Where can I buy a nice house for under £200k

[gettingamoveon]

We are looking to downsize and go mortgage free for a while. Where can I buy a nice property in the UK in a good area with good local schools for under £200k? Don't want to be in the middle of nowhere though. Only need a 2 bed property and we have one primary aged child. We don't need to worry about staying close to family.

We're in South Devon and just about to put our 2 bedroom semi with garden on the market for £160k. It's smaller than you would probably want though but plenty of houses in our town for the price you're looking at. Another area for consideration!

Pleasant View, Bridgehill, Consett, DH8
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/79851990

I know the area well and would happily live here if we needed to downsize. I have children in local schools and I'm happy with their progress.

There's a lot of houses under 200k in the wider Consett area. There's a few areas I'd probably avoid but with your budget that's pretty easily done.

Pretty well anywhere outside London and the south east/Home counties. Most recent size towns have at least one outstanding secondary school and a choice of "good".

I would get a map and narrow down an area of the country, do you want to be near the coast, National Parks, certain sports facilities, airport, good rail links or motorways, in day visit distance of London etc? Employment or business market?
These days I would hesitate to buy somewhere without public transport. Outskirts of a smaller city/large town gives you links to facilities as well as countryside.

I'd look at Midlands if you want to be well connected, north or south west if you like the sea and don't mind being further from London (no bad thing of course!)

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/100555340#/

Close to south coast. 10k over but been on a while. Needs some love but decent schools near by. Fair size garden for price and fairly quiet area.

@pleasantlysurprised I'm not sure the OP would be pleasantly surprised by the temperature in Consett. It snows in summertime there.

If you want south, West Wiltshire might suit you. There's not much on the market at the moment but there's still a number of 2 beds around your price point available. Lovely area, good schools, great countryside. Several towns have a station.

We have a fully detached 3 bedroom with 2 garages and large front and back gardens for 150k, North East.

Lots of places up North, you get more bang for your buck up here. North Lincolnshire is lovely. Plenty of schools, amenities and it's semi rural in a lot of places so you get the best of both worlds. Lots of good schools too!

Just a bit further over from Lincolnshire you've got Suffolk, here are a couple of examples of 3 bed properties from Lowestoft and Ipswich:-

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/105855950#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90752725#/

Or just south of Lincolnshire you've got Peterborough which is a relatively cheap area and has a couple of very good state schools - Kings in particular. Two more 3 bed properties:-

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86216593#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97487219#/

Devon?

Primary school league tables
You should check that the school will actually have a place.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79554834#/

This seems to fit the bill. It's probably not the warmest part of the country though.

Sorry, that link is seriously out of date.

Most recent league tables here.

York?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90336316#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/104242280#/

Stamford Bridge is a nice village, good bus links into York

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88595941#/

You could easily get a 2 or 3 bed in lots of areas of Wiltshire - Swindon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Chippenham, Devizes.
Loads of Somerset too - Weston super mare, Burnham, Taunton, Midsomer Norton, Yeovil, Radstock
What about Devon? Plymouth has lots in that range.

Villages around HD8 for example.

another example

Excellent first/middle/high school system in the area.

Lovely countryside

Under an hour drive to Leeds and Sheffield , bit more to Manchester. Also train to these places. London KX 2 hours from Wakefield Westgate. Local towns are Huddersfield, Barnsley, Penistone, Holmfirth, but young families genuinely do move here for the schools.

Moved here 20 years ago as a stop gap. Can’t imagine living anywhere else.

You'd get a 2 bed terrace in Portsmouth for under 200..On the seafront, near national parks and gorgeous weather!

Geranium Drive, Morpeth
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/104725517

Morpeth is a very well-regarded pretty town in the north east, easy access to Newcastle and the surrounding towns, on the east coast main line, has fantastic schools, easy access to the countryside and coast. 3.5 hours to London on one train.

It's got everything you want aside from being in a warmer part of the country. I know Morpeth and it's a lovely, desirable town!

Evesham?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79771677?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard

Oops just saw that property is sold - there are others though!

Old Bakehouse Yard, Morpeth
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/97374329

Armstrong Terrace, Morpeth
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/99746546

Shields Roads, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/76926429

Bullers Green, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1DF
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/88668421

Notts has some good schools and nice areas and in many areas you can get a 2 bed for c.180k.

I like this
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90121687#/

Cheap because it is non standard construction, but this is a decent sized house in a nice part of the country, with excellent schools www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/78348690#/

Whitley Bay
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/75771501#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79466319#/
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87322153#/