Surrey. Where? How? Help!

[sooperswooper]

Moving into the area from down South and quite apart from the heart attacks suffered realising what we can now afford (up to about 300k if you're selling a lovely character 2/3 bed property, ideally with a mahoosive garden out in the fringes of the countryside but within striking distance of a train station & commutable by car to woking ) wanted some advice if poss. RightMove/Zoopla are my BFFs now but I could of with a bit of real experience and input.

So if anyone happens to be browsing from surrey, where might you recommend area wise based on the above? Have one 13mo ds. Got a day of viewings of sat (with said ds. Ooooo twill be fun) - farnborough, farnham, guildford, godalming areas. Woking doesn't really inspire (or what does is out of our price range) and north east of woking seems again beautiful (weybridge) but out of price range.

Also, anyone any ideas about any storage facilities as I don't think we'll find somewhere before our house completes as its hoping to in the next few weeks so we're going to have to shift everything from a four bed, 3 storey house into a storage facility for a while. Luckily we're already staying in oxfordshire (got to love friends who are lending the house to us) so luckily we don't need to worry about renting- just need to find somewhere to buy. Obviously because we don't really know the area in which we'll be living, bit difficult for storage, but I suppose if we go relatively central to store everything (i.e. Guildford/Woking) then that'd be easier when we do buy.

Just to settle a dispute between me and my dh; properties that are worth their salt DO get snapped up within the first viewing, usually at asking price up here don't they? Dh is convinced that being totally chain free will enable us to get at least 10% off the asking price and "take out time" in making an offer. Utter bollocks, I say.

We used to live in Lightwater the other side of Woking / Guildford . DH used to get the train from Brookwood or Woking .

Bramley?

We moved to Farnham this year and we love it. It has a beautiful town centre and an excellent community feel. There's a farmers market, a community project where you can donate time to a huge allotment and receive a share in the veg plus an annual food festival, the town is self styling as a craft town with lots of craft and cultural type activities going on at the Maltings. Lots of great restaurants and pubs, we even have two annual carnivals. There's loads for the kids to do and the schools are excellent. Plus you can get a train from Farnham straight to Woking. I can not recommend it highly enough!

Wouldn't mind woking but seem to be no houses available; looked at a few today in/around woking/addlestone/byfleet..

More to follow but.. fallen in love with a house we saw this morning in cranleigh. Need to convince dh about transport (for him to drive to woking and also, how easy would it be for me to get to London/Barnes? Yes, yes I can nationalrail that but how easy is it to get to station from cranleigh)

Nb in farnborough and ALL dh is concerned with recce-ing is the damn costco!

God... twelve hours of driving from place to place to place. It has been a great exercise in what we don't want, I suppose. Farnborough, Camberley we've ruled out I think. Same with the ones seen in by fleet and addlestone, although that's more to do with size. The two beds are just too small. Beautiful little houses, but don't think we'd fit. Obviously might have to rethink, but for the moment, I think we're going to look a bit further out. Hoping to put an offer in for one in Cranleigh, but we can't offer the full amount- our max is about 10k under, so, being realistic, probably won't get it. So beautiful though and could be such a home that we could grow with (thanks to Kirstie & Phil for such choice phrases).

Anyway, keep fingers crossed for the offer (subject to me convincing oh that this is how it works rather than taking weeks to mull etc). Otherwise we'll plod on and see what comes up. This house hunting is stressful! Thank god for (me) and saturday 50th dr who (oh).

Have you actually done the drive to Woking from Cranleigh- if it were me id budget 45-60 mins in morning rush hour- Cranleigh is nice because it's far away from anywhere else!! Alternatively you would need to drive to G'ford and pay ££££ to park.

Yep, did it three times (&three different ways) and took half an hour door to door. Imagine in rush hour (& on a weekday) it would be more like 45-60 mins but then I suppose that's a hit we'd have to take. Decisions, decisions but will probably be taken out of our hands anyway come tomorrow when someone puts in a full asking price offer!

If not, we're going to try to see it again on tues & at least I'll have a chance to wander around the area and get to know it too.

