Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

buying 2nd home by the sea - Brighton or somewhere on the line quick up to Gatwick - better alternatives

23 replies

dreamsofsea · 29/01/2011 14:09

Dh is in Brighton right now. He is keen on getting a holiday flat, with a view to possibly letting it for holiday lets as well as us using it for holidays. He thinks Brighton Marina would be great as obv right by sea and loads of good facilities on the doorstep. It is mega bucks though.

He looked at Shoreham and ruled it out completely. I don't know the area at all. It would have to be say 40 mins from Gatwick (so not much further down the Brighton line) and on the sea, ideally with sea views.

Any suggestions please. I guess having plenty to do for kids & teens also good.

OP posts:
pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 14:12

I wouldn't look at Shoreham if you're looking to rent it out as a holiday let. Best sellers would be between the marina and Hove,
But you will be paying a huge premium for sea views

pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 14:12

and it's a bit of a hike from the station to the marina

Original poster
dreamsofsea · 29/01/2011 14:23

Thanks for your suggestions.

I know re sea views, but i reckon it would rent out easier, so may be worth it in the long term, and my mum used to have a flat right on the water (not different part of UK) and I loved staring out at the water/boats, so I think it'd be worth it.

What's Hove like? Is Worthing much further? Lost my train map. I thought Hove was for retiring to or is that just Eastbourne. I don't want my teens to refuse to go cos it's too old.

There's regular busses from the station to the Marina though? What's a hike? 15 mins walk or worse?

OP posts:
pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 14:43

worthing is about 15 miles from here, and that is a bit lot like Eastbourne, Hove is very trendy now, loads of bars and restaurants but sea views are generally in regency buildings throughout Brighton and Hove.

It takes about 10-15 mins in the car to the marina.

You could look further East along the coast towards Rottingdean, which is a lovely village on the sea but also nestled in the Downs, they are also linked by bus, and you can walk from Rottingdean to the Marina along the coast so not to far.

Original poster
dreamsofsea · 29/01/2011 15:08

rottingdean looks gorgeous, but the place we went for would have to be easily accessible by public transport and we'd really want a flat not a house. It looks so lovely but not right for weekends away with teens I don't think from brief looking at pics online. If no sea view, it would 100% def. need to be only a very short walk from the sea

OP posts:
noddyholder · 29/01/2011 15:10

Not the marina!It is seriously grim.If you can't afford a sea view move back towards one of the parks.Preston park or Hove park have nice flats in the vicinity and they are good prices and accessible to town and the sea.Rottingdean is also nice and a good holiday let HTH.Worthing is very nice very english seaside and a bit cheaper than brighton

pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 15:14

give an idea of flats to rent

this one is right on the sea front

I know they aren't for sale but they give you an idea. and there are regular bus links into the city.

Other than that I think your dh might be right and the marina is where to look

Original poster
dreamsofsea · 29/01/2011 16:16

Hmmm - the Marina might be the place to look vs Not the Marina! Why? Confused?

OP posts:
pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 16:36

as somewhere to live I wouldn't suggest the marina, but as a holiday let, I imagine they'd do quite well, as I can't think of anywhere else you could self cater with a sea marina view in Brighton

pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 16:41

actually, there are a few holiday lets in brighton look at this site it shows the type of places that are currently available

noddyholder · 29/01/2011 16:41

You can get into brighton by bus and there is a cinema and a few restaurants but it is a bit trashy and soulless really and doesn't feel like brighton at all.It is like a shopping centre with a few boats and some identikit apartments.For the same price you can get something a lot more english seaside and stylish in an area with good shops and bars and walking distance to town.

pinkhebe · 29/01/2011 16:51

another site here I had no idea about all these holiday lets lol.

