First Time Buyers in Redhill?

[BumblebeeSurrey]

Hey everyone

We're looking at areas south of london with about a 45 minute commute at most to waterloo and Redhill keeps being one that pops up. Properties within our price range (£300-£350k), great commute etc, but neither my partner or I know much about Redhill and surrounding areas.
Any recommendations of areas to aim for or avoid?
Thanks!

As with any area there are good and bad points to Redhill, but overall its a nice town though there are nicer close by but possibly out of price range.

The town centre is dated and doesn't have a lot going for it, Reigate has some nice shops or Crawley is only a short drive/train journey away which has all the main high street stuff.

Traffic wise its busy, like all towns around that area it is fairly heavily dependent on the airport for employment.

We used to head to Crawley for cinema and nightlife so can't tell you what Redhill is like for that, but should you ever need it the hospital is fab. The staff have always been lovely. The parking is shite but they don't charge the earth which is nice!

You need to visit. Property and areas vary wildly. - victorian,1930s and 1970s styles predominate plus new build estates. The town centre is pretty depressing if being regenerated , but that has been the case for 30 odd years. Only difference is builders are on site for now. The outlying villages are nice but no train service to Nutfield at the moment due to landslides. Merstham is ok in parts. 300k won't go far though especially near a station.

It's a very rundown and charmless town.

DD1 lives with her young family on the Watercolour development and loves it there. They bought in Redhill for the same reason as you OP - the commute is fast to London.
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/52860889?search_identifier=a334e6d4073f7cbe6c6ad70b112fa681

Redhill has several areas - the centre, Earlswood - about 3/4 miles south of centre with own station on mainline and mostly Victorian/30s houses, Meadvale, which is to south of Reigate and Merstham, to north of Redhill, also with own station on mainline.

You do need to visit and drive round areas. The centre has the main chain stores of a town like where smiths and m and s. It isn’t cool or trendy and Reigate 2 miles away has the cafe culture and boutique shops and more expensive houses but not got the good rail connection.

Cheapest bits of Redhill are south Earlswood beyond the hospital and nearer Salford’s station rather than Earlswood. You’d get a 3 bed terrace for 350,000 there, or on the estate in Merstham.

Check out the areas and also schools. For primary, St Johns (between Meadvale and Earlswood) and Earlswood and Merstham Primary are fairly sought after. Lime tree is a new primary. For secondary kids go to Warwick (least sought after) or Reigate School if they live in the right bit of a Earlswood or Meadvale, or St Bedes (most sought after) from anywhere in Reigate or Redhill or villages if you have a 3 year record of regular Church attendance.

There are nicer and less nice bits. There is lots of countryside and nice parks in the town or nearby. Redhill isn’t a twee market town but lots of people are very happy there and huge numbers commute with journeys of about 30 mins from Redhill and perhaps 40mins from Earlswood or Merstham.

You’d need to visit. Go to the town centre (quite run down and wide range of people present there) and Memorial Park and Earlswood lakes/common and mercer’s Lake to get a feel.

Lived for a year in Redhill in 2011 and it was fine. Town centre a little grotty, but travel to zone 1 excellent. Reiagte just down the road, Brighton not too far away.

My grandsons go to Lime Tree. DD very happy with it.

Agree with pps - you need to go visit. We are FTBs, need to commute to London and trying to buy in Redhill too. Town is a bit meh but have a huge Sainsbury's, Earlswood is nice. There are some really nice areas such as St Johns but can quite expensive. Went to check out Park 25 last month but DH and I didn't like it very much, the buildings were looking old already, despite being only c.12 years old.

Depending on how many rooms you're looking for - your budget can get you a decent property - much more than what we would get in London anyway...! I know a lady from another thread that is about to put her house on the market at St Johns, it's a small 3 bed but very nicely decorated, within your budget too. Let me know if you're interested.

Best of luck!

What type of property do you want? How many bedrooms? Depending on the answer to that your budget might be realistic or rather off beam. For instance you could get a nice 2 bedroom flat in one of the new build blocks in Royal Earlswood Park for that, with one or two allocated parking spaces. Short walk to Earlswood Station, good facilities with gym and pool and really nice grounds. Walking distance to Earlswood Lakes and the facilities of Earlswood, longer walk or short bus to Redhill and Reigate. But if you are thinking family home a flat probably wouldn’t work for you. A 3 bed house for that money as others have said is possible but further away from the transport. Watercolour worth considering and you can commute from either Merstham or Redhill from there and consider cycling to the station. Some parts of Redhill will have things. Redhill is always just about to be on the up but this tome there are bulldozers and builders in sight working on a regeneration which will bring a cinema, shops and new flats (there is a lot of converting of office buildings into tiny flats going on). Reigate lovely to spend time in with a beautiful park. You might get something in Woodhatch (furthest area from any station). Good luck!

@BumblebeeSurrey, your post was perfectly timed for me. DH and I are FTBs looking to move to Surrey from West London. We're looking at Reigate/Redhill and Caterham areas, but any advice on other towns we should consider would be much appreciated. No kids yet, but in the works, so good nursery/primary schools would be a plus. More keen on a detached house, and have a decent budget (£700-750k). . Thanks a bunch in advance!