Eastbourne MN's - tell me where to live!

[VLAL]

TIA for any advice that anyone can give. Looking to move to Eastbourne before the year is out. But I don't know the area or where I should be focusing my search and where I should avoid.

It's going to be me, DP and doggo. No DC's and no plans to have them (despite hanging out on MN!). We're in our early 30's, tired of London and want a change of scenery.

Because we're not planning to have kids, schools and catchment areas aren't a concern. We'd like to be within walking distance of the beach, town and Eastbourne station (as I'll be commuting into London once a week). Definitely after a 2+ bed house with a garden. No car so parking/driveway/garage isn't important either.

I've seen a house that I'm daydreaming about on Rylstone Road, which I guess is town fringe/west Roselands. Is this a nice area?

Are there any areas I should be completely avoiding?

Erm.... I know that house. Live very close.
It needs A LOT of work, OP, but will be lovely when done up. You may need to jump as there's currently someone interested.
If you want a proper garden then Victorian terraces near the sea aren't the place to look, but if you're happy with a courtyard and the beach on your doorstep its perfect.

Its an easy walk to the town and train. I need to be honest that there's a lot if HMOs nearby (mainly Cambridge Rd) which can sometimes cause issues but in general its very friendly, a lovely area, and you'll meet lots if people pretty quickly if you have a dog. You certainly won't be the only people who've done the 'move down from London' thing in the past 12 months!

What's your budget? Eastbourne isn't huge, but in some areas houses go for well over £1million, and in other areas it's more budget friendly.

In general, most desirable areas are Meads, (best access to beach of the more salubrious areas), Old Town, Ratton etc. Roselands is nice but I'm not sure why its so thought of. The Harbour has a different vibe but you can't walk to the station from there /Langney Point. It really depends how much you want to spend!

Upperton area is nice, from The Avenue up to the top of St Anne's Road - nicer than Meads in my opinion, but might be hard to find a house rather than flats.

Seaside - older brick terraced houses with small gardens and no parking, but lots of independent shops/restaurants and cheaper than Upperton.

Little Chelsea is similar but more expensive again - trendier.

All close to the town centre, station, and beach.

There is a really nice little shopping centre just behind the station - definitely worth a visit.

@CoddledAsAMommet

Erm.... I know that house. Live very close. It needs A LOT of work, OP, but will be lovely when done up. You may need to jump as there's currently someone interested. If you want a proper garden then Victorian terraces near the sea aren't the place to look, but if you're happy with a courtyard and the beach on your doorstep its perfect.

Interesting. The agent did say it needed quite a bit of work. It doesn't look like that much from the photos, but perhaps they're flattering?!

What is the deal with the HMO's? Are they B&B's or something less appealing?

And thanks for all the tips about areas. Nothing's come up in Meads (at least in my budget!), but I'll keep it in mind!

@LushHeaven

What's your budget? Eastbourne isn't huge, but in some areas houses go for well over £1million, and in other areas it's more budget friendly.

Budget is £375k max. I wish I had £1 mill to spend! So I'm aware that I'll be looking at 2/3 bed terraces with small-ish gardens in that type of price bracket. But that also might explain why I haven't seen anything in Meads in my price range if that's one of the nicer parts of town.

Tbh, 'desirable' is all relative anyway. In regards to the HMOs, some are for professionals and are actually quite nice, so don't necessarily let it put you off. The b&bs tend to be concentrated along seafront, and again they tend to be more for older people. But as with anywhere, do your research first. I like redoubt area, and maybe parts of old town would meet your requirements. The harbour is too far to walk to the station unless you maybe bike there (would take 5-10 mins), Upperton close to station and has some nice garden flats and is next to station/town although slightly longer walk to beach (but still doable). Personally I'd avoid places along Seaside road (not actually along the seaside despite its name), again nothing overly bad about the area but does tend to have hmos for emergency housing etc and can be quite busy.

Yes, the photos are surprisingly flattering but it has real potential. Also much bigger than other terraced houses because of the basement.

You won't get anything in Meads for £375k, really.

I'd decide how important being by the sea is to you, and go from there. In my experience if you're a 20 -30 minute walk or even a drive away you just won't go very often. I have friends in Old Town who barely seee the sea from year to year! If I were you, with your budget and requirements, I'd focus on Redoubt and Roselands.

@CatherineMaitland

Upperton area is nice, from The Avenue up to the top of St Anne's Road - nicer than Meads in my opinion, but might be hard to find a house rather than flats.

Seaside - older brick terraced houses with small gardens and no parking, but lots of independent shops/restaurants and cheaper than Upperton.

Little Chelsea is similar but more expensive again - trendier.

All close to the town centre, station, and beach.

There is a really nice little shopping centre just behind the station - definitely worth a visit.

Thanks for this info. I'm viewing something in the Upperton area that you've mentioned, so good to know that it's a nice spot!

I also looked up the shopping centre and they've just opened a craft beer place there, so I'll definitely check it out!

@LushHeaven

Tbh, 'desirable' is all relative anyway. In regards to the HMOs, some are for professionals and are actually quite nice, so don't necessarily let it put you off. The b&bs tend to be concentrated along seafront, and again they tend to be more for older people. But as with anywhere, do your research first. I like redoubt area, and maybe parts of old town would meet your requirements. The harbour is too far to walk to the station unless you maybe bike there (would take 5-10 mins), Upperton close to station and has some nice garden flats and is next to station/town although slightly longer walk to beach (but still doable). Personally I'd avoid places along Seaside road (not actually along the seaside despite its name), again nothing overly bad about the area but does tend to have hmos for emergency housing etc and can be quite busy.

Thanks for the intel - very helpful!

@CoddledAsAMommet

Yes, the photos are surprisingly flattering but it has real potential. Also much bigger than other terraced houses because of the basement.

You won't get anything in Meads for £375k, really.

I'd decide how important being by the sea is to you, and go from there. In my experience if you're a 20 -30 minute walk or even a drive away you just won't go very often. I have friends in Old Town who barely seee the sea from year to year! If I were you, with your budget and requirements, I'd focus on Redoubt and Roselands.

I definitely can imagine how beautiful it could be, especially with the basement. I'm just a bit concerned about the costs of making the cellar habitable (which are eye watering if my research is to be believed!).

I think I'm going to focus on the areas closer to the sea. If I never go to the beach, it kind of defeats the object of moving to the area in my eyes. I might as well move to the midlands and spend half as much!

Old Town is the best Full of character and houses plus gardens 2 bed in Motcombe about 300 320 k You can easily walk to station also loads of buses Elsewhere there are bigger
Villas in Milton Road for example
Waitrose in its midst