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.

You’ll struggle to get anything walking distance to Sevenoaks station on that budget. Other areas nearby might throw up something, there’s 3 other stations in Sevenoaks from which you can change at sevenoaks for fasts or go in direct (Bat & Ball, Dunton Green and Otford). The commute is easy and quick. You generally get what you pay for in terms of niceness of area, but the primary schools are all generally good so no huge worries on that front. As noted above secondary is generally grammar a very personal decision on whether that works for you. The town and surrounds are very family orientated with loads of activities etc. and the coast and countryside with stuff like Hever, Leeds Castle etc. is all easy.

I found a house in Seal at Sevenoaks - can anyone share their views on this area please?

Agree with MrsBertBibby

Have a look at Warlingham (station is upper warlingham) and Whyteleafe or Kenley. There are also stations at both Whyteleafe and Kenley.

We are zone 6, on the edge of town and country. Schools all okay, both state and private + access to Kent/Croydon Grammars. Waitrose in Caterham and Hamsey Green. Independent shops - Reigate and Oxted are better but all driving distance. Easy access to Gatwick - 20 mins. Most of the trains out of upper warlingham go to Victoria but there are also direct trains to London Bridge, or change at East Croydon.

Houses tend to be cheaper because we are hilly! Expect problems when it snows. But if you are lucky you will get a decent view.

Croydon Grammars.

Sutton. Croydon is comprehensive, as is Surrey.

Warlingham and Riddlesdown secondary schools (comps) are both very good.

Upper Warlingham (Oxted line) and Whyteleafe (Caterham line) are within 3 minutes walk of each other. You can always tell when a train has been cancelled by the sudden rush of people racing across the A22 from one station to the other. It's as majestic as wildebeest crossing the Serengeti.

@Isithalftermyet

Croydon doesn't have state grammars, got rid in the 1970's. Unless things have improved the schools are dire

Riddlesdown is outstanding, as it happens.

Sorry stucknoue - I meant Wallington Girls/boys. I guess I think of them as Croydon but really Sutton... Massively over subscribed though.

Seal is a lovely village, very small but may be cut off in snow. Not sure about the secondary school situation - think there is only one comp in Sevenoaks, Knole Academy? Maybe check the transport situation there as you'd need to drive to the station otherwise.

Yeah we did have a look and we were thinking of cycling to the Sevenoaks station - we currently both cycle to work but wanted to know what the roads are like from Seal and Sevenoaks.

Thank you again for all your suggestions, we really appreciate it and look forward to more responses.

From Cheam Village you can cycle into central London.

OP, if you're thinking of living in a village within cycling distance of a town with amenities or the station, then you'll probably have a lot more options. Have you been on any day trips to check places out?

I moved out from London to near Three Bridges around 4 years ago. The nicer parts are on the eastern side of the rail lines, Maidenbower, Pound Hill and Worth. PP suggested the station was better for Victoria but with the new Thameslink service, there are more trains going to London Bridge and the journey time in peak commute is 30 mins, your ticket would be less than £400 a month. Should easily be able to get a 3 bed for £400K, possibly a small detached.
You have Tilgate Park which is very big, lovely lake/pond, genuinely nice and they do a Parkrun every Saturday. Crawley town centre is a little dated, but they have all the shops you could want in the mall, and a quaint looking old high street. Additionally you have the leisure park with great cinema, 10 pin bowling and restaurants. Also there is the Hawth theatre which puts on a few good shows
The primary schools near me are well rated and the secondary schools are decent.
I know Crawley itself has a poor reputation but I have been very pleasantly surprised. Plus, the coast is a 20/25 min drive or train ride away, surrounded by countryside, Gatwick on your doorstep. Gatwick is north of Crawley and the runway runs east to west, and the flight path circles round Crawley, not over it, so you are not affected by aircraft noise.

It’s a doable cycle from Seal to Sevenoaks station but bear in mind it’s largely down a busy A-road , albeit most of the ride 30mph, so not for everyone and the last bit is uphill. Lots cycle to the station and there’s plenty of cycle parking but make sure you have a decent lock. The traffic snarls up pretty badly post 8am which will slow you a little as well if you go in later.

We went to see a couple of houses in Seal today and really liked the village. However, DH thought the houses were a bit small. I explained that our budget wouldn't really give us what we want: nice big garden, good schools, easy commute to London, nice neighbourhood etc. We will look at three bridges and Sutton next. It was a good reality check, we might have to hold off from buying now

Thank you everyone for your input.

Best of luck

You're in your 20's so you'll have plenty of time to move up the property ladder. No one starts off with a big, fancy house. So take a deep breath, OP.

When you're down Sutton way, Cheam Village would be your best spot for Waitrose and independent shops, but Carshalton Village is worth a look as it's very charming (Co-Op and Sainsbury's + fab leisure centre, library and pubs there). For a quiet spot, you could look at Carshalton Beeches as you'd be a short walk from a coutry park, lavender fields, pastures with sheep etc (a golf course and a climbing wall too).
All the locations are close together so easy to check out in one go.