Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Right, we've had enough of paying a huge mortgage on a mediocre house

191 replies

lizziehoney · 28/08/2007 22:03

so have decided to bite the bullet, up sticks and go live somewhere else! We live in the South of England, and tbh, I've had it up to here with watching half our monthly income disappearing into the mortgage black hole, when all we have to show for it is a boring as hell 3 bed semi. We both have jobs which are reasonably transferable (and have a national pay scale, so we'll earn the same wherever we live). The plan is to make our home the top priority - we want detached, old, preferably characterful and 4 bedrooms. Rural would be nice, and obvs want decent schools, but other than that we really don't mind where we go. Our extended family are scattered all over England so no preferences there. I've been quite depressed recently, and talking things over with dh, we both feel this feeling of constantly scrimping and worrying about money and not even liking the house we're in is a major factor. So - suggestions please about where we could move!

OP posts:
popsycal · 29/08/2007 09:02

will shout a bit louder this time
NORTH EAST COAST

Pixiefish · 29/08/2007 09:07

popsy- they're as rare as hens teeth but if a school is desperate and they are below their quota then they're 'allowed' but really they should doa Welsh course. You would not be able to find a teaching job in North or Mid Wales unless you spoke Welsh or ended up in one of the worst schools that just can't find teachers so will employ anyone.

All councils are meant to have a Welsh language policy so that would rule the social worker aspect out

zippitippitoes · 29/08/2007 09:16

my brother and his partner both moved to wales as social workers 2 years ago and both got jobs better than they had in england...they are in child protection...south west wales though..dyfed or poss ceredigion

TheDuchess · 29/08/2007 09:43

FFS, there is no quota for non welsh speakers in Wales, says I, a non-welsh speaker working for a Social Services department in HR.

Tinker · 29/08/2007 10:51

Yes, I knew lots of people who had teaching spouses who couldn't get teaching jobs when I was living in Wales

Piffle · 29/08/2007 11:05

notyummy I'm in Sleaford!

Notyummy · 29/08/2007 11:31

Waves frantically at Piffle.....Hello!! We only moved here in June...we were in RAF quarters in Tattershall until then. Are you are long time resident??

Original poster
lizziehoney · 29/08/2007 11:49

Interesting point about the Welsh language thing. From what I know (friends living and working in Wales)it's not a black and white issue. In the very traditional Welsh speaking parts, then there can be difficulties getting some jobs without being a welsh speaker, but in the more anglicised regions it's less of an issue. i certainly know of some teachers who don't speak welsh. Also Dh is a maths teacher which is often a shortage subject so I guess that'll help. Please keep the posts coming - this is really exciting because what's becoming clear is that it IS still possible to pick up some lovely houses for under 300K

OP posts:
Piffle · 29/08/2007 13:34

notyummy we moved here from Hants in sept 2004
ds1 is at the boys grammar, dd starts school next week and have ds2 5 mths.

which bit are you in?

CountessDracula · 29/08/2007 13:42

how about this where you live now!

CountessDracula · 29/08/2007 13:43

oh no sorry you want detached

majorstress · 29/08/2007 13:47

I have been watching the market lately and I'm certain that lizziehoney will find something along the lines that she's suggesting, as long as her family is really free to move far far away from London.

For me the issue next would be finding a nice job now on a shortlist of several of these nice places. No point living in paradise and spending all day in hell.

We want to move to for the same reasons, but have to stay in commuting distance for dh probably, and they are really putting up the rail fares!

UnquietDad · 29/08/2007 13:48

What expat says is true to an extent. If you are thinking you'll automatically get more for your money by, say, moving north, you may be in for a shock - the nicest parts of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield and the surrounding area are pretty much comparable with South-east England prices (although not London).

However, you would get a bargain by trading in a nice house in a good area of the South for a nice house in a good-ISH area of the North, or an up-and-coming one. It all depends how much of a lottery you want to play with stuff like transport, amenities and, in particular, your children's education. If they are to be state educated look very carefully at the effect good local schools have on house prices - here in Sheffield it is almost the one single over-riding factor. A decent state secondary can make the difference between a 4-bed semi going for £170K in one area and basically the same house going for £290K in another.

UnquietDad · 29/08/2007 13:50

"Well you can get detached houses in parts of Yorkshire for £280k, but not in particularly nice areas"

Wouldn't agree actually - there are suburbs of Sheffield which are classed as "nice" where that would get you a detached house, although not a huge one.

zippitippitoes · 29/08/2007 13:51

there are lots of nice houses that aren't detached though..isn't wanting a detached house a bit old fashioned?

Piffle · 29/08/2007 13:54

we are lucky here, as we have fabuous primary schools and 3 top performing secondary schools, girls and boys grammars and a good technology co ed school they have a joint 6th form which means that they all achieve very highly.

the downside is the shops you want to buy things from are a drive away

majorstress · 29/08/2007 14:00

You're right Unquiet dad, I thought that with a teacher in the family that a mediocre school would do them, but I forgot about wanting to sell it on later and the effect of the school on the price.

pipsqueeke · 29/08/2007 14:02

if you'er talking in the area of west wales then yes caridgan is v nice. not sure on the schools thou.

if you're a twacher, mum also is and one of her welsh friends wanted to retunr and teach in wales but she found that not being able to speak welsh hindered her - this was a few years back thou.

absolutly love h'west - it's lovely truely but it's a the back and beyond further round from cardigan.

this
this

what sort of a job does your DH do? I know friends children were always happy int eh local schools in haverford - they were taught the welsh language as well.

pipsqueeke · 29/08/2007 14:03

teacher even! lol.

expatinscotland · 29/08/2007 14:08

'isn't wanting a detached house a bit old fashioned? '

This is nothing old-fashioned about sanity. It never goes out of style.

zippitippitoes · 29/08/2007 14:10

yeah well i want a remote house...

but that is kind oif different from a detahced house like on an estate or something

Lazycow · 29/08/2007 14:14

Well if Lizziehoney is living in cloud cuckoo land then so are we. Dh and I have been talking about this recently. He works in higher education and has had offers of work from Cardiff and Sheffield university. We have not gone with this so far as it would mean me giving up work and looking for something else but I am getting really sick of both of us working almost FT (me 4 days and DH FT) just to live in a grotty 2 bed flat.

We currently both live in a very small 2 bedroom flat with no garden right next to a railway station (hence very noisy) on the second floor with no lift. This flat that we live in went on the market exactly one year ago and sold pretty quickly for £210,000. We ended up decideing not to sell because of various issues too boring to list

We live on the outskirts of London not in the centre. To buy a small 3 bed semi in this immediate area would cost at least £350,000 and this would be in the less desirable parts of where we are now. This also comes alongside some of the worst state secondary schools in the South East.

I think a move up North would give us a considerably better lifestyle than we currently have as we could probably afford a small 3 bed terrace or slighly better for the £350,000+ it would cost to buy something equivalent here.

expatinscotland · 29/08/2007 14:14

Not really, zippi. If you've ever lived in a detached house on an estate, and then in a semi- or terrace or flat, the difference is pronounced.

Sure, it's not without problems, but on the whole, it's my idea of Nirvana.

Boco · 29/08/2007 14:17

Suffolk is rural with lots of characterful homes - not sure about detached 4 beds for that price, but could get something old and sweet

just one less bedroom and a neighbour

UnquietDad · 29/08/2007 14:19

majorstress "I thought that with a teacher in the family that a mediocre school would do them"

I'm not sure I get that. Doesn't necessarily follow, does it?...