I agree with noddy, the marina is a very soulless area, nothing at all like Brighton Grin

teta · 30/01/2011 22:08

Can i just add a note of caution here.The government were planning to get rid of the tax relief for holiday lets at the last budget.It didn't happen but is pretty likely to happen soon.The cost of running a holiday let [unless you are doing the servicing yourself is very high-i'm speaking from experience here!].The only way it would be profitable would be if house prices are going up.I am not sure they will [ok-the south of the uk is different to the rest!].So unless your DH is a banker or has a lot of money don't do it.

figcake · 30/01/2011 22:28

The marina is grim - really bloody awful. You go there expecting something like the Cote d'Azur and you get, well, Asda and bowling. You would not get repeat bookings. Cheaper parts of Brighton itself would be your best bet. BN1 is pretty much all easy to rent. Hove has some great restaurants etc but would probably appeal more to owner-occupiers.

lalalonglegs · 30/01/2011 23:17

I only visit Brighton, don't live there but, if I were thinking of renting somewhere for a stay then the big Regency houses - most of which are divided into flats - are the thing that would appeal. To me, they seem like the real soul of Brighton (I know they're not if you live there but to a grockle like me...) and they're also close to the beach and the shops/bars etc.

Original poster
dreamsofsea · 31/01/2011 08:20

Thanks for suggestions. Dh came back really keen on the marina - I was v surprised ESP cos of your comments re it being soulless etc as he absolutely loathed for es shopping centers and calls Bluewater the Catherdral of Doom, and refuses to go.

Anyway, i've looked again, based on your comment, and seen a lovely looking on, in a regency house but trouble is he's back now. He's booked to go again next weekend but now wants me to go and look, but easy jet are being arises about changing the name on the ticket.

Teta, where do I find more info on the cost etc of holiday lets? Btw, our main aim was to get something that we could use for us, with the idea of letting it out when we weren't using it to help cover some costs iyswim.

OP posts:
Doyouthinktheysaurus · 31/01/2011 08:26

The Marina is horrid, a concrete jungle.

Hove is lovely, Shoreham is lovely though not holiday flat type area, Worhing is more sedate.

There are some gorgeous properies along he seafront, from Kemptown along through Hove, the Marina is a blot on the landscape.

figcake · 31/01/2011 10:26

Remember to stick your ground on this one - no second-time visitor would ever go back twice there. As for the other categories of visitors, I don't think that anyone goes off on holiday to be close to an Asda and every chavvy shop you thought you had left behind.

There is a quirky little electric train which takes you from the Marina back into civilisation though it is not cheap and does not run often enough (some days, does not run at all). The Marina can get bitingly cold around the 'train station' (more like a bus stop) so you would be taking in the views of graffiti-decorated dark concrete multi-storey car parks for rather a long time.

Original poster
dreamsofsea · 01/02/2011 13:09

Showed him the couple of regency ones near somewhere called Kemp town - anyone know this? Anyway, he's really fallen for them and will view a couple this w/e. Think we both agree they look lovely. My only concern is that i like it too much and want to stay there all the time :)

OP posts:
taczilla · 01/02/2011 13:17

Not the Marina it is where people go to the cinema and err..bowling.
Kemptown on the front is okay but I would say look over on Hove Seafront near the lawns as there are loads of buses from the top of the road and it is a 20 min wander into town.

figcake · 01/02/2011 13:39

I like Kemp Town a lot - I think it is perfect for short-lets and close enough to everything. Lots of arty little shops and cafes and a lot of character.

I like Hove but I think that it is def more long-term residential and has it's own identity apart from that of Brighton.

teta · 01/02/2011 14:21

O.P. you can find information on the probable earning costs of your holiday let by speaking to a company like English Country Cottages.A lot of people have been withdrawing out of holiday letting at the moment albeit i know that seaside houses have always done extremely well in the summer.It is really hard work to make a profit on a large house and smaller flats are better BTW. We rented ours out for 7 years and used to make about 850 pounds profit annually!.I guess we were living overseas and it suited us as we could book it out for ourseles in the summer.Plus the house was taken care of [and rampant garden tamed].

pinkhebe · 01/02/2011 14:24

Kemp town is lovely, especially the regency buildings. I used to live on St James St about 20 years ago, and it was an awful place, but it's been regenerated since then

New posts on this thread. Refresh page