Moving to Cambridge

[RooTwo]

I think there are always loads of threads about moving to Cambridge - it seems v popular! - but wanted a bit of advice anyway ... we are thinking about moving there from London with our two DCs aged 3.5 and 2, to get more space, a buzzy city without the hecticness of London. We can't really afford to buy a house in the area of London we want to be in, but I think £300k might get us something decent (3 bed) in Cambridge?

I would love any advice on good places to live in the city- we would like to be near some decent primary schools and in a friendly area with stuff going on - shops cafes etc - parks ideally I guess - but are not averse to a bit of grot too as we have lived in inner city London a long time! I know Cambridge is expensive property-wise but we do really want to be able to get a decent-sized house with a big garden or there is no point in us moving out of London ...

Also any advice on commute most welcome - DP will be commuting to Kings Cross three/four times a week so I guess we want to be not too far from station - or cyclable distance.

Many thanks in advance!

Developers and investors make quite low offers in Cambridge and get the houses. If you say you want to live in it, agents treat you pretty shabbily if you make a low offer. DP was bad mouthed by one estate agent when he told them that asking prices were out of line, to be told: it's people like who are you the problem.

We still think that asking prices are overvalued. The proof is that a lot of houses are not selling and the ones that are going through are real special houses of which there is short supply or suspiciously affordable one we never saw coming onto the market.

We monitor what properties are actually selling for and there are huge gaps between asking prices and sold prices. So obviously somebody is getting the bargains, but is not a homebuyer for sure.