Help me decide where to move to...

[TheCatIsMyEnemy]

Moving out of London sometime in the next year and need to narrow down our area based on the following list of requirements:

1. 2-3 bedroom house with garden. We like period places but that's not non-negotiable.
2. Budget max 400k and that would be stretching it.
3. Less than an hours' commute to central London
4. Someone with a town centre (or near a town centre). Doesn't have to have naice shops or anything but just somewhere with a couple of little shops and cafes.
5. Near to nice countryside would be good
6. Schools - we have one DS and not planning on having any more DC. Frankly given I grew up and went to school in inner city London I am really not majorly fussed on schools - as long as they are not failing, I am ok with that.
7. Family friendly (whatever that means!) with a decent sense of community - I am rubbish at making friends...

Thoughts? Where have you moved to?

We're just sending this over to property/DIY at OP's request.

Do you have any N S E W of london requirements e..g grand parents in N Yorks, or friends in Brighton?

Tonbridge in Kent. Fabulous train service. Victorian houses within your budget. Surrounded by fabulous countryside. Bit rough around the edges but a lot going for it. Much more upmarket towns of Tunbridge wells and Sevenoaks within easy distance.

Commuting to where in London in particular? Are able to drive or does there have to be public transport? Are you ok with a flat/house with a courtyard or do you want a garden? Are you open to new builds? If you are how would that effect your budget aaaumibg you want to use help to buy?

Limpsfield/ Oxted in Surrey?

If you fancied staying in London, then somewhere in the borough of Sutton might suit. Particularly Sutton, Carshalton or Wallington. Sutton has a big town centre, Carshalton is cute and Wallington the cheapest of the 3.

It's zone 5 so good for getting into central London (from Sutton there are direct trains to Victoria, Blackfriars, London Bridge as well as the city). At night there's a night bus or tube to Morden + a quick bus/cab ride. There's coutryside in the south of the borough but it's also easy to get out of London completely.
Here are some houses to give you an idea what to can be had for under 400k:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51664251.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51625839.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62070568.html

I work freelance so where in London I commute into doesn't matter really.

Won't be needing/using help to buy, we'll be selling our flat in SE London.

Definitely want a house. Definitely want a garden.

My family is in East London and DH's are in Suffolk. We see mine a lot more so preferably not much more than an hour's drive away. But Kent is really far away from DH's family so probably not there.

We are in Milton Keynes which gets a lot of stick but actually we are really happy here. As long as you stay out of the central estates there are some lovely places to live and there are market towns like Newport Pagnell and Olney if you want to be close to a high street and there are lots of lovely villages around.
Where we live (an area called Redhouse Park) there are lots of great parks and green spaces around and most weekends we go to forests or country parks etc for a wander.
Community feel depends on the area you are in but most places outside the centre are good.
There are a gazzilion schools very few of which (if any) are failing.

Our friends moved to Bishops Stortford and love it. Very family friendly, good schools, lovely high road/shops, lots to do for families.

£400k will get you a nice property there. You can commute by train in about an hour to London Victoria or London Liverpool Street.

Oh the drive is about an hour to east London. We live in West London, Chiswick and it takes us about an hour and a half by car to get to Bishops Stortford.

Family moved to Milton Keynes and love it. An hour and a half from West London to there.

What about Dedham? The train from nearby Manningtree gets into Liverpool st in about an hour

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62487532.html

DH says Dedham is too near his family 🙈

Fair enough! Pity though because it 's a beautiful village, friendly people (plenty of ex-Londoners), good pubs, stunning countryside and Outstanding primary school.

Have you looked at Kingston in the SW or Sanderstead or Woldingham going South?

Limpsfield and Oxted are both lovely, but massively expensive!

I think your cat and mine are in cahoots by the way

Probably Essex or Herts to be mid-way between families. How about Chelmsford or Ware?

Thame, Oxfordshire & Princes Risborough & Haddenham, Bucks are all in the countryside with good links to London on the train. (Chiltern Railways) Schools in the majority are excellent and the first two towns mentioned are market towns so have a lot of period history surrounding them.

I did something similar 3 years ago; moved out from north London to Chelmsford. You get so much more for your money, schools are fantastic and Essex is beautiful; so much greenery surrounding the towns (& City of Chelsmford)!

Bear in mind though, although the train to Liverpool Street is just 32m, when you factor in travel time to the station, parking, waiting for train etc... your commute soon becomes considerably longer than what it would have been if you lived near a tube station!

To my last place of work in Southwark it took me 1h30m door to desk! I live 1.1 miles from Chelmsford Station.