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.

[quote peachycream31]Bell Farm Lane, Minster
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113203904[/quote]
Apparently for a number of reasons, that entire area is one to avoid ! 😱

Thought appreciated though 🙏👍

North Yorkshire has plenty to offer. This one is slightly over budget but seems to have most of what you're looking for - it's walking distance from Malton which is a really vibrant market town with a lovely community.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113238338#/?channel=RES_BUY

[quote peachycream31]Mountbatten Close, Crawley, West Sussex
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112887542[/quote]
Ah, Homewise properties are not acceptable to me after speaking with them on two occasions - the second occasion to make sure that I hadn't got the wrong information? (I hadn't).

Again, thanks 🙏😊

@peachycream31

This is a super village. I love this part of the country.

House 88-90 High Street, Epworth, DN9 1JS
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/98760857

And this house has a huuuuuuuuge garage!!! Used to be a car sales room!!! 😂😂

It's a wow at first until like I do with anything that catches my attention like that one did, I take a look at Google street view. When I did that, unfortunately it became a "what a pity"

Epworth is under serious consideration though 🙏👍😎

@peachycream31

And this is a lovely house, big garden, etc.

It's a thriving village with everything. And history.

Burnham Road, Epworth
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/107390093

Epworth is on my radar thanks to you and 1-2 others

I can't quite express how grateful I am for the help you and others have been

I am humbled 🙏😊😎

@Abigail12345654321

Amusingly the house is on ‘Nowhere Lane’. Love the idea of telling folk I’m going to live Nowhere……

I also like the amusement factor of telling people that I live "nowhere"

However on Google maps it is nowhere near to a community or facilities that I would prefer to be able to walk to, and have selfishly become used to for many years

Thanks for your kind help 🙏✅😎👍

@Ladyrattles

It's further north than you've mentioned but what about one of the villages near Newcastle? You get more bang for your buck which is why we are moving up north. We did a lot of research on places like Ryton. You can get 3/4 bedroom detached houses with garages for your budget on there. Just had a quick look for you on Rightmove and there's currently a 3 bed detached cottage house with a garage for £265k if you like older houses with character. If you like new-build style houses there's some around the same price which fit your requirements. It might be worth putting in cities like Durham and Newcastle into Rightmove with a wide search and see what you can get for your money up north

I appreciate you suggesting that, But Newcastle as nice as I remember it and the warmth of the people from staying with friends there years back, and getting my bum pinched by a really good looking lady in a bar are memorable enough, yet it's too far away

I appreciate your response and help 😎👍🙏

@Salome61

Good old Shepperton! I went to school in Twickenham and a lot of girls came from there.

I moved north with my late husband twenty years ago, and had to sell our very large listed home as I couldn't afford the maintenance. I had a similar budget to you and made a large list of 'must haves, nice to haves, and definitely nots'.

I wanted my kids to be able to get to me easily, so a nearby railway station with good connections was part of my 'must haves'. My budget narrowed it down to Broadstairs in Kent, and Exmouth in Devon. My budget was too small for either and I ended up looking at some very grotty flats, falling down bungalows, and terraces in areas of very high flood risk. It was a great disappointment.

I've ended up staying in Northumberland. Alnwick has everything you'd need, a bus station, hospital, supermarkets, second largest bookshop in Europe - and of course Alnwick Castle and Gardens. Alnmouth beach is a five minute drive away, and has a railway station which gets you to London in three and a half hours. People here are lovely and the community is very welcoming.

Ha, I once run for my school in the 100 yards running race at Twickenham Rugby ground, my primary school was up the road in Whitton at that time

Going up north where you suggest is just that little bit too far, but thanks anyway and I hope you continue to flourish and prosper there 🙏👍😎

Have you looked on the North Yorkshire coast?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/Scarborough/3-bed-houses.html

Sorry, only just saw your latest update about Newcastle being too far, I assume Yorkshire would be too!

@TheTallOne

Nowhere would be a bit of a walk into the Village and probably wise not to be so isolated.

[quote Abigail12345654321]@TheTallOne

Nowhere would be a bit of a walk into the Village and probably wise not to be so isolated.[/quote]
Yeah I agree, but nice if that's what someone wants, and thanks for letting me know about it anyway 🙏👍✅

@TheTallOne - did you go to Chase Bridge? My son loved it there but had only just started when we had to relocate up here.

