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Original poster

Where is reasonable near Brighton?

43 replies

4happyhours · 12/03/2021 06:26

Just been verbally offered a job in Brighton and am looking for (single mum, two older kids) three bed options where I can commute up to maybe half an hour or so (have car or the jobs ten mins from station) to work but be able to get to Petersfield within an hour at weekends. I guess this means north and west of Brighton. I don’t know the area at all. I know Brighton town well but not the outlying towns. Salary will be c£46k I estimate, so that will limit mortgages.

OP posts:
lavenderlou · 12/03/2021 06:30

Burgess Hill might be ok. It's on the train line to Brighton but also near the A272 to Petersfield. It's traditionally been a bit cheaper than some of the other places in the area.

fairydustandpixies · 12/03/2021 06:37

Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor?

FruitBadger · 12/03/2021 06:52

Parking / traffic on Brighton in normal times can be awful, unless you need your car for work I'd suggest getting public transport in. Shoreham is worth looking at - there's a few routes to Petersfield and you can get there avoiding the A27 which can also have quite a few bottlenecks.

zzzebra · 12/03/2021 07:11

Go for train over car. Unless your work is North of the Station and has free parking. The traffic and parking costs are horrific.

Train wise you can go west or north, but not north west. North is probably better for the drive to Petersfield, as you're nearer to the A272.

If you go North there is Burgess Hill & Haywards Heath which are both under 20mins on train. Burgess Hill is going through a lot of regeneration at the moment so the town is a bit empty now but hopefully in a few years will have a cinema and more restaurants. Haywards Heath is considered more upmarket, it has slightly better train links, and more restaurants/shops but will probably never have things like a cinema.

If you got west then Worthing is nice and a popular choice for commuters. But it will take you 30mins on the train plus extra for walking either side.

pilates · 12/03/2021 07:12

Worthing/Lancing

zzzebra · 12/03/2021 07:14

Also if you're thinking of buying for a basic 3-bed house in any of these areas you'll need to spend around £300k+.

zzzebra · 12/03/2021 07:41

You could also look at cheaper areas of Brighton and get a bus or cycle to work.

Moulscoomb, but there are a lot of shared student houses so noise may be an issue. Or Woodingdean, which is more expensive that moulscoomb but not a student sort of place and has good access to the A27.

MazekeenSmith · 12/03/2021 07:43

Worthing, you can get a 3 bed on the salary you have if you have a deposit (I've just done exactly that)
Littlehampton is even cheaper if you are able to get the train into Brighton instead of driving. Driving is very slow.

Camomila · 12/03/2021 08:12

Burgess Hill is nice if you've got kids.

Woodingdean and Coldean are reasonably priced areas of Brighton, a bit out of the way but fine if you've got a car.

FruitBadger · 12/03/2021 10:08

Burgess Hill would work well for working in Brighton but there's no way you'd get from there to Petersfield in under an hour.

Steyning?

Original poster
4happyhours · 13/03/2021 07:10

Thanks so much. I just learned from first mortgage adviser that I’d probably only be able to borrow £180k so if I can save more than £20k that will put me into the £200k bracket but not the £250 I was hoping for, and there is not a lot out there that’s three beds (or 2 bed with a spare reception that can be converted to a spare room) for that kind of money anywhere. Littlehampton or newhaven seem cheaper but newhaven for sure might be too far out??
There is some parking at workplace; I’ll have to ask if I could secure one ...

OP posts:
millenialblush · 13/03/2021 07:21

Worthing is lovely and good transport to brighton, Lancing is a slightly cheaper option

3happyhours · 13/03/2021 08:13

@millenialblush

Worthing is lovely and good transport to brighton, Lancing is a slightly cheaper option
I do really like Worthing too ... just little to nothing for 200k.
MazekeenSmith · 13/03/2021 08:16

@millenialblush

Worthing is lovely and good transport to brighton, Lancing is a slightly cheaper option
Lancing isn't cheaper than Worthing.

OP no you won't get 3 bedrooms for £200k but you can definitely get a decent 2 bed.

zzzebra · 13/03/2021 08:37

For that budget you're going to struggle to find something in or west of Brighton. Except maybe a flat in somewhere like Littlehampton, which is around 45mins+ drive to Brighton but not possible on train.

