If I have a £500-600k budget, can I buy a nice 4 bed house anywhere in the South East?

[frnf]

Inspired by a thread I made today - I need to move from my current house.

I'm currently 25 mins max from London Bridge. I need to get away from horrible neighbours but remain within an hour/less (ideally 30 mins but I think that's unrealistic) of London by train for work reasons.

I have a fairly big house but in the cheapest area - 3 reception rooms, 5 beds (4 doubles, 1 single), a decent garden (60ft x 30ft). Worth maybe £550k, maybe up to £600k if I did some renovations. I'd like to reduce my expenses when moving if possible, so £600k would be the very max for new house, ideally closer to £500k.

As one of the big reasons to move is my neighbours, I'd want ideally to be detached, and 10-12ft minimum away from the neighbouring house, but still with a similar garden (or bigger) to now.

Is it possible? Or do I just need to stay put?

After doing some research on Rightmove it looks as if you can only get a four bed detached house in that area if the house needs loads of work or is a new build (which is fine if that's what you want).

This one in High Wycombe to me is lovely but needs lots of work and arguably isn't everyone's taste:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/96547342#/?channel=RES_BUY

The only place I know nearish London that has reasonable prices is Leighton Buzzard. This is because it has a Luton postcode and Luton is considerably cheap compared to the rest of Bedfordshire.

Here is what you can get:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123350162#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123621881#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123419858#/?channel=RES_BUY

Watching this thread.

I'd rather be South of London if possible, Kent, Surrey, etc or the bits of London that border it, but anything liveable within budget has massive downsides, or is top of budget and needs massive renovations.

I made the mistake of looking in Lincolnshire...too far but what you can get for £500k or less is amazing.

How about the Colchester area? Colchester is around 45 minutes by rail from London Liverpool Sreet.

Leighton Buzzard in Beds. In Herts look at Tring. Terraced at best though. Stoke Mandeville, Wing, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury or Cheddington: 4 bed detached is within reach. All in Bucks. Cheddington, LB and Tring are on Euston Line. Aston Clinton is close to Tring and is a possibility. Cheaper than Tring.

High Wycombe and Aylesbury are on the Chiltern Line which is slower and goes to Marylebone.

Parts of West Sussex are commutable on that budget

It's definitely possible if you look at the areas from Croydon downwards. Eg:

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/61393069?utmsource=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utmm_medium=api

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/61324178?utmsource=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utmm_medium=api

If you go into Kent you can commute on the high speed to Kings X and get a decent(ish) house for that price.

This article from the Standard might be of interest @frnf : www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/where-to-buy-commutes-under-hour-towns-a140614.html]]

Pretty much the whole of Kent, and you can get everything from a busy town to semi rural for that price. You wouldn't get a 4 bed in a rural location with land but I doubt that's what you're after.

Follow the route of the train lines out of the nearest London terminals, which for Louse London are probably Waterloo / Waterloo East.

Taking a quick look OP at the Godalming area I think you'll struggle to get 5 bedrooms, detached, big garden all for £500k. It looks like you could get a 4-bed, detached, reasonable garden for about £550k. So I think you'll either you have to compromise on something, or move further out.

You’d need to go a bit further out but definitely possible in Hampshire; Southampton, Portsmouth and the bit in between i..e Fareham, Hedge End etc.

There isn't anything in the parts of Kent I'd live in - Medway is an immediate no, for example although I could probably find something there in budget.

I also really can't be more than an hour from London.

The alternative is I have to delay moving for 5 years or so, then I'll be more flexible on location. But for now I'm limited.

I think a 30 minute commute, 4 bed detached for £500k might be pushing it. Something would have to be compromised perhaps otherwise it might be a not so nice area. Lots of nice places in Kent but the commute will be longer and ££

Beckenham/Bromley it's doable. And doable in other areas too but depends on what you want, presumably you're discounting lots of areas for various reasons.

Oh do you want detached? Trickier

I have everything here (plenty of room, 5min walk to a station and close to London), except awful neighbours and a house I don't particularly love.

Although my house is not attached to neighbours they do impact on me significantly and my privacy constantly feels compromised. I think if I really loved my house I might be able to put up with them but I don't.

What about Reading or thereabouts?

What's wrong with Medway? I'd rather live here than London!

It's an hour away but Horsham goes directly into London Bridge and you could definitely obtain your requirements with that budget

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/122780237?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Colchester is about 45mins to liverpool street on the direct train. Its quite commutable. Id love this house.

You could get something in Redhill area eg:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119309825#/?channel=RES_BUY

or: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118036025#/?channel=RES_BUY

plenty of trains as has Victoria and Thameslink trains, but more than 30 minutes. Less than an hour though.

Honestly, no offence to anyone who is happy living there but I'd rather be here in zone 5 (with my awful neighbours) than in Medway.

I worked in Horsham many years ago, was never quite sure about the place - but having looked there's nothing there within budget anyway, ditto Redhill, unless you go as far as Crawley which also on the definite no list.

Try looking on Rightmove for houses within 5 miles of Burgess Hill. Mid-Sussex, very easy train connection to London Bridge and Victoria, near to the sea and lovely countryside and definitely housing around in your budget.
The surrounding villages like Hurstpierpoint are especially lovely (but expensive!)