Where to move essex/kent - help!

[Ginjam18]

Hi all, wondering if you can help. Me, hubby and baby live in the romford area in essex (1 bed flat). We need to move to a house, hubby and I both work in London (city). We are after a 3 bed semi close to train station (walking distance) with great schools for little one when she starts. Our budget is 325,000. We have looked in grays, basildon is a no no, considering laindon for budget reasons only also kent or further, only catch is we are paying 180 per month for train travel and to live in somewhere like Ashford we would have to pay over 500 a month each for travel into the city.

If our options are slim we are considering a move to weston super mare and will work in Bristol but this would be a huge change to our lives.

Hoping you can help!

Thanks
Ginjam

Have you looked at Hainault. Transport links are brilliant. Plus there is HInault Forest Country Park and Fairlop Waters Nature reserve.

Have you thought about Chelmsford, it's pretty quick into London and house prices are a lot more reasonable.

Elm Park is quite a nice area. Not a million miles geographically from Romford but quieter with a sweet little high street, nice parks and District line straight to the city in 35 minutes, so not a hugely expensive or long commute. Near Hornchurch for shopping/eating out.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66113245.html

Not much for your budget but there are a few options...

Best of luck!

That sweet little high street Fi1982 describes is basically a no-go zone after dinnertime with shops having to shut early with scumbags from other areas coming in on the district line to loot, assault, and terrorise. Then you have the moped scum racing about doing the same all around the surrounding roads. I'd avoid the area if I were you, I was going to buy there but the way the area has deteriorated has put me right off.

Witham between Chelmsford and Colchester - smallish town but has a station.

Have to agree with cheese, Elm Park isn't somewhere I'd recommend.

Witham as per PP I would, we looked there it's lovely.

What about somewhere near Ebbsfleet? The highspeed goes through there too and it isn't too far to get back to Essex?

Thanks everyone for your messages I'm still open to some suggestions but will carry on with my investigations :)

Have you looked at Chingford at all? You may just find a good option there.

Oh sorry, I didn’t realise Elm Park had gone so downhill.

I looked at buying there a few years ago and it seemed ok, we visited many times at different points in the day and evening. Must be quite a recent change, or I’m used to rougher climes 😬

North Chingford is nice but you won’t get a three bed or even ex-council two bed for under £360k, and mostly more like £400k. South Chingford is less salubrious, slightly cheaper but miles from a station and still out of your price range really.

I would say Southend/Leigh/Shoeburyness but that’s a bit of a trek to commute and probably costs more than you’d like in terms of train tickets.

Folkestone - yes travel is pricey (but super fast with less than an hour into town), but the town is full of gorgeous v well priced property and a great social scene for the huge influx of London families that are moving down. Gorgeous countryside, coastline to die for and Europe literally on your doorstep. Really is the best thing we ever did and only wish we had made the leap out of the smoke years ago!

Hi, We have just sold in Romford and are moving to Silver End, Witham. We also looked into going to Hullbridge, Heybridge, Maldon, Braintree and Great Dunmow.

South Benfleet, Hockley, Rayleigh are all places I'd recommend