Give me some advice please

[Gifgaf]

We are currently in a 2 bed flat in a very affluent part of London. We have come across a full detached 6 bedroom/2 ensuite home with a garden and garage, basically a dream home in Newcastle. However, our lives and work are all in London and that's were we originally wanted to stay put but we could never get this kind of home and cost in London.

What would you do in our position ?

More information needed. Do you have any connection to Newcastle or know anything about it whatsoever or have you just picked a random place with cheaper houses? Could you get different jobs?

In your position I’d move outside London, but within commuting distance!

Don't make a decision based on one house. The UK has plenty of lovely, affordable houses. But they aren't affordable if you haven't got a job. So, find a job first. Also, the house of your dreams can become a milstone round your neck if you are having to do an uncongenial job to fund it.

Final thought: Newcastle, or anywhere up North (even Birmingham!) Is very different from London. Not better or worse just different. So, are you prepared for the change of culture?

Thats sounds like a random move. Is there any reason you would want to live in Newcastle?

We do have some family here and we can work from remote just that we would have to completely move our lives over

We have jobs

Bigger house, and more affordable plus we do have some family here and come here a few times in the year hence why we though we would look. Plus the prices of what is being offered here Vs London is out of this world.

Newcastle isn’t the only area that will have a much larger property for similar money than yours in London. Would you need to travel to London? Have you looked at other northern areas? Would you miss London? Do you want or need 6 bedrooms? That’s a lot of cleaning!

Surely there is somewhere outside of London where you could get more for your money. The weather would put me off.

I live near Newcastle. It is definitely much more affordable than London, obviously, but there’s other things to consider. The mortgage will be lower but our council tax is quite high compared to London, the bills to run and maintain a 6 bed house will be a lot more and then there’s the question of how often you will need to go back to London for work. The trains are expensive, it’s actually often cheaper to fly, and I presume take up a lot more time than your current commute?
That being said, if you have links here and know it well enough to decide you’d like to live here, then there’s no real reason not to. It’s wonderfully placed for a variety of lifestyles. There’s beaches, countryside, suburbs and the lively city all nearby. And apparently we’re a friendly bunch (I personally am a miserable sod 😂).
I wouldn’t make a rash decision but certainly look into it a bit more.

I think you need to spend some time there and then decide. Newcastle is a big place, but there's also alot of nice places surrounding it too in Northumberland, Cumbria and the lake District where you can get more for your money than London.

In Newcastle or surrounding areas? Maybe post a link, there are some lovely areas and some not so nice.

Location location location.

1. How many bedrooms do you actually need? Presumably 3 max if you’re in a 2 bed at the moment.

2. would you find jobs easily in Newcastle if you lost your current jobs? Remote jobs are usually very hard to find now.

3. Do you like Newcastle? Do you need good schooling? Would you want to raise kids in Newcastle? How much do you know about it?

4. Can you afford the council tax and bills on a 6 bed detached?

I would never move for house alone. Where’s your social network?

Only you will know and it depends how strongly you feel about London. I personally know if I was to move out of London I’d be depressed - no other city cuts it and the idea of country living foR me (god no). Other people, or you, may feel very different. I personally don’t think London can be replicated in the U.K. so if you feel strongly about London I wouldn’t move - no matter what downs there are. If you’re not fussed and would prefer bigger space then makes sense to consider. Also how old are you. If you have a 2 bed in anfluent part of London (and by that I’m assuming you mean W1 or something)£ then you’d be able to afford a nice house in a nice part of London if you are patient and your salary is expected to increase

Regardless of where you think of moving to, if either of lost your current job, would you be confident you could find another fully remote role?

Because if you aren't very, very confident about this, then you need to move to somewhere where you would have suitable in-person job opportunities or which is commutable to London.

All very important points here.
Also a big house costs far more in money and time to maintain than a smaller one.
You'd have to love Newcastle for it to work. There's a lot to love, but it's not London with cheap housing.

I have a remote based job and relocated to rural lincolnshire from the south. I would quite like to change jobs but there are very few fully remote roles now, so I shall either have to move again or suck it up and stay where I am. I’d definitley consider that side of it before you move.

No I wouldn't move to Newcastle unless I actually wanted to live there. Unless there's a lot more to this (you've been thinking about Newcastle for a while, like the proximity to the national park or whatever) you need to put a lot more thought into it and weigh the pros and cons of all the options. There are also many more places in the UK with housing that is more affordable than London and where you could get a fantastic house for the price of a 2 bed in an expensive part.

It’s a huge life shift! Culture, distance, friends, weather.

And one you really didn’t have on your radar - forget it and move on.

you have a 2 bed - if you really needed 3 - sure you could find something close enough to your current lives. The idea of “dream home” is just something sold to make yourself feel unhappy in your life.

and is it a dream house in a shitty location? A money pit?

My parents lived in rural Wales for years. Over that time, they saw no end of families come and go. They seduced by the cheap land and property, but soon found that it was too remote/different from what they were used to etc. Very few people actually stayed - and some of those stayed because they couldn't afford to move back.

However, if you love the area, have family there etc, it's different.

I wouldn't move just for a property, no.

Being in an location I love, close to family and friends, good schools, as well as convenience for work is more important than the physical building.

If all the other criteria are met with the house you saw too, I say go for it!