Tonbridge area Estate Agents

[TonbridgeTammy]

Can anyone recommend any good local estate agents in the Tonbridge area, preferably ones that they have experienced themselves or heard good things about from close family/friends.

Currently in SE London and hoping to move to the Tonbridge area preferably Hildenborough/Hadlow but open to options. Need 3 double bedrooms and have a 'safe' budget of 350k. I'm looking for estate agents that will listen to my priorities and not take me to viewings that are going to waste my time. I live out if state so can't just 'pop' round willy nilly.

Any other advice about Tonbridge area would be helpful particularly in relation to senior schools.

Bump

If you are looking to buy you need to register with all the estate agents surely. You'll miss out on your dream home if your ideal estate agent doesn't have it on their books.

Who registers with estate agents anymore!? That's very 1970's.

Get on to Rightmove + Zoopla (where estate agents list all their properties) and set up alerts for new property coming to market in your desired area and price range.

Once you find some properties worth viewing you'll automatically start meeting estate agents.

Don't forget the estate agent works for the seller (not the buyer). It's you against them.

What age and gender DCs do you have OP?
What commute are you looking for? Do you need the train and if so have you looked into the annual travel card costs, parking etc.

From experience you can't be picky about the agent who's handling the sale of property, as others said, they're working for their client not the buyer and they work on the principle of showing you anything they have in your price bracket, whether it fits your criteria or not, because you never know.
They'll waste any amount of time on the basis that people do buy property that doesn't fit with what they said they were looking for.

It's much easier in this day and age though as you can look at house plans, aerial and street view and you can also look up what similar properties have sold for recently.

"Who registers with estate agents anymore!? That's very 1970's."

They do - but just online.

I'd definitely register cathy. Why wouldn't you?

They will ring me when they've just seen something and I can be first through the door if I make myself known to them.

There's no disadvantage.

Yes, the online alerts are good - even if you haven't registered, and ...

"Once you find some properties worth viewing you'll automatically start meeting estate agents." which means you will be on their database as a potential buyer.

Best to register in the first place!

Two of the senior schools in Tonbridge are super selective (top 1% of 11+mark) and have no catchment. The Weald Grammer isn't super selective but you still need more than just a pass on 11+ to get in.

It's worth looking at Southborogh which is I between Tonbridge and Tunbrudge Wells. That way you'd be in catchment for both the TW schools and the Tonbridge Weald Grammar.

You'd have to drive to the station though.

Also Southborogh is cheaper than TW and possibly marginally cheaper than Tonbridge.

Phone all the estate agents and tell them of your requirements and contact details.

Also look on right move and see wages currently available.

You will need all of your £350k to get a 3 bed house. Guess you already realise this.

You would do well to set aside time to go and view both areas and properties because you can never do too much research before choosing your family home.

Best of luck with your search.

Thank you all for your thoughts. I have just started looking online but thought it would be a good idea to register with some agencies that might be particularly recommended.

My daughter is only year 3 but I have researched schools in Tonbridge area and am aware of catchment area for Weald (hadlow and hildenborough being top of the list according to the schools latest literature) and also that Tonbridge grammar is super selective. I hadn't considered TW as Tonbridge is really the longest commute DH wants. I might look at Southborough though noe that I know this would cover Weald and TW grammars.

I need to get down there and have a drive around really. I have been before and grew up not too far from these areas but it's only now we're ready to make the move.

It's never too early to look and think about schools etc.

We are thinking about a similar move although probably TW rather than Tonbridge. I have two DC. 5yo DD and 3yo DS and secondary schools come into the picture already. DH is willing to suffer the longer TW commute.
Sevenoaks would be ideal except on the schools front. They are currently at an independent school and we are conserving whether to go independent all the way up ether than just primary so as to avoid the whole catchment area/11+ thing.

Yes Sevenoaks ideal if it wasn't for the schools situ. My dad is in a state school and for lots of reasons I'd like to continue down that path. DH would go private tomorrow but I'm not sure where he thinks an extra 12k a year would come from. The only answer would be for me to work full time and neither of us want that.

It's quite overwhelming really trying to pick 'the right' place esp one that has good non grammar secondary schools just incase dd is not that way inclined and I think y3 is just too early to tell.

My dad?? dd I mean

Sevenoaks is significantly more expensive for property than areas down the line and what no one told us is that bits of it have a microclimate which is dull and often misty.
We drove through the town centre this weekend and am so glad that the house we were going to buy there fell through.
It's nice enough, but much more congested than where we ended up which is nearer the coast.

DH doesn't mind the extra time on the train as he has less to travel once he gets to the station and he's able to use the time to work or read and relax on the way home.