is delightful!