If you're happy with that drive then I'm sure you will love Cranleigh- it's a nice community with great shops, leisure centre etc.

Well, fingers crossed it's not snapped up tomorrow morning!

Just as an aside, how does it work with offers in the areas; get the impression from talking to the EAs that offers are made immediately- before second viewings etc, but almost as a 'registering of interest', and made on a number of properties (and then the offer is withdrawn if an offer on another house is accepted) rather than because that house is absolutely one that has been fallen in love with and the house for them. Is that a fair assessment, and so if i'm told that an offer has been made, would you think that it's still worth going back to have a look on Tues with a view to making an offer too ourselves? I just can't really afford to do that too much as I'm over in Oxford so getting backwards and forwards (working around borrowing a car) is a bit of an issue unless it's worthwhile. Or, do the EAs insist on seeing a mortgage offer in place and an immediate instruction of solicitors etc?

I think the EA is trying it on - there is no difference in these parts- make an offer if you are serious. Sounds like EA is trying to create sealed bids scenarios

Thanks, homebythesea. That's good and reassuring to know. Totally cross posting with the local site here, but cast net wide etc.

Cycling. What are the routes like in Surrey? Are there decent routes from, say, Cranleigh into Shalford and Guildford? If so, are they relatively easy? It is SO difficult trying to get to know an area so quickly. (I know we could rent for a little while first so could scope it all out, but we'd rather just plough on and stay on the ladder I suppose). Thanks again everyone for all the input and help- it really is invaluable.

I live in Woking and have worked just south of Cranleigh several days a week for almost 10 years, so doing the commute you plan but the other way. I reckon on an hour door to door in the mornings if I leave by 7.45, anything up to an hour and 20 minutes if I leave just before 8, and 40 minutes on a Saturday morning. I have tried every route under the sun, and unless there are particularly bad roadworks it's always quickest to go through Guildford. As others have said, Cranleigh is nice because it's still quite remote! The surrounding area is much more rural and much less like an outpost of London. Very different from Woking in many ways.

I would never cycle from Cranleigh to G'ford. It is mostly narrow twisty (dark) pothole ridden road on which most motorists will speed. Unless there is an off road variant that I don't know about

Re: cycling - dh works near Cranleigh, and despite having cycled through central London for years, hates the Guildford to Cranleigh cycle - lots of fast traffic, narrow road... He says there is apparently a disused railway track that is roughly the right route, but don't think he's ever got round to actually sussing it out.

I'd never cycle on the Cranleigh- Guildford main A281 road - much f it is a 60 limit with lots of blind turns, pitch dark, etc. There are back ways through the villages of the Surrey Hills, but very much longer. I don't know about the disused railway line, but if the railway is brought back as apparently suggested by a Cranleigh estate agent (was that on this thread? I forget!) then I suppose it won't be disused any more...

Technically Hampshire rather than Surrey but id recommend Liphook or Liss area. Good primaries, fantastic state secondary (bohunt), lots of toddler groups and things going on and you get a bit more house and garden for your money. Lovely countryside around too. Is just on the cusp at 30 miles from woking but liss has its own station and is on the woking line.

It was suggested, actually, but I forget whether I mentioned it on here. Apparently there is a flat off road route by the river from C to Shalford, but it is probably more for a day out than a commute to station. Will look into it a bit more, as I suppose i could do that either one/both ways- or run it- on the days that I needed to get to the train. Kills two birds with one stone.

Aliceinsandwichland - that's really helpful. I think dh was going to try to avoid Guildford on the way to meet me tomorrow and attempt to find some sneaky backroads down from Old Woking (where he works), but I'll tell him to go that way so he gets an accurate idea.

Perrinelli- thank you. Will have a look! I don't mind being out a bit further but my god, the uproar it has caused from various family members in london ("you may as well be back in Devon you'll be so far away . Please live in Weybridge- it's SO close to SW london!" Err yes, along with the hefty price tag)

Bingo! For anyone who is interested just as the bitter cold of winter sets in..

walkandcycle.co.uk/surrey/Trails/50-99/SURRTR0063.pdf

I would keep looking at Byfleet and New Haw areas if I were you. Or what about the West Byfleet side of Sheerwater? Good value houses and easy to walk into West Byfleet and to drive to Old Woking.

