Folkestone? Ramsgate?

[Greenfairydust]

Can anyone tell me about their experiences of moving to Folkestone or Ramsgate from London?

I am renting in nearby Deal after selling in London at the moment and was hoping to stay here but there is just nothing in my budget (£280,000 maximum).

I have now been looking for 4 months, offered on 3 properties and every time something goes wrong (usually the owners are elderly people wanting asking price for houses that need almost full renovation after decades of neglect and have been on the market for months).

I also need a house with enough light and space (I am an artist) and a lot of the housing stock here is small former miner houses or beach cottages with small and dark rooms and it is just not what I need or want.

So I think it is time to face the fact that I might not find what I want here and I want to widen my search to nearby, bigger seaside towns.

I have stayed in Folkestone quite a few times so know I would be fine there and it would be my preferred alternative but I hardly know anything about Ramsgate. People keep telling me it is ''up and coming''...

Any advice on areas to avoid or look for would be most welcome!

I would pick Folkstone over Ramsgate every time, I would also consider Broadstairs, Westbrook and for light, well you don't get better than Old Margate.

I moved from London to Ramsgate a couple of years ago. Very happy here and it's great for artists. The beaches are fab too, much better than Folkestone. The west cliff area is considered the better side, and it's definitely not as cheap as it used to be. Your budget would get you a terrace or a nice conve rsion flat a few mins walk from the mRina / beach.

lovely bright flat on popular road in Ramsgate

nice end of terrace

Move to Folkestone several years ago. Best thing I ever did. Visited Ramsgate a couple of times and I felt a bit unsafe tbh

…but I do concede that Ramsgate has nicer beaches 😃

Feel free to pm me if it helps!

@TakeYourHatOffBoy thank you for the links and I really like the look of that terrace. It is much more what I am looking for than I have been viewing in Deal. I am going to see if I can view it next week.

@TotallyScouting good to hear a positive experience :). I actually was planning to do my property search in Folkestone as it is so easy to travel to London from there but It just happened that I found a rental in Deal after I sold my flat and thought it might be a good idea to consider buying in the town as well.

I am going to book viewings in both towns and then will take it from there but at least reading about your positive stories has really cheered me up :)

Folkestone has a very busy art scene, so many events and a really thriving artistic community.

Oh, and I have never felt unsafe! It's not a twee, 'naice' Cotswolds village but if you've lived in London you'll be absolutely fine. I've found it very friendly, laid back and unpretentious, with tons going on for creative people.

We did London to Folkestone and love it. I now prefer stone to sand beaches too. Just invest in a pair of surf shoes and it's all good!

Folkestone has a great creative quarter. Look in west Folkestone for some lovely Victorian properties with huge windows and great light. I've had some really happy years in Folkestone and now live nearby, and will return at some point or get a flat in nearby Sandgate when I can afford to have a second property!

I'm an artist living in Ramsgate. Happy to assist with which areas are good for searching. Broadstairs is very expensive compared to here, and parking harder especially for properties nearer the seafront as the roads can be very narrow.
I have a brother living in Sandgate, so can compare the two areas (Ramsgate & Folkestone), and would recommend either over Margate or Westbrook.

There is an amazing art scene in folkestone and all the way down to dungerness
High speed train to London makes it more attractive too