Our turn to move out of London

[littlecontis]

Hi all! Same story to be told a millionth time! We are in our late 20s and are looking to move out of London. The areas we have been looking at (on Rightmove) are Crawley, Three Bridges, Sevenoaks, Epsom.

Work: I work at London Bridge and DH is a contractor and by the time we actually leave London - he is likely to be working in the city.
Budget: 400k for a three bed with garden
Children: We don't have any children but are looking to start a family, so good schools nearby are also on our checklist

We have been able to find some houses that fit out requirements, however, we haven't been to these places and just wondering if anyone can share their experience with us, especially if you've move from London recently?

Thank you in advance.

I wouldn't choose Sevenoaks if you intend to use state schools. Good primaries are available but it's a full grammar system for secondary. So if your child doesn't get into a grammar, they're left with Trinity which is a faith free school that's academically average or Knole which is horrible.

I don't know Crawley and Three Bridges other than they're right next to Gatwick - have you checked for plane noise?

Epsom has good primaries and Rosebery and Glyn are particularly popular (and fab) for secondary. Near Epsom is Ewell village - very pretty and while in Surrey it's actually zone 6 so cheaper travel.

I'd also say that Sutton is worth a look (along with Carshalton Village and Cheam). They're zone 5 so easy/cheap commuting, top schools, lots of greenery (parks as well as the countryside) and it's possible to get a 3-bed house for 400k in excellent catchments.

I live in Crawley and it's an excellent commute.
Walking distance to the town centre which has lots of good restaurants and bars. As with all places there are good and bad parts, but the older parts of Crawley are very nice. Three bridges is good too. Much cheaper houses than towns such as Horsham.

Just looked at the police stats out of curiosity.

Crawley doesn't impress to say the least...

www.police.uk/sussex/WR5NH3/performance/compare-your-area/

OP, might be worth looking on police.uk in the performance/compare areas section when you're considering different towns.

Thank you so much for your responses. We are also looking at surbiton - just slightly preferred three bridges / Crawley because of the direct train line to London Bridge. But we will expand our searches in the areas you mentioned.

Apart from the school systems in Sevenoaks - are there any other negatives we should be aware of

Thanks again and other ideas are very welcomed!!!

Surbiton is lovely but quite pricey- have you found a 3 bed for £400K there? Fast non stop service to Waterloo. Out of your other areas I only know Sevenoaks which is on a fast train to LB. Its a nice area, very affluent and green but maybe a bit too quiet after living in London? A lot of people send their children to the independent schools or the Grammars so that might be a consideration for you?

Sevenoaks is quite nice otherwise. It’s quite compact so you could be in the coutryside in no time + there’s a nice park with deer in Sevenoaks. There’s a decent range of shops in the centre. Personally, we found it a little dull when we looked.

Just inside London, there’s Chislehurst and trains to London Bridge are even faster but I think it’s pretty quiet.

I’d also be very surprised if you could get a house in Surbiton for 400k. Maybe a 2-bed flat at a push. Maybe the house you saw were more in Chessington? Other than that, Surbiton has some nice shops/eateries along Maple Rd and it’s by the river. That particular stretch is a bit unattractive but it’d be a short walk from the pleasant walks along the river. No big parks in the immediate areas so you’d need to make a trip to Bushey Park for a bigger park.

Are you sure there's a £400k 3 bed house in Surbiton? Check that they aren't marketing a house in Tolworth as Surbiton.

I would happily pick Epsom. Check how close you are to Rosebury and Glyn (secondary schools) Think you had to live less than a mile away to get in back when my kids were that age.

Just to clarify - we haven't found a house in surbiton! We are just hoping to narrow our search!

Crawley is grim and three bridges is mostly an enormous expanse of new build soullessness now. Half the area crams onto the train every morning and I wouldn’t touch the schools myself. Handy for the airport, though.

For Sevenoaks - which areas should we look at?

East surrey! Here's a 3 bed in Whyteleafe. Zone 6, 2 lines lines to London / Victoria / Blackfriars. Leafy as you like.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-85373318.html

Some friends of ours live rurally a few minutes from Gatwick (so not in Crawley itself). It's a remarkably good commute as the GEX runs all night, and you can get taxis from the airport station even at 2am. So none of that dashing for the last train at 10.35 nonsense.

That said, it's better for trains into Victoria than London Bridge. For an easier life you'd ideally want to tilt yourself at towns that have a direct train to London Bridge to avoid changing too much.

Chelsfield might be worth a look. Chislehurst is lovely but I reckon you'd struggle to find a house for four hundred grand there.

OP, to narrow down your search, what else would you like in an area? Do you go out loads and need bars, prefer a bigger town or maybe you are very outdoorsy? Are you likely to stay out in London till 1-2am?

Btw, Rosebery and Glyn have wider catchments these days (Rosebery especially) do it's possible to be in the catchment for both.

Crawley is dire. Can’t contribute anything more though.

A few things we would like: Parkrun, a few good restaurants and pubs (nothing fancy needed), don't plan on being in London until 1am, waitrose / marks and spencer, Saturday local markets, independent shops

Tunbridge Wells!

We also looked at tunbridge wells - train tickets seem extortionate!

We hope to spend less than £400 for a monthly ticket to London as well

All those things ticked in Whyteleafe. Monthly ticket to London terminals £189. Monthly travelcard £246.

That's true re T Wells, but it is a fantastic place to live and you get a seat on the train and often don't at Sevenoaks!

Chislehurst is nice and you would find a house on the borders for £400K. Tricky in Sevenoaks - prices are £££ - the Bat and Ball area Mr the station has houses on your budget but it's a trek to to the main station and you'd need to check out the season ticket prices. If you don't mi d the London suburbs the the Bexley and Bromley Boroughs might suit? Green, safe, good schools and good train links to LB - sub 30 minutes. Zones 4-5 on Oyster. Easy to get out to the Kent countryside and coast but also easy to get into London for everything else. Waitrose in Sidcup and Bromley

Ok. So for the edge of London, I’d recommend Cheam Village. It’s got the gorgeous Nonsuch Park with a weekly Parkrun. If you’re into exercise then there’s the lovely premium David Lloyd Cheam + other sports clubs and a leisure centre. Waitrose, a bunch of independent shops and eateries. Monthly farmers’ market. Zone 5 with direct trains to London Bridge. It’s also only a mile from Sutton for loads more shops incl M&S, a cinema with sofas etc. Sutton town centre isn’t very pretty but does the job while Cheam Village is quite charming itself with a bit of history to it.

Oxted?