I need the collective knowledge of OcUK - spec'cing an area to live in.

  • Thread starter Thread starter ntg
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Westyfield2 said:
No.

That was my one comment from the OP. If you've got £150K to spend you should be looking at things listed for more like £167K than £200K.
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I realise 200k maybe an extreme stretch but equally I could up my budget a little bit if something exquisite appeared.

I think i'd rather correct that in the OP to make it more rational.
 
gjrc said:
no its on my train route to andover home....

40 mins probably from waterloo... andover is beyond it and thats 1hr 10 mins.
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Good point, I was thinking about it from paddington-reading-basingstoke.

I'll have a look then, thanks.

How is Andover in terms of pricing?
 
neil3k said:
milton keynes

/thread
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Any good parts of MK to suggest? I've had a look at it the other day and it looked too much like an industrial area - but then again I didn't know which areas to look.

I ended up looking at some good properties that turned out to be in very-very bad estates.
 
gjrc said:
no its on my train route to andover home....

40 mins probably from waterloo... andover is beyond it and thats 1hr 10 mins.
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I've looked at andover and it looks relatively cheap, any good/bad parts to look out for when checking out properties??
 
Another vote for MK if you're looking for most space per £, it's 32 minutes from Euston via train.

The newer parts are nicest - Kingsmead, Tattenhoe, Oxley Park to name a few.

There are some nice flats in central Milton Keynes, but they wouldn't be my cup of tea due to the noise etc
 
Have a look at areas around Horsham, West Sussex. Train time is pushing it a bit - 1hr 15 for most trains to Victoria but there are some express trains at peak times. It's generally a nice place to live though and you shouldn't have much of a problem getting a terraced house for £150k in Horsham itself, not sure what it's like in the rural areas.
 
With that budget I can only say the CR5 postcode is out. That covers Coulsdon, Hooley, Old Coulsdon and Purley. A nice area but we were very lucky getting 3 bed semi for only £218,000 (down from 270).

In all honesty you might want to save hard for an additional 6 months. That extra deposit will allow you to borrow more without actually having to spend more per month giving you more freedom to look bigger budget. We worked on the basis that if we went for a 3 bed semi first time out we were less likely to need to go through the faff of moving in 10 years. As it stands we have no plan to move out as the house is big enough to have 4 kids in and the area is really nice. Saved us hassle and money in the long run.
 
Kent:

Medway, don't bother

Maidstone, 150k doable, 1hr to London Victoria

Tonbridge, 150k just, 40-45mins to Charing Cross

Ashford, 150k easy, not as nice but high speed raillink to St Pancras.

Hope that helps, Kent is nice for the most part :)
 
BennyC said:
Hertfordshire can be quite pricey depending on the area. In Maple Cross you might be able to find yourself something it has a few nice parts but isn't particulary big. But is just down the road from Rickmansworth 5-10 minute drive. Croxley Green & Rickmansworth are probaly slightly out of budget. Might be able to find something in Watford but again like anywhere it has some parts to avoid.

Anywhere on the Metropolitan line will get you in to central London in about 40-50 minutes. On the Chilternline which runs on the Met line you'll get to Marlyebone from Rickmansworth in just under half an hour.

I quite like Kings Langely. St Albans is another you could try. Might find something in Leavesden but has a few iffy parts.

Hope some of these areas are of some use.
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I think the O/P would struggle to find a house for £150k in Leavesden, St. Albans or most of Watford. Maybe in Hemel Hempstead or South Oxhey ( not so good for the train though)
 
J.B said:
Maybe somewhere in Hertfordshire like Hatfield might be in budget but isnt an overly nice place to live.

Surrey might be a good option, maybe Farnborough or Camberley? Some alright areas
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Hatfield = student dive... keep well away. I work there but never venture out the office!!!

Camberley, be careful where you go as there are some really nasty parts, but like most other places there are some pretty good parts. Sandhurst (of military academy fame) is right next to Camberley and is a nice place to live. It is also the place we choose to live.
 
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