If you went east then you'd probably be able to get something in Polegate or maybe Eastbourne. Which are around 30-45minutes train or drive from Brighton.

You might just about have enough for Newhaven, but personally it's not somewhere I'd want to live. Especially in the areas you're likely to be able to afford.

Have you looked at part-buy? There are a lot of new developments around Brighton that offer schemes.

millenialblush · 13/03/2021 08:39

Well having lived in both and currently living in one of those areas I can say that yes, lancing is cheaper because the housing stock is not as good as Worthing Hmm

OP have you looked at Newhaven? The other way along the coast but more affordable.

3happyhours · 14/03/2021 04:49

Thanks yes, I had looked at newhaven; possibly a little further away from the links to get to Petersfield?
I've found somewhere in littlehampton that's 215 and I can probably get to that; spoke to another mortgage advisor yesterday who reckons I can get to 216 or thereabouts ... is littlehampton just too far? Or so I keep looking for Worthing or lancing two beds with scope for a conservatory/summer house?
I will have my 16yo who will be away at boarding school for sixth form and my 20yo is adamant he only wants to visit in a spare room not a permanent room ... obviously I'd like to be able to offer him a room whenever so would love three rooms or a spare reception that's convertible ...

Ploughingthrough · 14/03/2021 05:47

Sounds like you need to be West of Brighton really to get to Petersfield easily. Littlehampton to Brighton is quite far - will you be driving? The Worthing by-pass is pretty awful in the rush hours. If you are taking the train it might not be so bad.
Have you looked at parts of East Worthing? Lancing? North Brighton such as Hollingbury or Coldean?
Burgess Hill is okay and improving and good links into Brighton - not sure your budget will be enough these days.

Chewingle · 14/03/2021 05:57

Op
Given new job and area and such a low budget
I would rent. Cheap and cheerful but convenient for the kids and you
See if the job pans out
Get to know the area
Save like a Trojan to increase deposit

Chewingle · 14/03/2021 05:58

Ah just seen ages of kids

MazekeenSmith · 14/03/2021 06:35

@millenialblush

Well having lived in both and currently living in one of those areas I can say that yes, lancing is cheaper because the housing stock is not as good as Worthing Hmm

OP have you looked at Newhaven? The other way along the coast but more affordable.

I've literally been looking for a property to buy in lancing for months and have had to go for Worthing because the type of property I want is not available in lancing in my budget. There is very little housing available in lancing which makes what there is more expensive than Worthing where there is more availability
3happyhours · 14/03/2021 11:31

Yeah, I'm saving madly now to get a deposit, but can't see how I will ave much if I'm renting and there's the cost of rent which always seems silly when it could be going into somewhere I own ... there's the psychological aspect of owning having come out of a twenty year marriage and wanting to stand on my own feet and get on the market too ... the property in LH is close to station, so that bit is easy - is the connection at Worthing regular and easy?

Sussexbonfireviking · 14/03/2021 11:37

I live in a village just outside Newhaven, and was originally thinking ew... newhaven, crappy place.

Our village (Denton) is lovely, we have a great community feel, lots of support. 27 mins on the train to Brighton, but the wrong side of Brighton to Petersfield in an hour

3happyhours · 14/03/2021 11:51

Yeah, that's the issue by going that side of things ... really want to be able to get to her within an hour, as that was the reason to move south ... however, are trains to Petersfield any better from that side of things? It's all such a new area to me (obvs I know and love Brighton!) so I'm getting a sense of what's what and where... what might look ok on a map might be hideous with traffic, but what looks too far might in fact be streamlined with Public transport ....

zzzebra · 14/03/2021 12:38

The main problem with Littlehampton is that both trains are on single track, so any issues and the whole line is blocked. Plus it looks like it's 1 train an hour so miss it and it's a long wait.

Personally because your children aren't home full time I'd go for a 2 bed in Burgess Hill or Worthing over a 3 bed in Littlehampton. The journey time from Burgess hill is 15minutes or it's 30minutes from Worthing. Both also have the option of a bus if trains aren't running.

Plus I imagine you'd save a lot in train fare.

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