I would allow a good hour to drive Cranleigh to Woking at busy times.

Don't judge Woking solely on the centre - try St Johns, some bits of Goldsworth Park, even Horsell (stretching the budget though). It will be cheaper than villages around Woking, and very convenient. You want to be in catchment area for Goldsworth Primary School, Horsell Village School, Beaufort is a good school with a great new Head in Goldsworth Park, or Oaktree school in Knaphill.

How about this? Could be in the catchment for Goldsworth (you'll need to look at the Surrey CC tables for distances for admissions for the last couple of years to see, they also have a map where you can not postcode and see distances to schools)

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39339214.html

By the way, I live in Woking and my mum lives in Cranleigh - it's a long drive if you hit the wrong end of rush hour, and 45 mins on a good day. No train station at all in Cranleigh, it feels a bit disconnected from the world. But very nice if you don't mind these points.

Ps I think you are definitely going to have to give up on the 'character' bit of your description, to stick in that budget. Once you're inside, you can't see what the house looks like anyway!

The cycle path from Cranleigh to Guildford is lovely (though you've got to cross the main road at one point). It's on the old railway line (any estate agents that's trying to sell houses on the basis of it being reinstated is having a laugh!), then along the side of the river, so no hills. But, it's not really viable for a day-to-day commute unless you're a super-serious cyclist. It would probably take around 45 min at a good pace, and the part alongside the river can get ferociously muddy in the winter (and occasionally floods if there's been a lot of rain). I wouldn't cycle it in the dark either - or at least you'd need some serious bike lights!

I agree with Perrinelli, definitely look at Liphook and Liss. They have stations on the main portsmouth to waterloo line. Hampshire tends to be cheaper than Surrey. The schools in Liphook are fantastic, esp Bohunt. If I can ever persuade DH to move it will be to Liphook.

Another one who agrees with Perinelli and others who have suggested Hampshire, Liphook, Liss also Petersfield. I don't know the area that well but would have thought that if you are working in Woking and don't need to commute to London then why pay the commuting premium that places like Guildford attract. Cranleigh is lovely but I wouldn't want to drive from there everyday.

You're all right about the disbenefits of living out in Cranleigh and it's good to weigh them up as I do tend to get swept up in the fact that I think it's a lovely place. Rockdoctor - that's a valid point about the commuting premium- I hadn't really thought about it from that angle. I'm going to be working one day a week in SW London from Jan, but it's not a 9-5 (it's a visiting lecturing position for a couple of hours on a day) so that's why the focus is on dh commute to woking rather than being on getting into London. That's why I suppose I was thinking about possibly doing a one way cycle to the train station but from what you say, flightoffancy, the conditions would be more suited to a nice saturday afternoon day out, rather than a commute, so to speak.

Since July, dh has been living away during the week and coming home for the weekend, so an hour for him, if we get the right house and place to live, isn't too onerous I suppose. I get to have him back for evenings!! Woohoo

It's not that I'm dead against woking at all or, indeed the bits around it (apart from sheer water and goldsworth park- we looked around there when we were considering renting when we first moved up and were put off for one reason or another) but just seems we can get more for our money elsewhere. Plus, maybe having seen everything on saturday has made me think that I'd be happier in a more rural setting although that might have just been farnborough for me and seeing sandhurst from the front door of some houses for my dh. And to quantify, by rural, I mean within striking (walking) distance of amenities. It'd be lovely to get out and about from the front door on weekends to walk, run, cycle etc.
In terms of the character stuff - I know; saw this house www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-43832366.html?premiumA=true love it! But sadly out of our price bracket

Couple more to look at in haslemere alongside the second viewing tomorrow, so let the search go on! Again, all the input is invaluable and so, so helpful. Would buy you all a glass of something to say thanks but otherwise,