Moving area...where to start ?!

[herewegoloopylu10]

Hi there,

The family and I currently live in Hertfordshire. Unfortunately, we can't afford to buy in this area and are considering moving further a field. We are considering an hour or two from herts and somewhere countrysideish.

I have two children 12 and 7 so would need to change their schools too. I'd also need a new job.

I am so anxiety ridden thinking about where to start. We haven't even got an area to move to in mind yet. But I'd like to start putting a plan together.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Where did you start? And reccommendations on areas would be great.

Thanks in advance :)

Lx

herewegoloopylu10 we are in the same process as you, but I would probably end up further out. Shropshire is nice if you just want a couple of hours drive.

Start with what you need:
Type/size of house/garden - where can you afford your dream home?

Distance to family/other important areas - draw circles on a map

Are there certain areas that are hot spots for your job fields?

Any hobbies/sports where you need certain facilities in easy reach

Then start narrowing down depending on schools

Do you need to be able to get back to Herts for commuting, or will it be a complete change for the whole family? If transport links are important, look on a map and check out areas around the M1 or whichever road you'd have to use, similarly if you use the train, follow the route. Once you have a few possible areas in mind, do some research about house prices and schools.

If you are having a complete change, work out where your skills could be needed first. Look at jobs being advertised, then check out those areas.

we`re doing similar. what we did was look for an area we could afford to live in housewise and then using internet /google places.

once you`ve found a town/ village look on facebook etc to see if it has a page. many do and you can gauge a lot from that. plus ask questions.