Teeny house in Brighton vs big house on Kent coast

[ataloss8]

Myself, DH and our 3 year old son are looking to move to the coast and are torn between buying a very small property in our favourite location (Brighton) or going for a bigger place with more space somewhere like Folkestone or Margate.

Our budget is £400k, which having looked at Rightmove, would just about get us a teeny tiny house with a courtyard garden in our preferred part of Brighton (Hanover/Kemptown), or a much bigger place (three bed with a larger garden) in Kent. We definitely want a house, not a flat and aren't prepared to compromise on that.

I'm a bit concerned about Folkestone as having looked on FB, it seems there's quite a divide between the locals and newbies. I also worry about the lack of diversity and the right wing element, which obviously isn't an issue in Brighton. We really want to be somewhere with a close-knit and accepting community.

Does anyone have any experience of living in these places and what they're like for kids?

What would you do?

What are the schools like in each area? That would be a main thought of mine with a DC of your age.
How does each location stack up in regards to commute, facilities you want etc?

Kent has a grammar school system which would put me off.

Brighton has much more of a small city vibe than Folkestone or Margate.
There is quite a lot of coastal property between the two as well! Have you considered the Sussex coast? Is it because of London commute?

There is an awful lot of coast to choose from in the UK. Are you restricted to Brighton or Kent because of work/ family committments?

Schools look fine I think - there are good/outstanding rated primaries in both areas (though I'd welcome any insights from people more in the know!)

We would like to be within easy reach of London and again I think both locations are good on that front.

I think it just comes down to space vs location ultimately - Brighton is the better location in my opinion for the reasons mentioned in my first post, BUT we'd be living in a teeny space with no spare cash!

There is an awful lot of coast to choose from in the UK. Are you restricted to Brighton or Kent because of work/ family committments?

We like East Sussex and Kent because they're within easy reach of London and seem like nice places to live in general! We're trying to narrow down our search as well, which is why we've honed in on a few potential locations that we think tick most of our boxes.

Hastings and St Leonard's might be worth a look. Some really lovely properties, a great community feel, thriving art scene, and although the train to London might be a bit longer than Brighton etc you always get a seat!

There are nice parts (well... a small part) of Margate however if I did live in Thanet (used to, moved away and not looked back) it would be Broadstairs. It's much nicer and doesn't have a sad run down high street like Margate has.

I'm not buying in to the whole gentrification of Margate. The old town has some nice little independent restaurants/tea rooms but doesn't ignore the run down high street or the fact it is a typical seaside town and is seasonal. Also even though more people are moving in to the area, it doesn't exactly displace some of the more... interesting characters there.

@JackieWeaverhastheauthority I really like St Leonard's and Hastings, but I wasn't sure how good the secondary schools are there. I know our son is only little at the moment, but we've moved around a lot over the years and want this to be our final move if possible!

I have friends in Portsmouth and Southampton who really like those locations, which is why I asked. I moved to London when I got married. I must admit that being stuck in a tiny house with small children was tough. We couldn't really afford to do much tbh. My sister had a much better quality of life in a bigger house with a garden and lovely countryside. My ds has moved to a town close to his aunty and has no desire to be near London. I know everybody is different though.

I lived in Brighton.
My experience was as a poor young person in the 2000s but what I found was that living there was no fun.
All this great stuff to do but I had no money or time to do anything.
All the visitors will piss you off when you are just trying to get shit done.
I remember clearly the day Fat Boy Slim played for free on the seafront. I had been at work all day and was trying to get home, on foot. It took forever because every road I needed to cross lead to the beach and I couldn’t get across for the sheer volume of people.

There has been a lot of changes to secondaries in the town itself, but lots of kids go to Rye or Robertsbridge, or St Richards on Bexhill. In 9 years times, who knows what secondary education will look like?!

All the visitors will piss you off when you are just trying to get shit done.

I don't think we'd have space for any visitors if we moved to Brighton - the house would be too small! That's another reason to move to Kent - it is nice to have the space for family and friends to stay if you want them to.

We've lived in Brighton for years and love it. I would absolutely avoid Folkestone though (it's sadly always been known as DSS land IME).

The main Brighton and Hove area is very expensive but have you tried looking a bit beyond there, like Southwick or Shoreham?

Also Worthing is now becoming very popular with young families as well as Eastbourne - typically much bigger houses there for the equivalent price.

I like Brighton as a 'city break' type place, but not sure I'd want to bring kids up there to be honest. It has massive drug and alcohol problems, and (in normal times) has become a 'hen and stag party' destination. And it's bloody expensive.

Have you considered Eastbourne as an alternative? Easy train links to London, and has a more 'young family friendly' vibe I think with it's mini railway, parks, and soft play centres; and it's also much, much cheaper than Brighton. Brighton and Hastings are both easily commutable as well from there.

Worthing:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E1487&minBedrooms=3&maxPrice=400000&minPrice=400000&propertyTypes=detached%2Csemi-detached%2Cterraced&primaryDisplayPropertyType=houses&mustHave=garden&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

Equivalent Eastbourne link for easy comparisons:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E470&minBedrooms=3&maxPrice=400000&minPrice=300000&propertyTypes=detached%2Csemi-detached%2Cterraced&primaryDisplayPropertyType=houses&mustHave=garden&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

All the visitors will piss you off when you are just trying to get shit done.

I don't think we'd have space for any visitors if we moved to Brighton - the house would be too small!

Bless you OP - I think StanfordPines meant tourists/ visitors to Brighton.... not your own personal visitors!

Why not Worthing?

Friends of mine with young dc ditched Brighton for Eastbourne and didn't look back.

I think given the choice being able to easily visit Brighton and do fun things would be nice without having to live in the squalor would be a great compromise.

Bless you OP - I think StanfordPines meant tourists/ visitors to Brighton.... not your own personal visitors!

Oh dear!!

Hanover is very close quarters with your neighbours, many of whom will be students. If you’re not bothered by neighbour noise then that’s fine but if you’re sensitive to it then a small terrace where you can’t escape it may be a bit suffocating.

I don’t know Kemptown as well apart from going out out there. I imagine there may be a fair amount of night/early morning noise of people coming home drunk (in normal times) but I’m very much just presuming.

And yes, the tourists will do your head in a bit in Summer! Especially if you’re after a ‘close knit, accepting community’ and what you actually see is just crowds of people covering your beach in litter.

Our first house (with a toddler and a baby) was a tiny mid terrace. Neighbours on one side were very noisy and it was miserable. We are in a semi now and have been blessed with lovely neighbours with dc of the same age. It makes a big difference to quality of life on a day to day basis.

I grew up in a seafront property in Kemptown. The seafront area and the long road behind is basically Kemptown and has a nice village atmosphere. However, avoid going any further back than that as there's a lot of council estates and social housing and the crime and drugs have typically always seeped through to the nicer area unfortunately.

For that reason, if you're choosing Brighton, I think Hanover is a much better bet. I've worked with people over the years who've had house there and loved the student vibe. Never heard any noise complaints. The only down side, and it's a big one to weigh up, is that a lot of the properties there were only meant to be temporary builders homes in Victorian times while the town was rapidly expanding. They weren't built to last so I would try and find something that's recently had work done on it and not a doer-upper. And of course get a thorough survey done etc.

Hastings or Littlehampton