House hunting - within 1.5 hrs commute Westminster

[wowfudge]

Right - things are happening quickly so I would really appreciate your advice as I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment. DP has just been offered promotion at work, but it means relocation. He'll be based in Westminster and is prepared to commute up to 1.5 hours door to door (by train).

We are currently in the Manchester area not far from my parents who are in their 70s. My sister and her family are in Warwickshire. Would be good to be near them and good transport links back up to my folks. DP has links to East Midlands but I'm not sold on some of the places he's suggested - prepared to be converted though!

Can you suggest some suitable areas for us to consider moving to? Our budget is around £350,000 although we could stretch if necessary. Minimum 3 beds. Our current house has cellars and a huge garage so we are used to spreading out. Near decent schools useful, but not essential. I like being near a city and all that has to offer. At the moment our kitchen is tiny and I would love to have a decent sized kitchen again. Links to places that look good will be very gratefully received.

Yikes - this is at least six months sooner than we had been planning and is pretty daunting.

You are absolutely not going to be in Westminster in 1.5hrs door to door from Bedford

There are fast trains that take 40 mins to St Pancras. Surely that must make it doable most of the time?

Whereabouts in Westminster? It could be a commute to Paddington or Victoria mainline stations.

Probably not much help, but I'm thinking Luton.

Fast trains to London Victoria and easily within commute time. Nearby airport with fast coaches to Victoria (might be an alternative possibility). Near to M1 for family visits to the north west. Cross country to Warwickshire easily doable. You have a choice of Thameslink (for Waterloo) or East Midlands trains too.

Some areas of Luton not so nice but I know someone who is happy there and should be able to get something easily for your budget. This is slightly over budget, but you get the idea:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34298982.html

Obviously where you live in relation to the station makes a difference - DP had a 1.5 hour commute door to door when he worked in Yorkshire. It can take me an hour and it's a ten mile journey.

I dispute that LB is grotty Micky!

PrimalLass I can do door to desk (Bedford to Westminster) in 1 hour 15 minutes on a good day, using the fast East Mids trains and the tube from St Pancras. However I'm only 10 mins cycle from the station. Friends live in outlying villages, and have to factor in a 20 minute drive and finding a parking space at the station, but I didn't want a car journey at either end of the day on top of my commute.

It's up to an hour and three quarters door to desk on the slower Thameslink train - the trade off for the longer journey is a guaranteed seat on the train and not having to change tube line at Green Park or Oxford Circus.

For your needs I'd second Leighton Buzzard or Milton Keynes area. Only thing I'd say is that parking at stations is silly expensive in the SE so if you could walk/cycle to station that would help a lot. The commute in from that area is fast, 35mins and could then get Victoria line from Euston to Victoria.

How long would you be in the house for? If it's more than three years, then now would be a good time to buy in a "crossrail town" before crossrail actually gets there and pushes up the prices. I'm thinking Burnham, Maidenhead, Langley, Iver, West Drayton: near enough to London but not as citiefied as Reading and Slough, on the direct line to Paddington now and hubbys' commute would be 30 mins to paddington then bakerloo line (to baker street) and Jubilee line (to the City) which is another 45 mins. When crossrail opened the trains would go straight in with no need for the tube leg. You'd have to check, but I believe the crossrail is non stopping after Drayton so the "closer" areas like Southall and Hayes would have slower trains despite being further into town.

£375k would get you this in maidenhead:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52622279.html

£350k would get you this in Langley

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51144647.html

And this is £375k in Drayton

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35203671.html

Paddington to Westminster is a really crappy journey and the reading train line into London is painful too.

Captain proton makes good points.

Paddington is in Westminster, so I suppose its what part of Westminster he will be working in.

Perhaps Banbury? (only because you're moving from Manchester and may want to stay in that train line?)
I've lived in Oxford for nearly 10 years but now being priced out and am moving to west west west... Banbury is still very affordable and train links are great. Crosscountry line to Birmingham and Manchester and direct train links to London Marylebone I think. I don't know much about schools though....

Banbury is on the list of places to look at. All the suggested places have houses we can afford. What we need to see if exactly what the various locations are like.

I would think about Grantham and Newark OP. You could get this and have change from your budget. It's right in the town centre, a 15 minute walk, maybe 5 minutes on bike from the station and Grantham has a decent boys grammar as well as a girls grammar. It's not the most exciting town but you could have a good quality of life without a hideous commute.

Hi Northern - not shy about using colour are they?! Thanks for the advice.

Rugby? It's being improved and there are good schools, although it is a grammar school system. The train is 50 minutes to Euston. Rugby has good links to Leamington and Birmingham when you want somewhere busier.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53363456.html

market Harborough is nice too.

No they're not but the 'bones' of the house are good and it's an example of the sort of thing you can get somewhere less 'fashionable' than Oxford. London wages go further in a place like Grantham.