[quote Salome61]@TheTallOne - did you go to Chase Bridge? My son loved it there but had only just started when we had to relocate up here.[/quote]
Nope, not Chase Bridge. I went to St. Edmunds in Whitton.

I wouldn't recommend it having been taught (back then) by strict Nuns!

I'll never forget Sister Philomena and not for anything nice

I went to Nelson as a child, and then dances at St Edmunds when I was a teenager :) I do miss good old Whitton!

East Lothian you can get most of the things you want.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/81523536#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's only the shops that are missing.
Having recently spent time considering our retirement location I don't think you will get everything you want on you budget.

I would have discounted places like Sutton on Sea and possibly Epworth because of transport links.
If you like coastal Lincolnshire areas then Cleethorpes is one of the larger towns and has its own train station. You're within an hour of Cadwell Park and the Wolds, and beach on your doorstep. It's right next door to Grimsby which might sound depressing, but it's got a hospital, something you might want to consider if you're planning on putting roots down for life.

I have a relative who lives in a different part of Lincolnshire and it's something we've noted as they've got older, no local hospital and therefore no 24 hour A&E/ out of hours service. We've had many a panicked phone call asking us for help because they've been unable to drive to the nearest hospital 40 minutes away.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113417114#/?channel=RES_BUY

Cleethorpes, within budget, 4/5 bedrooms. Not much of a garden but has a bar!

Essex coast, much cheaper than elsewhere and a mainline train service into Liverpool Street. Village locations. Both these properties are detached, have three bedrooms, are near to the coast. Neither have garages, but do have space to add one at a later stage. One is being sold by the modern auction method but should be within your price range:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113514509#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110117939#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one is in Clacton-on-Sea.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112252172#/?channel=RES_BUY

@SylviaTrench

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113417114#/?channel=RES_BUY

Cleethorpes, within budget, 4/5 bedrooms. Not much of a garden but has a bar!

Thanks, it's nice but seeing how the upstairs is configured, I'd have to wear my crash helmet to stop my head from being banged too much

I gratefully appreciate you bringing it to my attention 👍✅

[quote Nerdippy]Essex coast, much cheaper than elsewhere and a mainline train service into Liverpool Street. Village locations. Both these properties are detached, have three bedrooms, are near to the coast. Neither have garages, but do have space to add one at a later stage. One is being sold by the modern auction method but should be within your price range:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/113514509#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110117939#/?channel=RES_BUY[/quote]
I'll politely pass on that one due to the bathroom being downstairs and it's beyond the kitchen

I am selling a rental property, well at least trying to, with a similar configuration so once bitten - etc 😊

[quote Nerdippy]This one is in Clacton-on-Sea.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112252172#/?channel=RES_BUY[/quote]
I like it but in my experience of seeing a price range like that, it's usually a bidding war that ends up exceeding the upper price, and in this example it's £300,000

Once again, I'm grateful and appreciative 🙏😊

@SylviaTrench

I would have discounted places like Sutton on Sea and possibly Epworth because of transport links. If you like coastal Lincolnshire areas then Cleethorpes is one of the larger towns and has its own train station. You're within an hour of Cadwell Park and the Wolds, and beach on your doorstep. It's right next door to Grimsby which might sound depressing, but it's got a hospital, something you might want to consider if you're planning on putting roots down for life.

I have a relative who lives in a different part of Lincolnshire and it's something we've noted as they've got older, no local hospital and therefore no 24 hour A&E/ out of hours service. We've had many a panicked phone call asking us for help because they've been unable to drive to the nearest hospital 40 minutes away.

I love how you are telling me about how things work or don't work for useful information like this, it's so incredibly useful and helpful

It makes sense and it makes a difference

Thank you so much 😊

I think it's from watching too much daytime telly, things like Escape To The Country 😂
You get a retired couple wanting to live in the middle of nowhere, who want to be part of village life, have a massive garden to grow their own veg, and have visions of making new friends in the local pub...
...except the village pub is a thirty minute walk along twisty NSL roads with no pavement or a dark yomp across four muddy fields filled with angry cows, and they'll need to grow their own veg because the nearest Tesco is an hour away.

Personally, if it hasn't got street lights I wouldn't want to live there 😉
But seriously I would consider what sort of facilities you might require going forward. Being fit in your 60s can be very different to not-so-fit in your late 70s.