Our budget is 350k, we have 50k deposit. That is our absolute max, and with DH commuting to London and what we'd spend on travel we'd prefer to be spending more around the 330-340 mark.
Min 2 bedrooms, prefer 3 but 2 is fine. Prefer garden but not 100 per cent essential. Prefer house but perfectly open to a nice flat/maisonette.
We want:
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Less than an hours' train journey to London (I desperately wanted to stay in London itself as I am born and bred but I think it's impossible on our budget for what we want - please say if you know somewhere in London I might be overlooking)
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Area not too dull. I would die of boredom living somewhere there was a big Tesco, a school, some houses and not much else. No offence meant to those who currently live in such places, but it's just not for me. Would love to live somewhere there was a nice high street with a different mix of shops/cafes etc.
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Good community of families with kids. Ideally fairly diverse mix of people (ie, from different social backgrounds and ethnic groups)
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Ideally near nice countryside/park/large area of green for dog walking etc.
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Area relatively safe to walk around late etc.
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not massively bothered re: schools as long as there are some there.
I had considered Cambridge as that provides all of the above but it seems to be too expensive for us :( Ditto St Alban's (please feel free to contradict me).
Am I being completely unrealistic, and if so can anyone recommend some places to buy where I could achieve at least some of the above?
Thanks very much!