Where to buy a house - Surrey/Kent?

[K14]

Hi there,

I need some guidance on house buying. Me and my partner are considering buying a house somewhere closer to London because we have to commute to work. We have been thinking of Surrey and Kent but we are confused as to which one to go for and which towns therein. We are first time buyers but have no knowledge of any towns in these counties (we currently live in Brighton which we absolutely love but too expensive to buy). We don’t have any kids at the moment but we are planning to start a family soon. For us it is important that the area we live in is safe and has good schools.

I would really appreciate your help.

Many thanks,
K

Tunbridge Wells in Kent might suit you. It will be a touch cheaper than Brighton.

What's your budget? How many bedrooms do you need? If you like the seaside vibe of Brighton, maybe have a look at Hastings or Margate?

Not much in Surrey is much cheaper than Brighton. Not sure about Kent. Depends on budget really.

Thank you all for your replies - really appreciate it. Our budget is £450k to £550k. We are leaning more towards Kent due to easy access to London and Surrey seems expensive. Are there any areas which we should be avoiding in Kent? Also we noticed that Swanley has affordable houses and it is close to London but is there any catch in that?

Also we are thinking of new-built but are there any disadvantages?

Sorry for so many questions but this house buying process is quite overwhelming :)

Spend a weekend in Kent looking at the different areas / towns . You generally pay a bit more for a new build than a pre owned equivalent but you may find there are offers to help with stamp duty / fees / flooring etc which may equal it out for you depending on your circumstances. Do remember that Kent is a grammar school area if you have children and that doesn’t suit everyone .

Absolutely agree, you need to do lots of visits so you can work out an area to focus. Both Kent and Surrey are large and varied counties. Every weekend my DH and I went to visit a new place over many months ans we whittled it down to a few towns that had the right balance of transport to the bits of London we work in, affordable house prices, schools, areas we liked etc. good luck! We started off looking at both Kent and Surrey but plumped for Surrey in the end.

Definitely look at Croydon, Beckenham, Bromley, Sidcup,

Where do you need to be in London? Traveling across London can take a long time so going to the nearest London station can really help. Knowing that will affect where your journey could start.