Where to buy with £260k budget? seaside/countryside

[Artygirlghost]

I want to relocate after a relationship ended and move back to a seaside location with some nice countryside nearby (the type of place I grew up in) for my ''forever home''. I don't want to take on a new mortgage so my top budget is 260K from the recent sale of our home.

So far I have viewed houses in the South East (Deal, Folkestone and Whistable) but everything I see needs a lot of work (not just cosmetic which I would be happy to do) or is in a not so great part of town.The West end of Folkestone and parts of Deal would have worked ,and I have friends who live in these towns already, but there is nothing in my budget it seems.

So I am thinking that maybe I just need to be realistic, widen my search and forget about the South East entirely as I no longer have family ties there and look North. I work remotely so I could be based anywhere.

Would anyone be able to suggest where I could look for a 2 bed house with a garden for my pets in a laid back, safe, quiet, green part of the country with access to sea/countryside but not be more than an hour away from a city by train?

Could be the North of England, Scotland or Wales.

Another concern is that I am British but originally from France so I would want somewhere that already has a little bit of diversity and/or is generally welcoming to newcomers.

@greeandorange Unfortunately the property is tenanted so I can' t do that.

I will have a brief chat with their adviser tomorrow but just to state again that the purchase is funded by the sale of another property which is about to complete, that I expect my offer to be passed on to the buyer and that any query about funds will be handled through my solicitor.

They are just trying to get me to use their broker and I am not sharing any more financial details at this stage.

Following

Yes, don't give up,@Artygirlghost . It also might be that this isn't the house for you if it is tenanted. The tenants might not want to move out or be able to find somewhere else and this can cause delays. Keep looking in the areas best suited and known to you and don't feel forced to look elsewhere, unless you really want an adventure, that is!

The SE is also close to France - is this more significant or practical for you?

We are fortunate to live in beautiful countryside, but the sea is definitely missing and we can't easily move. I am living vicariously through you and wish you well!

@ItsRainingCatsAndDogsAgain The SE is more practical job-wise and because I would keep friends and contacts. Thank you for your good wishes.

I feel a bit less despondent at this stage and I will concentrate for now on finding a rental and completing my sale I think. Then I can take some more time to think about where I want to live and find the right house, including exploring Troon a bit more.

It probably will be easier and more straightforward as well to have the money from my sale in the bank.

@ItsRainingCatsAndDogsAgain yes the fact that it is tenanted was a concern but I was assured they were due to leave in January (although with estate agents I am finding hard to believe anything anymore...) and I think that is probably why the house has not sold yet and also the fact that it is quite small so not really suitable for families.

A quick look on Rightmove also just made me realise there are quite a few other houses in Deal that I could go for so I am losing hope yet.

I think it's standard practice now to have offers validated by brokers, or at least that was our experience when we recently offered and sold using two estate agents so I wouldn't think your agent is messing you around

Lincolnshire

Dunbar? Is on the London train line and you would be in Edinburgh in just over half an hour espc.com/property/2-crowbill-road-dunbar-eh42-1yt/36125774

@play017 thank you for the reassuring words. I will find out today as I am due to speak to the financial adviser.

@Jamjar2978 I like Dunbar, pretty and with a lovely community and great for transport too. It is really interesting how much more space you can get in Scotland in term of house size/garden compared to the SE! it is interesting to compare because the house I offered on is also a semi detached on a quiet close. I like the look of the one you sent!

Hi, I hope you had good news about the property you offered on.

I know Folkestone prices have risen hugely in last 18 months (£100 grand more for typical DFL properties) so I wonder if those prices may drop over the next year. The flooding was very localised- caused by stream overflowing so just avoid properties in the dip at the bottom of that hill, but it certainly didn't rise up the hill so for example halfway up Garden road would be fine. I imagine they have altered the concrete conduit the stream runs into since then also although I appreciate your insurers may not understand that. I feel like flood risk is quite manageable in Folkestone to be honest you can check the distance above sea level of any property on the web.

@starpatch Thank you for the additional info about the town. That's really useful.

I am likely to withdraw my offer because of the agent and the seller's behaviour unfortunately.

I am being left on hold while I am asked to provide ever more intrusive information.

I have told them that my solicitor would confirm that I have the means to buy the property but will not answer the ridiculous questions they are asking (such as who my buyer is and how much they paid for my property...).

I think they are either playing for time to see if they get a better offer or want me to raise mine. I have no patience for greedy time wasters.

Do you find it rains a lot and is quite run down though? I wouldn't mind out to the west but that's expensive and a long drive to Cardiff.

Did you move to Devon from Norfolk?

Following as my budget is the same and I'm desperate to move away from Cornwall but still want seaside nearby!

You could move to Merseyside, be 1 minute walk from the seafront, short walk to the reliable train station into Liverpool (20 mins) Waterloo
we're a v welcoming city, and you'd have a spare room for guests plus change.

Why away from Cornwall? That's a lot of people's dreams!! Which bit are you in?

I'm near Falmouth. It's a dive. Employment options are limited, salaries are low, drugs, crime, traffic, crowds, poverty, homelessness and its dreary / gloomy & depressing in Winter.

Forward thinking people are moving down and it's trickling through to the local population but there are pockets of racism / xenophobia. Companies aren't yet inclusive (marketing role last week was advertised for fit and healthy people only!!)

I'm Cornish and I just don't want to be here anymore. I want my children to have positive, forward thinking lives where they're educated and working in jobs with decent pay.

E.g the NHS and local authority are top paying employers here.

House prices here are ridiculously high. Seasalt HQ offered me a marketing job paying £19,000 a year. Rent was £1100PCM. It's just wrong.

100 miles up the road and my min salary goes up to £27,000 and rent is the same.

I'm actually very lucky to be a homeowner now but 2 "decent for Cornwall" incomes means we can only afford a 2 bed house that's 3m wide. Brilliant! No garden.

I'm Cornish get me out of here!! 🤣

I'm also fed up and tired of being a billion miles away from the rest of the country! 😊

@LovelyRachel oh that sounds awful. The uk really is so varied for such a small island. Try Norwich.

It does rain a fair amount but we've quickly learnt to get out and about regardless! The summer was glorious though and the sandy beaches amazing. Dreary and rundown..no I can't say I do find it either of those. Its a seaside city so there is evidence of homelessness/drug use/run down housing but I come from Brighton where I honestly would say it is more noticeable and the benefits of sandy beach and far fewer people/less traffic outweigh the negatives for me.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/132592028#/?channel=RES_BUY

Buy that and I'll visit you 😉😀

I was amazed at the prices there... tempted.

Actually Hartlepool headland.