Bath outskirts on a budget, any help please?

[GuyMartinsSideburns]

Do and I are finally able to start looking to buy our first ever house, having lived in council properties for over a decade. We can't afford Bath, the ex council house 5 doors down recently went for £220,000 and our budget is more like £180,000 at the most so we're looking to move a few miles out.

Dh needs to commute to Saltford to work, and we need 3 beds at least. Now from my hours spent on Rightmove I guess I'm going to be looking at Radstock, Trowbridge etc however I don't know much about these areas (I'm not from here) except from the small bits I've read on here when others looking for property. There weren't exactly glowing reviews, however I've read the offsted reports for what are the local schools and theyre good. I'd like to be in a small town/village location I think but I also don't want the kids to have nothing to do when a bit older. I don't mind moving somewhere a bit further for a nicer house, I've seen one I really like the look of in Trowbridge but again I don't know the area. Ideally I'd like to be able to walk the children to primary school, and be on a bus route for when they go to secondary.

I like Frome, but don't think we can afford it except for the new town house style houses however an acquaintance lives in one and says it very small, they had problems getting their furniture in etc. ideally we'd like to not live on an estate anymore.

I like the little miners cottages, the only thing I don't like about them is that a lot of them have downstairs bathrooms but I guess there might be scope to build a double story extension at some point and put a bathroom upstairs? I don't know what I should be looking at/thinking about etc I've read that having a downstairs bathroom may make the house difficult to sell in the future?

Any opinions on Paulton? I've only driven through it once lol

Sorry this is so long, none of my friends actually own property so I don't really have anyone to bounce ideas off and ask for information.

Thanks very much for any help/advice, or ideas of other places to look.

Are you against a deadline (e.g. end of rental agreement) where you are? Do you have to make a quick decision or are you forcing it at the moment when you could spend a bit more time researching the different areas? If you can hone in on a town and then areas, it will make it a lot easier to sort through your options.

Haha do you think so

It needs to be this year but no immediate rush. I'm finding it difficult with all the good schools etc to focus and choose one area tbh. Ideally we'd be moved and settled in time for the school start in September so a fair bit of time really, I'd just like my shortlist of areas!

Sorry if what I posted sounded a bit obvious, but you seem to be all over the place at the moment. Perhaps if you worked on identifying the right town first, rather than starting visit properties all over the place, you wouldn't be spread quite so thin. Then you can see what's available or, if nothing suitable is available, prime the agents in your planned area and wait for the right stuff to come on the market. If the agents are primed, you may get to hear about it before it goes on the open market.

Although we live very near Norton Hill School a lot of the children who go there come from Paulton. Norton Hill and Somervale are in a federation with the same head and a joint governing body. Somervale is getting much better these days as the effect of having the same head and it has the advantage of being a smaller school.

The two schools have a joint sixth form.

Villages around trow are also worth considering if you want something more...villagey. Southwick etc. The Trowbridge secondaries are starting to raise their game a bit now after a difficult few years.

Joff, which vet do you rate, if you don't mind recommending? The one I'm using is good but they seem to be using a lot of locums recently and it's getting difficult to have continuity of care. Sorry to derail thread, OP!

Dust - no not at all, I am all over the place thanks for the suggestion about priming the estate agents, I will definitely take that on board. And yes, concentrating now on the areas we'd like to live in. I guess we've got a fair bit of time to look, esp as we're not in a chain.

I'm very appreciative of all comments, and having this thread to put my thoughts and questions on. I don't feel quite so daunted as I did before I started it, you've all been most helpful

well deserved for me later I think

guy will your DC be going into year 7 in September? If this is the case, you'll get into Norton Hill from anywhere this year. It's a v low birth rate in our area this year and the schools are fighting to get people to go to their school. Norton Hill is actually our second choice (we opted for the Blue first but I would be happy with either). We live near Oakhill and Norton Hill have said they'll put on a bus to collect kids from Oakhill this year- they've never done this before but this is because schools are pulling out all the stops to get the pupils in this time

I recommend Glenleigh/Garston.

They've saved the lives of three of my pets. Most recently my bunny who had an ear infection.

I'd trust them with my life.

If you don't have a chain you are already an appealing buyer. Have you got a mortgage offer yet? (Although they tend to be time limited and there is sometimes a fee, so maybe narrow down your target area first...)

Kits - no not entering y7 yet for a couple of years, just ideally we wanted to be settled and a few years down the line may be too late.

Dust we don't have an offer yet, I think we'll know for definite this week. Hence the bit of a rush on my part... I think we're getting a good idea of where we'd like now.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46665172.html looks like a lot of house for your money?

www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-32933619.html this is right near a new primary school.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-47281294.html this is what you get if you drop your budget but it looks so much smaller to me - also not sure I would want to be quite as much on the doorstep of a secondary school...

That last one is off Bradley Road. Good area. Near a couple of primary schools. Near an Aldi (which seems popular on MN).

Love the green kitchen tiles.

Thanks. I like the first one

I guess a cul de sac or something like that would be nicer than that busy road, plus more chance of parking too. I also think an older house may possibly be better than a new build from what I've seen - room sizes, garden sizes etc.

Thanks for all of your help. Viewing a bit of a mess tomorrow but so much potential and a beautiful area. I'd be surprised if we were to get anything like it though, when finished it'd be amazing.