Hi! New to MN and looking for advice from those who have gone before me and are therefore much wiser 🤪
Our situation:
- Looking to move to somewhere near but out of London and looking for advice on where you would choose in our situation
- We have a son who will be 4 at the point at which we move, and we’d like to have a second baby at somepoint if we can.
- My husband will need to be in London for work 4 days a week most weeks, but can stay up there for a night or two each week as needed (we have family he can stay with). Our base case will be that he stays up every Monday night and commutes up and back on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I also need access to London for work, but should only need to go up once a week.
- We have family in Kent and Sussex who should be able to help with childcare once a week (e.g do school pick up the day I’m in London) so long as we’re close enough (1 hour drive)
Our priorities:
- Good trains for commuting to Oxford Circus / Tottenham Court Road (reliable and frequent trains, not more than 40 mins, ideally multiple options in case issues with one line, able to get a seat)
- Able to walk to train station
- Good private primaries and secondaries that aren’t a pain in the arse to get to. Ideally walking distance or with a school bus, though a non painful short drive also fine
- Good activities for kids nearby (sports clubs etc). Ideally that also aren’t too difficult to get to
- A few good cafes, restaurants, and ideally a yoga / pilates class or two within walking distance. Don’t need much in terms of shopping on the doorstep as mainly do online. Also don’t need lots of “buzz” but do want a few nice places nearby that are walkable
- Access to good green space direct from the town / house
- Good community vibe
- Good housing stock for a 5 bed period property with a budget of up to £2m. We want to buy our forever house, so want to have a good range of options for our budget and not have to compromise too much
- Not in a flood zone
- Near family who are based in Kent and Sussex (so not interested in Berkhamsted etc)
We’re currently thinking of Oxted, Sevenoaks, or Reigate and would love people’s feedback on which you’d choose in our situation and why. I’m currently leaning towards Oxted because I think we would get more house for our money than in Sevenoaks, but know the commute is worse which worries me. Experience of people who have done regular commutes from these locations and your view on how manageable it is would be very helpful in particular.
We have also considered the leafy parts of SW London (Richmond, Teddington etc) but are struggling to find the type of house we’d want with our budget with a commute that would be any better than further out, and all things being equal we’d rather be out of London in the long term (we both grew up in the countryside).
Thank you very much for any input 🙏. This will be a big move and commitment for us so we really want to learn from others and make the right decision for our family