Where should I relocate to?...(I need your help) please read the post to understand better. TIA

[TheTallOne]

Hello Mumsnetters, I am new on here and I could do with your kind help regarding where should I relocate to? Yes I am a guy – I have seen so many threads about properties on the web from Mumsnet that made so much common sense and were honest, I felt I wanted to join and ask for help - I hope that you don’t mind? :-)

I’m a guy about to need to relocate away from my family home and I’m in an area that I have grown to love, it a village in Surrey named Shepperton. This is not something that I want to be doing and I am forced to due to the breakdown of my relationship and because as a cash buyer, I now cannot afford a reasonable detached house with a garage anywhere near my family home, family or friends. That’s life.

Here’s where I need your help: I would love to integrate into a new community where there’s a reasonable standard of living and I can walk to local shops, reasonable public transport and hopefully be near the sea or countryside and in an area that is welcoming and relatively safe. That’s what I have here in Shepperton. Sure, it’s not the best area, but it’s definitely not the worst area :-)

Starting a new life in my early 60’s is leaving me feeling a bit overwhelmed on my own, and while I have wanted to live near friends in Kent (Whitstable / Seasalter / Canterbury or Hastings. Or relatives in Arundel). Trouble is with Covid in this example, it kicked all those areas off my wish lists with DFL’s buying places as soon as they could realise they could get away with working from home and buying in those areas for less money that their London homes were worth.
Supply and demand went crazy quickly. I think I went a bit crazy when I saw what happened and was powerless to react.

Prices went through the roof rapidly! My budget was static. I saw increases of £75k - £125k per house in some instances. Offers well above asking prices, sometimes sealed bids were common. Gazumping reared its ugly head. My newer dreams gone.

Looking on Rightmove & On The Market I have saved 100’s of detached houses or detached bungalows with 3 bedrooms and a garage and garden for around £275k cash from months of refining my searches. It absolutely must have decent fast Fibre Optic connectivity and decent mobile phone signals for EE or Vodafone for work. Yeah, I know “he’s fussy isn’t he” :-)

So many areas. I don’t have the time to visit so many areas to take a look. I am really busy on so many fronts. Once I have narrowed it down with your help, I will visit for a few days per area. This is where I could really do with your input. What fits my requirements in your own experiences?

I have looked online in so many areas. I have no experience of any of them, and it’s daunting not knowing any of these areas to live in from - Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Pembrokeshire, Norfolk, Devon, Lancashire, Cornwall, East Anglia to Monmouthshire and others I probably omitted.

Can you please help?

Thank you so much for your kind help in advance.

Is your budget 275? Do you need a detached house? That will limit you so much

You could look at Norfolk coast like Old Hunstanton or Wells Next the Sea (lots of lavender farms and sandy beaches). The Queens summer residence, Sandringham, is there as it is a very nice part of U.K.

So you want a village location for £275K detached 3-bed with a garage?

What else is important to you? What do you like to do to socialise- how will you make new friends? Do you want a pub and a shop and a doctor’s surgery and good transport links? Are you outdoor-oriented etc.

If you’re looking for a new social life as well as a new property, start with the things that will make that life happy.

Do you really really need a 3 bed detached with garage, or is that just what you think you need? TBH I'd look for something in the area that you already love, that you can afford and see how to make it work.

Have you looked at Scotland southern Scotland the boarders and Dumfries and Galloway. Its fairly easy to get back too England to visit friends, a train from Carlisle to London takes about 3 hours house are reasonably priced, the countryside is stunning, Ive discovered that many English come here and dont go back! Lots of pleasant small towns and villages (village shops seem more prevalent here even in tiny hamlets) and contrary to what many thinks the Scots are inherently friendly.
We live in a remote village we have super fast broadband I believe Nicola is committed to rolling it out everywhere and no problems ever with our mob. phone signal unless I'm deep in some wood walking the dog unlike our experiences of some parts of England.
Here are some examples and here are some more.
Moving here has been the best thing we've ever done.

@TheTallOne In and around Bournemouth on Dorset. Huge retirement community along with life of young families, students. Quiet apartment blocks for over 50s or plenty of mixed. You can get a very nice one bed for your budget. May I suggest, Lilliput, Branksome Park, Westbourne, Sandbanks

I am in Yorkshire and I love it
You would certainly be able to get what you want for your budget here
However, it’s a long way from where you are now

Do you need a house where you dont know anyone. Would you consider s flat in an area where you have friends. Do you still want to be within a reasonable distance to your family if you have parents or children there.

You are unlikely to find what you're looking for in a pretty coastal village in Devon or Cornwall for £275k, so you'd need to look at the towns along the spine. Be warned that what's happened in your original SE search areas is happening here too, prices have soared, and the conventional advice to rent for a while before buying is very difficult at the moment because everything is on AirBnB instead.

So you want women to do the leg work for you and find your places?

Can’t you just ring estate agents? And talk to them?

Hello Mumsnetters, I am new on here and I could do with your kind help regarding where should I relocate to? Yes I am a guy – I have seen so many threads about properties on the web from Mumsnet that made so much common sense and were honest, I felt I wanted to join and ask for help - I hope that you don’t mind?

I’m a guy about to need to relocate away from my family home and I’m in an area that I have grown to love, it a village in Surrey named Shepperton. This is not something that I want to be doing and I am forced to due to the breakdown of my relationship and because as a cash buyer, I cannot afford a reasonable detached house with a garage anywhere near my home, family or friends. That’s life.

