Family friendly commuting town that is also affordable?

[Marghe87]

DH and I are planning on buying a property soon but as we have a LO at nursery full time and a low deposit, we cannot take on a large mortgage - infact, a fairly small one (at least for London and surrounding areas).
I was looking into Reading as we’d need somewhere that is very well connected with central London (frequent and fast trains) for our jobs but then I read a few things that put me off it. I’d like somewhere that is safe and childfriendly, with good schools as well as ideal for commuters. AIBU?
Our budget is £300K for a 2 bed.

Thank you!

Hate to say it but it actually gets more difficult once they are in school as you then have holidays to deal with too. Before we left London we negotiated home working days so that one of us is always nearby. I know this isn't always an option though, it's so tough to know what to do for the best! We debated for years really before finally leaving.

Before we moved away we considered buying further out for more space/greenery (we lived in Tottenham). We looked at Forest Hill/Honor Oak, Mitcham, Morden, Barnet. These were all relatively cheap by London standards, although this was four years ago. Might be worth thinking about.

There are some nice parts of Reading. Look at Caversham. Schools are good, nice village feel whilst still be close to Reading centre, by the river. It's easy to get to the station by bike/walking.Traffic is a bit of a nightmare though.

Where abouts do you work?

You need to look at mainline stations that don’t then mean another 20-30 mins on the tube to get to your office

A lot of these commutes will definitely not be an hour "door to door". You need to factor in how close to the station you live, waiting times, delays, tube on the other end etc. I live in a city that is "20 mins to St Pancras", and work in the City. In reality, my door to door commute is always over an hour and sometimes a lot over. Factor in the exorbitant costs of the trains as well. Thousands a year.

You’d be better to try and save more for a bigger deposit. Two of you commuting in to London from outside will be £££.

Redhill, Surrey.

About half an hour into Victoria - then obviously you have to factor in your onward journey.

£300k would get you a 2 bed flat.

Also Horley, Surrey.

Shhhh to all the posters mentioning Didcot - we want people to continue to think it is soulless and awful, so no one comes. Kidding of course, but honestly - it isn't bad at all (especially if you don't buy on the new build estates - Old Didcot is lovely as is East Hagbourne). Easily can get a top 2 bed for 300k, and some 3 beds for this price. Tons of nature and greenery on your doorstep, very fast transport into London (and plenty of people who do it daily), good nurseries and schools (at secondary, plus local independent). However, as someone who commuted 5 days a week from Didcot to Horseferry, absolutely NO WAY it could be done in 1 hour door to door. Heck, getting from my part of central London to Paddington often took 30-45 mins. So I would think very wisely about any outside locations (even Reading won't get you an hour door to door).

Sorry but I think you’re going to be quite hard pushed at that budget, there aren’t many areas close enough for a swift commute that you will be in budget for.

As others have said, the further out places will often mean eye watering fare prices, especially if you’re both commuting.

Farnborough might be possible if you can scrape together a little more; it’s a 30 min train to Waterloo so sub 1hr d2d might be doable. Not the best area but not the worst either. Basingstoke another option but it’s large and sprawling so not always walkable to the station plus many people say it’s not that great a place.

With such a tight timeframe you’ll need to work from what station you need to get into.

I agree, door to door in an hour, normally needs ro include time to get to the station, wait five mins, and time to walk to the station to thr workplace.

So you’re looking at a 45 min train time max. I’d also look at fare costs, peak hour travel for two people can be extortionate. When between you you spend close to grand a month on travel, then child care on top, before any actual living costs, it starts to look very different

£300k would be a 2 bed flat in surbiton or chessington. Train is 30 minutes to Waterloo

Greens School Lane, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-86647474.html

Farnborough, 1 minute away from the station and £325k

The problem with living somewhere far from work (and an hour's commute outside London can be quite far is if childcare shuts at 6pm and your train is delayed or cancelled or whatever. I have had many stressful panics over the years and it's not fun.

You also need to consider how near to the station you are.
PPs have talked about "surrounding areas" or "villages near" a town with train links. If you're adding a car journey to the train (and possibly tube) that adds another layer of cost (fuel, car parking) and potential for hold ups.

Have you considered looking along the cross rail route?

The thing is, with such a tight timeframe, you also need either very frequent trains, or a service that leaves at the perfect time. It's not like the tube where you just show up and there's a train in a minute or two.

It's no help that your train journey "only" takes 50 minutes if you're hanging round on the platform for another 45 minutes waiting for departure time.
Or constantly having to leave meetings 20 minutes early to race off for your train.

The good thing about Reading is that there are loads of trains, as practically every Paddington departure goes through it.

But even though those trains only take 25 minutes, you still have to factor in say, 15 minutes for the tube, then maybe 10 minutes on the platform until the train leaves ,maybe 10 minutes waiting for the bus at the other end, and 15 minutes actually on the bus, and 5 minute walk from the bus stop.
You'd be lucky to be back in an hour, and it would be risky to base your childcare around it.

You only have to be delayed a few moments to miss your usual train.

I live in Reading, it's not crap. However I would not suggest that both of you to commute to London every day if you have children. One of you needs to be closer to hand, unless you have family nearby. Kids get sick, they forget their packed lunch, etc. You can't both be over an hour away if you're needed ASAP. If you both must work full time in London then you probably need to live closer.

I know exactly where you mean and a 2 bed for 300k would be a tall ask!! Lovely village though.

If you will settle for a flat instead of a house, lots of places will deliver a 2 bed with a commute far less than an hour. Lots have been mentioned on here.

Getting somewhere walking distance to the mainline station will be key and on the line you need so your inward journey isn't too much and ideally a walk.

Yes, you need to say where you need to get to. It totally alters where is workable and where isn't.

Some people have mentioned places like Surbiton and Redhill which are about 30 min journeys to Waterloo (Surbiton) or Lomdon Bridge or Vicoria (Redhill) - if you can live within 5 mins walk of the station or so, the you've still got scope for a 10-15 min journey at other end. You will be looking at flats to be close to the station.

Tell us where you need to get to.

Northampton. I love it here.

Have a look at Chesham

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87080236#/

Scotland.

Tonbridge in Kent.
You'll get what you want for your money. Trains every 10 minutes, 45 minute journey to Charing Cross or Cannon Street.
Good schools, great park and bustling town centre.