Is it possible to make a sensible move out of London with 200k?

[toja555]

Currently we live in SE London in own large 2 bed Victorian terrace. We bought this house 6 months ago, redecorated more or less to our taste, but ? I am not in love with, I am not attached to it, and although it ticks all boxes, I know that eventually I will want to move.

The location we live is OK, the area is maybe a bit ?rough? in general opinion, but we live on a nice street, next to a park, I have never experienced any issues or crime, commuting to my work in the City is more than excellent ? it is 11 mins by train to London Bridge. I have my friends living around, so as a mum of 2 years old DS I am in a great social circle. The primary school that we would be looking into in a couple of years has improved dramatically in pass rates. In others words, it is convenient to live here and we seem to have everything we need...

But as 1) I don?t like the house itself 2) DH and I would prefer to live in a small town commutable to London 3) grass seems greener where I don?t live, we are contemplating idea to move further out of London before DS has to go to primary. We would like to stick to our budget of 200k (that is what our house is worth) and get a 2-3 bed house or maisonette in a higher standard area (good schools is a must) and commutable to London Bridge. I realize we probably need to rule out expensive places like Guildford or Horsham or Kent, as we cannot afford it. Theoretically living out of London should be cheaper than in London, but I don?t see how!

Would this move make sense? Is our budget too tight to make a sensible move? Can we get a more quality life outside London than we have now?
Thank you for any opinions!

The further out you go, the more you will get for your money (obviously )
We live in Ipswich. DH and many others we know commute into London quite easily on the train and we have a detached 4 bed, 3 storey town house within walking distance of the station that is worth just over 200k....

I think the big compromise you will have to make is commuting time - to get something for that price in a "nice" town you will realistically be looking at an hour each way at least. Anything closer and the prices will increase hugely...

My parents live near Ashford -- you get a lot for your money there and the high-speed rail link means it's not too long a commute. Canterbury seems similarly cheap and well-connected (and is a very nice little city).

Kent can actually be very reasonable. Stick to towns rather than villages for more for your money.

I have a few friends that live in Gravesend and commute to London Bridge. It has lovely Victorian houses and good grammar schools. May be worth a look.

Also you need to build into you costings the cost of the commute. Season tickets are not cheap.

Toja - surely you are underestimating the value of your house???

I live in SE London 11 mins on the train to London Bridge and you can barely get a one bed flat for £200k here!

Thank you everyone. It seems that we can get something for 200k? but apart from commuting, will the life be higher quality (better education, better activities, fresh air) than we have now? I am not convinced yet?
Bibbity, no I am not underestimating, our house is roughly worth 200k, that is South Norwood for you!

op - ahhh well that is the question. The grass does often seem greener elsewhere. Education can change in the space of a few years with a shift in head and staff. Fresh air - our village smells of manure today. Nice. Not sure what you mean by activities - proximity to London is a brilliant thing IMO esp once they get to around 6, for museums etc etc.

You have moved recently, you know the upheaval and the costs involved.

But......everyone has different drivers. I went to zillions of schools when I was a kid and am more than determined my DC will go to one primary and one secondary. Plenty of people I know, however, have shifted their DC's schools with little or no disturbance. Its by no means the end of the world if you choose to move once your DS starts school. But I personally wouldn't recommend doing it too often.

You can get a smaller house but in a nicer area if you move to where I live. The schools are excellent, green space excellent, good shops and 28 minutes commute to Euston (5 minute walk to station from this house

Yes, its small but it's in the nicest bit of Hemel Hempstead - you can get a 3 bed semi in the next nicest bit, a four bed 60's townhouse in the 3rd nicest bit etc.

Suffolk is lovely and affordable, but you have to commute to get a decent wage. North Essex is closer, Colchester is one place I can think of that is a good compromise and is up and coming, and you wouldn't miss London life too much. Plus you/DH may be able to find a similar, well-paid job closer to home - what area do you work in? The problem with rural is, well, it's rural. I've done big cities and the middle of nowhere, it is hard to adjust between the two, but not impossible.

LaurieFairy, the link you have given does not work..

LaurieFairy, actually I looked at Wikipedia about Hemel Hempstead and got honestly intrigued - it seems to have a nice high street and a lot of greenery. I shall write down your name in case I would like more information!

tries again

Thanks LaurieFairy, a small cottage, indeed...

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-27599993.html?sortByPriceDescending=false&minBedrooms =2&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&pageNumber=10&backToListURL=%2Fproperty- for-sale%2FHemel-Hempstead.html%3FsortByPriceDescending%3Dfalse%26minBedrooms%3D2%26displayPropertyT ype%3Dhouses%26oldDisplayPropertyType%3Dhouses%26index%3D90 this is 3 streets away from the tiny cottage but is ex-local authority]] The local primary is really good and is still in catchment for the best secondary.

Some people are funny about ex local authority housing but depending on where it is there is some in lovely areas.

The garden on that house is fabulous and much bigger than you would get with a cottage.

this one

the only way links work are if you find it on the actual agents page and not on right-move itself.

this one

bloomin' rightmove - when did they change that?

Reality, are you from Horsham yourself? I would be grateful if you could post some nice areas. Horsham seems nice, we are going to visit it this weekend (only passed there once), but as everyone praises it so much that I did not feel I could afford it. The location of Horsham would just ideal for us?
LaurieFairy, thank you for your efforts. I used to post Rightmove links without issues, I don?t know what they have done with it!

We are contemplating a move to Horsham and have been visiting for the last few weekends. It seems really lovely - we are looking on the west side of town, we want to be close to the main park (which is great) and the station fr commuting. Tis a big decision, however - I'll miss London!

Antiquesroadshow, are you planning to commute daily to London?

dh would be doing the daily commute. It's a big ask and the one thing that I'm seriously worried about. But he maintains it'll be fine. We're talking ourselves into it by imagining frequent trips to the seaside! And we'd still be in London on a fairly regular basis to see family and friends. I'm nervous but excited - we have done A LOT of research and Horsham has come out tops.