Areas in South and West If you had £2m

[Spreadsheetssuck]

First world problems: we cannot really afford to ‘upgrade’ areas in London to a semi or detached without a massive mortgage.

We have a budget of up to £2m but before I even start going down the Rightmove rabbit hole, I would need some specific areas to search online.

Does anyone have any recommendations for the most beautiful places to live - preferable in the South of England? (I’m foreign and the winters where are challenging enough in London so I’m
afraid the north is a no-go for me).

The area would need to be commutable for one day a week to London or Oxford.

I don’t know every village or town around the Cotswolds or Oxfordshire border but think these could be lovely.

I also don’t know Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire or Berkshire very well.

Have seen parts of Surrey but not spotted the right bits yet.

Dream list house: Detached, driveway, decent garden, utility, wide hallway, period features, lots of light. Hate cottages and low beams but love high ceilings and large windows and cornicing etc. Fantasy is an orangery! (I know, I know). Not a fan of the way new builds are done in the UK. Not sure how rural we would want to go given kids will be teens in a few years.

Area: Close to excellent state or private schools. Viable high street with more than chain eateries. Close to places both urban and rural or coast for days out. Commutable to London or at a push Oxford for one to two days a week.

I love the area around Herefordshire but it’s probably too far away to be viable and possibly too cold in winter.

Not keen on Kent and know it fairly well. (Just need a change of scenery).

And I realise I am naming whole counties but what I need is more detail or names of specific villages or areas.

I’m quite sociable so want to get stuck in to a community so would be fab if it’s more than a dormitory town/suburb.

Ah Petersfield, I keep meaning to seek that out, thank you!

it sounds like there is something of a golden area around West Sussex/Surrey. And another stretching from Henley to Oxford.

One thing I’m keen to avoid is new housing developments so am suspicious when I see a lovely noise surrounded by fields as I know the area is ripe for ‘new executive homes’.

Thank you to the poster who linked to the stunning Art Deco house (probably not for us but fab and refreshing to see a different design).

In an ideal world, I would transplant a Cotswold stone style Georgian house to the edge of the South Downs!

Chesham?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123874532

Have moved a lot as husband has itchy feet and we rent nice homes - we've just comeback from overseas. I've lived in oxford, bath, Bristol, Canterbury, richmond, St Albans , currently in Windsor - my view is Bath would tick all your boxes but it depends if you need to work and go into London regularly- it's pricey on the train and2 hours drive. Bath fits on looks, tons of culture, great shopping, lots going on and us lively all times of week and weekend and a massive choice of schools and house types. If you leant to be nearer to London I think Guildford/godalming area- ticks your boxes, same attributes as Bath but slightly bigger and handy for both Heathrow and Gatwick. . Marlow is very lovely but it's slightly all eating and small scale shopping and your nearest big shopping is Reading or Wycombe and not that well connected train wise as it's a small branch line . Henley has lousy internet!! It really depends if you like small villages too and driving a lot- you don't need to in Bath or Guildford , lots on doorstep and good train links. Winchester is nice too , if smaller. Not that exciting culturally, whereas bath and Guildford have more 'going on' - good gigs, comedy clubs etc - depends if that matters to you

Around Haywards Heath or Lewes may suit you. Lots of leafy countryside but easy train access to London and Brighton.

We didn't like oxford that much and lived in summer town- so a nice bit- overpriced and unfriendly

And I wouldn't worry too much about opinion dividing- we didn't like living in Bristol- though we thought we would , but didn't but others love it. Opinion Depends very much on your families lifestyle, what you like doing etc and what you can afford. Plenty pick holes in areas they couldn't get anywhere decent and in budget. only reason we aren't back in Bath was at the point we were moving and needed to give notice there was bugger all suitable on the rented market- same was true in Guildford/Godalming. Otherwise for me they both tick 'my' boxes. We liked living in east Twickenham too as 5 mins over bridge into Richmond, but like Windsor it is on the flight path - and that's the downside- but very handy for Heathrow!!

