Should I buy a house in Sidcup/Bexley or Chelmsford?

[essjai]

Hi!

My husband and I are hoping to buy a house in the next year - a 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom semi (or detached if possible) with a budget of £500k. We have a little one who is 2, so being close to good schools is very important for us.

We currently live in the Bexley Borough and initially were looking at houses in Sidcup as we have already selected her Pre Prep school in the area. The problem is that at our budget, the houses available are not what we are after. We’ve looked into renovation costs, but the prices are extortionate nowadays. That coupled with high interest rates and stamp duty - don’t get me started.

Chelmsford on the other hand has lovely houses, I’ve even seen 4 beds WELL within budget. We have her on the list for an independent school there too just in case. The issue with Chelmsford is that it doesn’t have the great selection of grammar schools that Bexley does, and it’s a lot more competitive to get into one.

My question is do you think I should prioritise a greater selection of grammar schools over being truly happy with our home? Is it selfish for us to prefer Chelmsford due to the better value for money for newer/ energy efficient (and prettier!) homes?

Nope, she'd be a wheeler!

I would make sure you have a back up option if grammar doesn't work out. The competition in SW London is certainly insane.

@KievLoverTwo makes a good point. Some of the outer boroughs are attracting more families as they have cheaper housing & often good schools. This is against a backdrop of falling school rolls in inner & central London. VAT on private education, COL, increased taxes will continue to put a strain on budgets so these areas are likely to keep increasing in price.

You need to decide what is the most important to you. I'm in SW London and whilst I don't love some aspects of my house I wouldn't move further out for a bigger, cheaper house as local amenities & shorter commute is important to me. However you want quite a lot of house for a relatively small budget so need to weigh up priorities.

Many parents opt for independent schools from 3-11 then try for the 11+. Nothing confusing about that…

I know plenty who have done this. I don't know anyone who has prioritised it over a house/area they like though. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Vastly prefer Chelmsford to Bexley. Imho every thing about Chelmsford is nicer apart from commutability

Have you checked out the commuting costs? I’d also agree with the previous poster re; house price inflation. Sidcup seems to be attracting young couples who are now priced out of areas like Greenwich and Blackheath and it has good, solid housing stock and a quick commute to Central London. Grammar schools are easier to get into than Chelmsford.

Also how far out is the estate in Chelmsford? Some of those estates have few facilities and don’t have a lot on in terms of activities whereas you have the Greenwich and Bromley boroughs next door in Sidcup.

I know it will seem a long way off but think about what life will look like if your dc want to do extracurriculars. A huge draw for me is that all the activities they like to do are within a short walk. They do stuff almost every evening and on weekends on top of any clubs they do at school.

Yep, I’ve check the commuting costs and I’m not too concerned about it! We are looking at houses within a 10 mins (ish) drive of the station. Chelmsford Village, Moulsham, Great Baddow.

Is that for Sidcup or Chelmsford? Agreed, I think it’s important to consider that now, she’s already involved in a few activities

I don't know the areas well enough, I have a friend in Sidcup who says she has quite a bit locally.

I can walk to cricket, football, dancing, music lessons, beavers, tennis, art, tutoring brownies, gymnastics, football, karate etc. A longer walk or short bus/car to swimming, badminton, other tutoring, hockey, rugby. My dc don't do all this at once! every term we mix it up. But it really helps not having to navigate long journeys/traffic after work to facilitate this plus it's easier to combine so dc do karate and piano on the same night 5 mins from each other. I can drop off & as it's close to the high street can do a food shop or other errands. As my dc get older they can get themselves to these activities. Time is so important with young dc & when combining it with work. I have friends a bit further out in Surrey who spend their evenings driving around getting dc to and from and there are less options for their dc to get themselves there even when older. Something to think about as I think it's important to limit stress if you can when parenting 😆

Contrary to PP, I wish we had thought of schools when dd was 2. We’ve ended up in an area 20 mins drive from Sidcup which is too far for grammar schools as it’s done on results PLUS distance. Local comps and academies are very poor on every measure so like mugs were paying for private school.

Wish we’d thought about post primary schools when dc were toddlers - we couldn’t see past the primary years.

With the cost of moving & stamp duty it moving when dc are already born you do really need to consider primary & secondary options.

Really interesting, thanks for sharing. I guess we aren’t being crazy first time parents after all!

I hear what people are saying regarding increasing competition for grammar schools, but I’m really not too concerned. The independent schools we have chosen for her are excellent and also known for their high rates of entry. If it doesn’t work out, then it simply wasn’t meant to be. If anything, with the increased competition, it’s probably right that we are thinking about this so far in advance.

I think I’m leaning back towards Sidcup haha. Maybe we will stay where we are an extra year to save for a bigger deposit (and bloomin stamp duty)

Agreed! Thanks very much.

Are there no state secondary back up options in Sidcup? Or will you be able to access good independents?

My eldest dc is grammar level academically but personality wise it's not for him. He similar to me (but it was far less competitive in my day) in that he likes to be top of the class and that would not be the case in grammar. I also wasn't invested enough to tutor for hours every week and he didn't want to give up extracurriculars.

The independent schools we have chosen for her are excellent and also known for their high rates of entry

Just be mindful that many people will still be tutoring externally.

There are some really good backup state options, just in case grammar isn’t an option. We would be putting her through extra tuition as well, but ultimately what’s most important to us is a happy, well balanced and healthily stretched child. So I completely understand the case with your eldest. Both my hubby and I were academic and rather competitive naturally so that wouldn’t have been an issue for us, but you never know with kids. We’ll just need to keep an eye on her as she grows and make the decision when the time comes. We just want to ensure we’ve done what we can until then!

As long as you have good back ups then you have covered all bases. Good luck!

Thank you! Xx

There are grammar schools in Chelmsford and Westcliff. Easily travel from Danbury, Woodham Ferrers area.

There are some pretty good sized maisonette flats (thus, share of freehold, I would assume?) in the Bexley borough in not necessarily rough areas for under, or a lot under your budget.

I'd consider a 2-3 bed, 1 bath maisonette to get better quality than you could for a 3 bed 2 bath house.

The green spaces in the area are really lovely, if having a postage stamp sized garden is of a concern.

Imo having 2 bathrooms is a modern luxury that's a 'want' rather than a 'need', unless one of you has ongoing stomach or period complaints.

I'd live in one in a heartbeat: lower council tax, water rates, less space to clean!

The new build flats can sod off though. I laughed my head off when I saw how much they go for in Bexleyheath (not Bexley village), having been familiar with the area for 30 odd years.

Chelmsford has good links and connections and there is transport to surrounding areas for the schools in Colchester, and Westcliffe etc. so living in Chelmsford would not limit your kids to a Chelmsford school though they would need to commute. I believe the Catholic schools in the area are pretty decent as well.

Personally, I would not live in Chelmsford unless I was in the center of town walking distance of the train station and facilities. The housing estates on the outskirts are for me a bit dead.

I'd rather go all in and be central, or move out to one of the smaller towns or villages for space and a different lifestyle, better cheaper housing. Then drive into the station

If you are used to being in town, I would probably stay there rather than move to the outskirts of Chelmsford.