Here’s where I need your help: I would love to integrate into a new community where there’s a reasonable standard of living and I can walk to local shops, reasonable public transport and hopefully be near the sea or countryside and in an area that is welcoming and relatively safe. That’s what I have here in Shepperton. Sure, it’s not the best area, but it’s definitely not the worst area.

Starting a new life in my 60’s is leaving me feeling a bit overwhelmed on my own, and while I have wanted to live near friends in Kent (Whitstable / Seasalter / Canterbury or Hastings. Or relatives in Arundel). Trouble is with Covid in this example, it kicked all those areas off my wish lists with DFL’s buying places as soon as they could realise they could get away with working from home and buying in those areas for less money that their London homes were worth. Supply and demand went crazy quickly. I think I went a bit crazy when I saw what happened and was powerless to react.

Prices went through the roof rapidly! My budget was static. I saw increases of £75k - £125k per house in some instances. Offers well above asking prices, sometimes sealed bids were common. Gazumping reared its ugly head. I was peed off tbh. My newer dreams shattered.

Looking on Rightmove & On The Market I have saved 100’s of detached houses or detached bungalows with 3 bedrooms and a garage and garden for around £275k cash from months of refining my searches. Possibly a Link Detached house. It absolutely must have decent fast Fibre Optic connectivity and decent mobile phone signals for EE or Vodafone. Yeah, I know “he’s fussy isn’t he”

So many areas. I don’t have the time to visit so many areas to take a look. I am really busy on so many fronts. Once I have narrowed it down, then I will visit for a few days per area. This is where I could really do with your input. What fits my requirements in your own experiences?

I have looked online in so many areas. I have no experience of any of them, and it’s daunting not knowing any of these areas from - Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Pembrokeshire, Norfolk, Devon, Lancashire, Cornwall, East Anglia to Monmouthshire and others I probably omitted.

Can you please help?

Thank you so much for your kind help in advance.

UPDATE TO RESPONSES SO FAR....

Thanks for your responses so far, it's much appreciated. I have a huge passion for music and I always have had. I absolutely must have a detached house because I love my sounds a bit louder than some and I don't want to upset or annoy any neighbours

I need 3 bedrooms - 1 main bedroom to sleep in. A second guest bedroom. A third bedroom to work from. A Garage to keep my motorbike and car bits and pieces in. I have lived in detached houses for decades and I am used to the space and convenience.

Yes, I'm sociable and I get on with people generally. I have a car and a motorbike. I work from home, so my environment is important to me. Good transport links are for me to travel by road, and my 20 year old daughter to travel by train to see me because she doesn't yet drive.

I cannot stay in my own areas or within the M25 due to prices. Same applies to Dorset coast or other southern coastal areas .Hence looking elsewhere.

I welcome more suggestions based on where you recommend, it could be a village or a nice town.

One again - thanks for your kind help thus far.

With what you have described I would input your budget into Rightmove for the whole of Kent first and see what it throws up. And do the same for East Sussex. But you might have to be flexible with the detached element.

Don’t under estimate the security of having friends within easy reach. This would focus my mind far more than detached and garage criteria.
Also community around you. In older years (and I’m in my 50s) I think these elements are more important than say the property somewhere that you feel is far away from everything you know.

Here you go - cash buyers only, absolute insanity but why not?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/111207437#/?channel=RES_BUY

If you’d buy a 2-bed you might find more bungalows in your price ra he, which realistically is the only way you’ll get a detached.

So you want women to do the leg work for you and find your places?

Can’t you just ring estate agents? And talk to them?

Bloody hell, bit harsh...OP would you compromise on detached? It would make finding something much, much easier at your budget.

This looks nice
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112887626#/?channel=RES_BUY

‘Lifetime lease’ for over 60s…

I’ve just done what I suggested inputting budget and detached in rightmove for whole of Kent and East Sussex. Sorry but you are going to have to compromise either to semi detached or two bedrooms.

I did see the houseboat option though!

Thank you so much for all of the information

Ah, that's why they are not on my radar. No compromise for the reasons stated or added.

Houseboats also looked at and considered by me - they have little or no parking and definitely no garage. Then you see ALL the spurious waste and management fees and mooring fees, then your heart sinks in addition to boat out and hull re coated every few years.

Thanks anyway

I looked at Lifetime lease and I have called and spoken with them to gain an understanding. They own the property and they offer whoever you leave the property to, very little value so they take far more money in the long run. It looks good initially, but it's not an option for me having investigated it. Thanks anyway.

Your desire not to compromise on garage, detached and 3-bed is going to make things difficult for you.

But in general - try anywhere midlands and upwards. Look around, consider your transport links to family and friends, consider that you won’t get younger so whatever you buy now should be future-proof in terms of location and layout. Good luck!

There are plenty of 2 or 3 bed semi or terraced houses in areas you have mentioned where your friends live and if you widen the area on Rightmove you get more for your money.

Southsea delivers the coast element, good community. Decent trains to London. Nice seaside etc. But they are all 3 bedroom terraced houses.
Quite a choice in your budget as well.

But the comprises are no garage and pretty terraced houses not detached.

Loads of 3 bed semi detached in Kent as well. Even in Deal which is nice and close to your friends!

Try searching in Northamptonshire & Leicestershire. Nice countryside and 3-bedroom detached houses within your budget.