Where to live that's commutable to London?

[HeyyyMrNoodle]

I've recently started a new job that has an office in London, and they are happy for people to move to work out of that office instead of my local one.

Can anyone recommend some family friendly areas that are a commutable distance to London?

Criteria is:

• 3 bedroom minimum with a decent garden
• budget is £550k max (aware this may not be much for down south!)
• I'll need to commute to Waterloo 2x a week
• very occasionally my husband will need to get to Bristol (longer journey is fine as this is likely to only be once or twice a year)
• amenities such as cafes/restaurants/nice parks nearby with preferably some good shopping not too far away
• our family are in Manchester so maybe north or west of London would be best to occasionally drive back up? This is less important though
• we have one nursery aged child so in a couple of years will need to think about schools
• one important criteria is that my husband doesn't drive so need public transport, schools, nursery, etc to be easily accessible

I've wanted to move to/near London for years but for some reason never done it and now have the opportunity to. Our mortgage is up for renewal in just over a years time so it could be a good time to move. I've just realised since having my child that where we are doesnt offer as much opportunity for her as I would like as there isn't much around where we live, it's just a bland commuter town with not much going on!

Your budget is very tight. West Surrey would meet your commuting criteria but you are not likely to get a 3 bed with garden for that. And public transport is shocking. I would question why on Earth you would want to make this move in the first place - cost of day to day living is far higher down here

Do you definitely want to move to the London office if there is a local one you can work from instead? You get a lot less for your money in and around London than almost anywhere else.

If yes, then would be good to understand what the priorities are as some are slightly in conflict. Commuting to Waterloo would be easiest from South of London but getting to Manchester is as you say better from North or West.

£550k isn’t a great budget for a 3 bed if you want to be on the tube network. If you are happy to use National rail you’ll have more options - how long are you prepared to commute each day?

I used to commute from Grantham and then Newark
Further north but great train link and we got a lot more house 🏡 for our money and good schooling

Have a look at Woking - it would tick lots of your boxes (including price)

Would you need to be in the office every day??

I too question why you want to do this! You won’t be able to live IN London and you’re likely to be far out in another fairly boring commuter town. Where do you live now and are there other areas you could live near your current office, or another one?

if you really want to move south then definitely look at areas south of London so your twice weekly commute into Waterloo is easier.

Along the Waterloo-Portsmouth train line. We have family in Manchester and Bristol and both drives are simple. Probably nearer the Portsmouth end for your budget but lots of nice areas.

Looked to see what stations are on the Waterloo line, and found a couple of houses for you

paddock wood

paddock wood 2

tonbridge

Do
You actually want to live in London, or just nearby?
Your budget is fine for commuting but not enough to be remotely central. I don't know if there's anywhere that gives both an easy commute to Waterloo and easy access to Manchester, but north west, there's places like Hemel Hempstead, or south for an easier commute, somewhere around Orpington is only half an hour to Waterloo

Happy to look South of London if it's cheaper! Or happy to commute from any other direction tbh as getting back to Manchester is a lower priority.

The good thing about moving to the London office is when I'm ready to move on from this role the scope for other far higher paying jobs is great. So I suppose you could say I'd be using this role as a chance to move and then accelerating my career from there. There are far more opportunities in what I do there, I suppose you could say my current role is a bit of a unicorn in terms of not currently having to commute to London but to my local office instead.

Definitely not expecting to live in London but hoping to be in a nice area outside of it where there's a nice high street, the ability to go out in London in the evening/weekends to the theatre, days out, etc just getting a bit of life and culture into us if you see what I mean! I go down to London every chance I get at the moment anyway but would love my daughter to have more opportunities in terms of culture, thins to do, career options when she's older etc.

I'll have a look at the specific areas mentioned thank you ☺️

The OP wants to leave a bland commuter town not move to another one!!

Try Ampthill in beds or Milton Keynes.

Sorry I mean anywhere commutable. With it being only twice a week I need to go in I'm happier to be a bit further out. I'm not looking for a flat in central London or anything! ☺️

I'll look at Orpington, I've never heard of it tbh!

with that budget you can live in Mitcham where you can take trains or trams to Wimbledon then get the South Western to Waterloo. There are multiple transport options. This property is within less than a mile from 3 stations. In your budget and in good condition.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130230662

Definitely not expecting to live in London but hoping to be in a nice area outside of it where there's a nice high street, the ability to go out in London in the evening/weekends to the theatre, days out, etc just getting a bit of life and culture into us if you see what I mean! I go down to London every chance I get at the moment anyway but would love my daughter to have more opportunities in terms of culture, thins to do, career options when she's older etc.

I love this about where we live. We’re in Waverley borough (west Surrey). 40 min train direct to Waterloo so super easy to go in at the weekends. Rolling countryside for miles and miles on our doorstep though! Less than an hour to the beach. Outstanding schools. All the amenities you could want. Best of all worlds if you ask me.

I've just started researching all the specific areas mentioned so I'll look into them thank you!

Just to clarify I'm definitely not expecting to be central, I was expecting a commute of an hour or more, just anything commutable twice a week really!

Reading/Wokingham?

Covers Bristol, Manchester and Waterloo on the train and a 3 bed in that price range should be do able.

Schools/gardens in Wokingham, pubs, bars, arts in Reading.

Sounds perfect! I'll give it a Google but I'm guessing it may be above my budget

Sorry I meant to reply to @massivesalad22 there!

I was going to say Reading / Wokingham/ Bracknell. Wokingham has quirky parts with Tudor buildings and nice countryside. There are also pubs, restaurants, a few shops. There are bigger shopping areas in Reading and Bracknell.

Or maybe Winchester or Windsor? You won't get so much for your money there though.

Wokingham is probably a bit vanilla though.

Another option would be live in Bristol or Bath or the surrounding area, but your commute would be long and expensive.

Weybridge has good links to London and has some cute areas which aren't too bland. A lot of the commuter towns are...well...bland commuter towns. So it is hard to find character while still going to Waterloo

You'd be able to buy somewhere like Walton on Thames, Hounslow etc. I'd guess you'd come into Waterloo from that direction.

@GoodbyeLondon

A lot of the commuter towns are...well...bland commuter towns. So it is hard to find character while still going to Waterloo

Yes I see what you mean! I suppose I'd rather be in a more bland commuter town near to London with the opportunities that offers than a bland commuter town near Manchester but I 100% see what you mean! At the moment though I live in an area of thousands of new builds so even a commuter town with older houses and a nice high street will feel less bland to me 😂

Fleet? Main line to Waterloo. Ok high street. A bit bland though…..

Ah well then you might like Wokingham and Weybridge. Although Weybridge might be a bit out of budget for the areas near decent schools.

You could also look on Oxfordshire maybe? Didcot Parkway might go to Waterloo (will double check)