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?

I was quite fascinated by this place - it looks like a good option if you like peace and quiet, judging by StreetView!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87858349#/

Brighton all the way. Hanover and the part of Kemp Town I would imagine you are looking at are great, and there are lots of young families. We lived in that area when we had DS1 and I wish we had never left. There are great play groups, always something going on, and it’s just the best place to live. Schools in that are are good, and it’s easy to access the beach, Queen’s Park, the Level etc.

And yes, Romney Marsh can feel quite remote. It has a very unique feel and wonky suit everyone. It’s cheap for a reason. There are nice bits, but if you live Brighton, it’s very different.

A good alternative might be Worthing, which is getting more and more of a Brighton vibe, but I suspect prices are starting to mirror that.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/84089968#/

This is rather nice in Eastbourne.

For me personally I’d choose a decent size house somewhere more affordable and less built up, especially with a young kid. Lockdown has really highlighted the importance of space for me (not that I have a lot). Also it’s one thing having a 2 year old in a small house but another to have older, adult sized kids in a small house.

My family live in seaford not far from Brighton. Would somewhere like that offer you better housing options but still easy train into Brighton?

I don’t see the attraction on Brighton as a place to live personally, but I understand that some people really love its atmosphere and politics. I surely don’t consider it diverse as such. Interestingly I currently live in a rural village which is not diverse at all really and yet everyone here is really kind and I like that there isn’t such a divide between those living in social housing roads (me) and those who live in 600k + houses and there’s a traveller community who have livesd here a long time and are part of the community. So in someways there’s more mixing between groups than there is in many cities where there is a divide between large estates and more expensive areas.

Housing/location is so personal though. Everyone has different priorities.

Thanks @Equimum! Which bit were you in if you don’t mind me asking - Hanover or Kemptown? One thing I was thinking is that if we did move there and realize we’d made a terrible mistake, the houses do seem to hold their value and sell very quickly, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world?

Someone I know from Brighton moved to Eastbourne. Said it is nice and attracting more families, creatives etc.

If you like Hanover, the area around The Patch is good, lots of families and all the kids play in the park. Great community feel. Lots of events in The Patch too.

You can still visit Brighton and enjoy it without living there. I loved it as a student but it's not a 'real life' kind of place. You'd be cramped with a growing son and a tiny garden in a buzzy, noisy, smelly city.

@terribletea thanks - I don’t know that area, but just found this!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/84391837#/

The street looks lovely!

It is difficult because it's a fantastic place to live in many ways, but I lived in a house as you describe in that area of Brighton (Lynton Street) with a 3 year old and a 1 year old and it did feel very cramped.

I would do it again with just one small child for their primary years, but probably not if it is to be the forever home.

Hello
I saw this article and thought you might enjoy it.

metro.co.uk/2021/02/13/what-i-own-journalist-susie-paid-a-23500-deposit-for-a-margate-flat-14023402/

@ataloss8
Yes that's exactly where I mean. That house is close to the entrance to the park too! My friend has a house that backs onto that park and she has three kids with a tiny garden but the park is their garden and there are always familiar faces in the park. They have a couple of little festivals in the park each year and it has a nice community feel where everyone helps each other out.

That house is in elm grove, not kemp town or Hanover.
It is on a hill and so make sure you are pretty fit and it is very popular with students due to the fact it is cheaper than other parts of Brighton and good links to the university.
Wouldn’t be my choice to live there but it is probably all you can afford in Brighton.

Well all of Hanover is on a hill really. In fact most of Brighton is very hilly.
I don't live in that area and chose to move to the suburbs to get a garden and a garage but my friend loves it there and it sounded like the kind of feel that OP was looking for.
If you are interested you could ask the people who live there. They have a Facebook page

m.facebook.com/williamclarkepark/

We live along the coast near Worthing and have a 3 bedroom house with large garden which is worth about £350,000. Have lived in Hove previously but now we have a family live 9 miles away from Brighton. We are 10 mins from the beach really close to all transport links and within easy reach of Brighton. Maybe you could consider abit further out of Brighton where you would get more for your money.

That house is in elm grove, not kemp town or Hanover.
It is on a hill and so make sure you are pretty fit

It’s about a five minute walk from Hanover and doesn’t appear to be any more hilly than Hanover either, judging by StreetView.

Thanks very much for the suggestion @terribletea, it looks like a really interesting option!

Just moved out of Brighton along the coast to Rottingdean, much happier, it’s cleaner, no antisocial behaviour, obvious drug/alcohol issues, surrounded by the Downs with a great seafront, pubs, restaurants etc. 10 mins bus ride to Brighton. Not much cheaper tho unfortunately

Op if you really are interested in that house check the crime stats for within half a mile of that property.
I randomly choose july of last year
Anti social behaviour 98 reported
Violence and sexual assaults 70 reported
www.streetcheck.co.uk/crime/bn23ap/2020/07
Some months have nothing where other months makes it look terrible but even if you average it out it still doesn’t look that appealing.

Another one saying Eastbourne or Worthing/Lancing

I wouldn’t buy in lancing as they are about to start building 600 new houses plus an IKEA on the old mash barn farm.
The traffic is already a nightmare on the 259 and the top road and this will make it much worse.
Plus the new devopmrnt is on a flood plain so not good.

I am in the bn12 postcode but if I was looking to move I would seriously consider this
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/102638159#/streetView

Tarring village. Near to a great primary and in the heart of the village but close to west Worthing station.

Avoid lancing. It's about to be devastated by a massive new housing development and ikea. It will take hours to get anywhere if you try to travel eastwards.

I know East Sussex and Kent well. Of all the places mentioned, Brighton would be bottom of may list to live, especially with a young family. Many of the other smaller coastal towns have a cultural/art side to them, and majority have decent art galleries now. Bexhill especially so which often gets overlooked.
400k in any of these areas isn't an especially high budget, but you can certainly get more for your money in a much safer and better suited area for young families outside of Bton.

Our family have lived in Folkestone for three years now and you are right to an extent about the divide on social media - there are some miserable old buggers here who have been here ten generations and really resent the influx of DFLs (Down from London-ers) coming down and ‘gentrifying’ the town. However, in real life I haven’t experienced this at all - possibly as there are so many community groups that I have only chosen to mix with those with similar interests. I love it and have found that for a young family it is is perfect. I would choose it over almost all of the places mentioned (have family in Margate and it remains the shithole it has been since the 80’s despite all the protests to the contrary). I do think your claims that it is very right wing here are unfair. It’s actually very bohemian and liberal as we have huge investment in the arts...it’s just perhaps not quite as ‘woke’ as Brighton (which to my mind is no bad thing). Feel free to ask any questions about specific locations or properties if you do end up seriously considering it as an option 😁