We are planning to move out from our 1 bed flat in Hackney later this year due to a need for more space as we have a 2 year old and are considering Surrey but not sure which areas would be best for us based on our interests and budget.
Ideally we would like to find somewhere with good schools, green spaces, independent shops/restaurants/cafes and a nice community feel with other young families. As we are leaving the buzz of hackney we don't want to be too rural but also don't want to move somewhere full of identikit chain stores with no identity to it.
We are currently veering towards either Reigate, Farnham or Godalming but unsure if our budget will stretch far enough to find a suitable property within catchment areas of good schools (we have budget of around £650-675k and looking for 3 bed minimum with garden). It also needs to be somewhere commutable to London for work (1 hour max).
Has anyone got advice on those areas already mentioned above and whether they would be a good fit (or any downsides to them), or are there any other possibly locations we should investigate?
Thanking you in advance! :-)