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?

The lottery system isn't too bad actually - my DS didn't get his first choice and ended up at his second choice for a year and a half before being offered a place at the first choice school.

At the start of year 7 we just put him on the waiting list for his first choice. You have to renew your place on the list each term and numbers drop dramatically each time as people forget or settle into the school they got. By the time he was offered a place there were only four others on the list for his year group.

When you apply for a place a computer assigns you a number. If your number is higher than the number of places available in year 7 of your first choice, you then get your second choice (my DS was 303 that year).

Nearly everyone else he knew had got their first choice though so it doesn't affect the majority.

And regarding quiet versus fun...

When I was a late teen in Brighton we knew a large group of very middle class heroin addicts from Lewis who all maintained they got into it because there was nothing to do there in the evenings and Brighton was too far away.

Thanks January.

I have considered Lewes - I really like the town, but it's extremely expensive (possibly even more so than Brighton!)

I think you’d regret not moving to Brighton, as you say it’s your favourite location. Could you not go a little further out and get a bit more for your money?

@JanuaryJonez I have heard this about teens in Lewes too. Interesting to know about the secondary situation too. I would love to move away from Brighton for larger garden and a driveway but i have researched endlessly and can't seem to find somewhere comparable. IMO Shoreham, Worthing, Peachaven, Hassocks are all dull. If you're not IN Brighton you may as well move anywhere. Brighton it seems is a drug in itself. Once you get sucked into the lifestyle it is nearly impossible to drag yourself away....

I'm not sure galaxy. I'm going to go back through the thread, draw up a list of locations that people have suggested and then once lockdown eases, DH and I will go and have a look at them and also view some properties. I think that will help us make a decision!

If you're not IN Brighton you may as well move anywhere. Brighton it seems is a drug in itself. Once you get sucked into the lifestyle it is nearly impossible to drag yourself away....

It's true, there doesn't seem to be anywhere else like it (that I'm aware of anyway!)

Always a joy to read someone calling your hometown dull! 🤣

No I don't mind really - I love shoreham and far prefer living here over Brighton ( lived in both).
Essentially for me I can swim in the sea, run along the river, and cycle up in the Downs all within walking distance from my house.
I can eat and drink at a pavement cafe and get posh food / home wares from the local shops as well as the usual small high street mainstays.

I can be in Brighton in 10 minutes on a train if I want to.

However, can I pop out to a theatre, the Laines, 50 pubs, or a seafront bar? No.

But I do have a 4 bedroom house with a good garden, garage and amazing schools on my doorstep.

Terribly dull...

😃

@Bemoreme21 that's a good way of putting it - it is like a strange drug - it's certainly had mind-altering substances at its heart for 200 years.

We've sometimes considered moving ourselves as DH grew up in the countryside, but I think we're so 'Brighton' now that we just wouldn't fit in anywhere else!

This is the sort of thing we could afford in Hanover, which looks nice:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88872280#/

@Proudboomer's house in Tarring also looks lovely I must say!

Saint Leonards is nice , lots of arty types , lovely architecture, you can get more for your money than in Brighton

Dull old shoreham ...

Have a look at Shoreham, v nr Brighton. Sadly 400k won’t get much in Btn, and there is the danger of thin walls and being next to a student house.

Or have a look in hollingbury as pp said. Otherwise know as the dip. Make sure you are on the right side for the sun.

Have you see the hills?!?! And the parking?!? It’s no joke!

Or the area nr Preston Circus, central and quiet.

I love Shoreham, that's probably where I'd go if we moved out of Brighton. We go to the beach there in the summer rather than go to Brighton. It's a 15 minute drive from the part of Brighton we are in. It's not in any way like Brighton though if that's what the OP is after.

Big house over teeny every time.

I have two boys in secondary here. They are doing great. I'm very happy with the schools. They're not even druggies or trans

I don’t live in Worthing so my feelings are not offended that someone thinks it is boring
But if you think
2 cinemas
A theatre
A pier
Numerous seafront bars, cafes and restraunts
Sea front childs playground
Brand new swimming pool right on the sea front
Leisure centre
Bowling alley
A museum
Wednesday street market
Worthing lions parade and fun fair in summer
The Worthing eye
More than one park and other open spaces.

Are all boring then I don’t know what you are looking to do in your spare time.

I agree @terribletea - I am obviously biased and love shoreham very much. It you are 100% right that it is not in anyway a similiar experience to living in central Brighton.
It is in easy reach of Brighton and a lovely place in its own right, but a totally different vibe.

@missfliss I'm sorry if i offended you. I get what you are saying but it depends on priorities. We have young DC and pre Covid were going out 2-3 x a week to comedy gigs or to the pub to meet friends. Being central Brighton means one of us can nip out for an hour or so after the kids have gone down. Equally we can easily get a babysitter for a couple of hours to go and watch a gig together and only be 10 minutes away from home. Moving a bit further away means we probably wouldn't do this as it becomes more of an ordeal. I know this isn't an issue to most families but it is to us.

@terribletea what secondary school is it?

"Agree about Littlehampton but Hastings again has always had a DSS reputation IME"

What's a DSS reputation?

We ditched London for Brighton and now DS is 3 there just isn’t the room and we’re looking to move further out tbh

It's alright @Bemoreme21 - I also have young kids but I never went out 2/3 a week even when I was child free and lived in Brighton!

I'm not offended but do disagree that the towns you mentioned are like living anywhere - my priorities are very different to yours ( I think I've been middle aged most of my life)! But what I love about shoreham is that it is a really quirky town ( have you seen the houseboats?) in its own right, with an amazing landscape - but we get the benefits of the 'Brighton drift' phenomenon of more and more folks moving along the coast.

You are quite right to say that Brighton is unique - it really is and that is indisputable.

The towns mentioned though are very far from dull or bland by any measure - but I won't be so sensitive about it x

DSS is Department of Social Security (now changed). Typically houses converted into small apartments where all the tenants have their rent paid by the council etc.