How do you buy in a cheaper area?

[RagzRebooted]

We are hoping to be in a position to buy in the next few years. Landlord would like to sell us the house we're renting and obviously that would be ideal, but I am pretty sure it will be out of our budget. We're in the south east. Realistically, we need to move quite far away if we want to buy. What I don't understand, is how does this work? It's always suggested on here as the solution.

So, we would both have jobs here. If we wanted a mortgage it would be based on our income from our current jobs. So then if we want to buy 300 miles away, we'd obviously need to find jobs there and then the mortgage would not apply any more? How does it work? What do you do first?
Or do you have to pick an area, rent and work for a year and then buy? Hoping that you'd find somewhere near enough to the schools/colleges your children had settled in.

How do people buy houses on the other side of the country?

Same situation here, rip off south east. We are saving 6 months rent up front which is a lot less than 6 months rent down here. We are then finding a place to live and once in will then get a job. We then plan to buy a year or so after that. I think its too stressful riding to find a job first and then if you get an offer you will have a rush to find somewhere to live. I'd rather have the security of having paid 6 months upfront.

I'm in the process of moving from SE to up North.
I bought a doer - upper in cash for 85k.

I haven't seen the house yet, I haven't been to the exact area, I'm yet to check out schools. I'm self employed.

To be fair, after yet another rent increase I had to just do it. I would have never been able to buy in Kent.

I researched and researched and have a feeling that I bought well and I'll like the area.

It is easier for me that I can just pick up my job with me.
BUT owning my own house and having less worry about the bills was more important to me than fretting about how the rest of the puzzle will slot together. It will. It just will!

That's impressive, I admire you just going for it.

All the people saying rent first, that's a possibility but I don't want to risk making DCs move schools twice. Also cost of moving twice. Would love to avoid it but may not be practical.

Regarding mortgages, can you even get a mortgage for a house far away if it's obvious you will have to change jobs?

We've managed to avoid moving DD's school twice - we relocated and went into rental last year. BUT we were very careful which schools we put down when we moved so chose ones that worked very well for us location-wise.

It has been tough finding somewhere to buy within a mile of the new school (obvs we have a place so that isn't a problem but DH doesn't drive and does all the schoolruns so not practical to live further away) but we have managed it. New house is 10 mins walk from school. However, it's been expensive as we've rented for longer than we thought we would.

Well I moved 70 miles within the southeast, buying immediately, commuted back for 6 months and then got a local job. Got a 3 bed for £210,000 which has of course gone up in value now, there are still parts of Kent where you can get a 3 bed with a garden for £250,000. By the way if I could have bought a flat outright where I was before that would have been by far the best option not to uproot myself and DC.

Yes you can do it because mortgage companies do not take into account the cost of the commute.