Bedford again...

[spotty26]

We have been looking again at a move to Bedford recently.

We like De Parys Avenue, Castle Road and the Saints area but we are finding the asking prices confusing. It appears the market has gone down and then flat over the last 3 years while we have been watching from afar but asking prices appear higher than ever, especially on Shaftesbury Avenue after a Zoopla hour or so last night.

Some are £100k more than asking prices in 2011 and need lots of work doing.

Houses also seem to hang around for a long time.

As we are out of the area we are concerned that we do not know the market well. Anyone knowledgeable out there who can decode it?

Thanks in advance

Can I ask what is drawing you so close to Bedford town centre? Can you link to examples of houses you are looking at? I live about 8 miles away in Olney. Where are you currently based?

Thanks for replying...My husband will commute to London, Kids' schools will be in town centre, we love Victorian and Edwardian houses. We are moving from London so think a town base will be more like what we are used to. Family in St Neots so nice and handy.

We are looking at all period houses in a wide range of prices because I may or may not return to work which practically halves or doubles our budget accordingly. Unhelpful I know!

I lived in Bedford years ago. The saints area, de Parys, Park Ave, Kimbolton Rd are all very sought after. Personally I wouldn't go for Castle Rd. No idea about the prices though sorry.

There are some nice villages around Bedford, have you looked at any?

We have looked at some villages but we were concerned that would add to the stress of the commute for my husband - but maybe we are worrying about that unnecessarily.