Village wise near bath- ? Monkton Combe, Box ( lovely) and has facilities, freshford- also gorgeous and on train- Bruton very nice(more Frome area)

Voila. Orangery: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123288173#/?channel=RES_BUY
Hursley has a very strong village community, lots based around the facilities residents can use at the IBM campus

Surprised you didn't like Winchester - the area from the Square to the Cathedral & College sounds exactly what you describe. Plus lots of good state & private options for school.

Another possible is Witney. Handy for oxford but plenty on the doorstep too

This is on the edge of Bath op- quiet but close! handy for motorway and under budget

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85559496#/?channel=RES_BUY

Slightly over budget, but this is in Burford:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/121373834

Cheaper and Cirencester: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/121373834

Bath is full of tourists on weekends.

St Albans? Great for London. Herts cathedral city. 20 min from st pan.

loads going on - this weekend a half marathon, Roman theatre, golf tournament, farmers market). Indie cinema, parks, sports centres, theatres…

great state and private schools

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123905489#/?channel=RES_BUY

this is on a lovely road in St Albans and catchment for great schools. Walkable to train station

Oxshott? Granted it won't get you as grand a house as some of the other places that have been linked.

Something like this...

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/61367915?utmsource=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utmm_medium=api

Cheltenham, lovely regency town, surrounded by countryside of the Cotswolds but lots going on in the town, had the style of property you like:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123616541

Moreton-In-Marsh has excellent train links to Oxford (about 35mins) and London (+1hr). Cirencester is lovely if you want somewhere bigger.
The housing market isn't great at the moment so probably best to find a few areas you would like to live in then register with the local estate agents, as rightmove is a bit sparse at your price point.

Kingston or Bromley?

I live in The Cotswolds and I’d recommend Cirencester, beautiful town with a Roman history , and lots of pretty independent shops . Stroud is also a lovely place to live .
Burford is a gorgeous picturesque little town with a long and beautiful high street on a hill. No chain shops apart from a co op .
Chipping Norton is a popular town too
My dad lives in Cheltenham and whilst I love it to visit I’d go for areas outside like Charlton Kings or Prestbury Hill
Malmesbury in Wiltshire is handy for the M4
Abingdon in Oxfordshire is a lovely town, not far from Oxford

I third St Albans, it's an easy commute to London, with good schools, some nice cafes and houses. Woodbridge is also very popular with London friends, really nice selection of shops, cafes, violin shop, etc. Can't remember if there is a bookshop. The schools are also very good, although not sure about the state schools.

That Oxshott house is definitely grand enough!

We had a little day trip to Petworth yesterday and it was indeed lovely but I’m not sure how much of that is just being out in the sunshine in the grounds of a stately home and how it would feel in winter? Stunning scenery, I wonder if it is too much of a culture shock from London?

In the meantime, a decent house finally came up on a target street today in London. But the price is marmalade-dropping. Would you pay 100k-200k more than you’re comfortable with right now? (A LOT a more than the budget I quoted sadly) but houses don’t come up often enough in the area. I have friends who have taken out a whopping mortgage but they insist that house price inflation means they will never have to pay off the principal 😬.

L

@Spreadsheetssuck - if you have secure jobs and your dream house has come up, yes, I would pay an extra 100k-200k. However, I do not know what your salaries are nor what your job security is like.
The killer is the stamp duty for the expensive houses more than anything else. Which means you have to be really, really sure when you buy a house. So if you are sure about the area (aka London) then that makes sense in a roundabout way. The last thing you want to do is waste stamp duty on a house in an unknown area where you might not end up being happy, or at least not happy, initially.
Life in eg Oxshott is not as diverse as London. If you want Danes Hill Prep style life and be neighbours with a certain type of person (quite homogenous) than it is an easy nice life - but if that is not your cup of tea, then you might struggle. If you prefer cities/history/very different types of people in one small area I would not move there.

I’d move to Dorset - lower Parkstone or Lilliput or Westbourne areas near Poole. Beautiful, warm, seaside. Quite urban but plenty of outdoors. No idea about schools though.