Questions about moving out of London

Kieran_Burns

mrbobuk wrote:

if you do mean truly out of london then expect, to be the only black man in the village, even in the leafy SW suburbs it's a sea of white.

I'm white, the missus is black and I have dual-heritage twin 5 year old boys. We moved from the city of Derby to a small village with a well-known motorbike racetrack a couple of years back - there are hardly any black folks here. I have to say, we were a little worried at first, as when we did an initial recce before we bought the cottage, it was spot the person of any colour. Now, I'd say we feel more comfortable as a family in a predominantly white village than we did in the city. My wife feels secure, the kids feel secure and we're all happy. There are some black folks about and we always give them the nod/acknowledgement. We laugh about it and make a joke that we are pioneers moving here! Haha. Village life is awesome though. So quieter and laid back and safer too. Kids love it.

Get yourself into a village and in the mix DonDaddyD, you'll never look back! Like Kieran said, you have all the proper country pubs too!

It's bob-on.

Rob

You did need to shave your head to stop people knowing you were a ginger though mate...

mrbobuk

You did need to shave your head to stop people knowing you were a ginger though mate...

Aye. Red and proud!

Didn't you have a pony tail for years Kieran? That was so damn feminine. You looked like a mangirl. Haha.

davis

DonDaddyD wrote:

Redhill isn't 'country' enough for me and just seems a little er... well... yeah. Might as well live in London.

What I would like is to live on a road where one side is houses and on the other side is a green crowned by 2 pubs, a butcher, baker, post office and shop - maybe a restaurant or two, maybe. Behind my garden is a field full of lambs. (Like where ITB lives).

Down the road by, which I mean a few miles, is a 'town or village' with more shops maybe even a Supermarket. Further still is a City.

I live in the country.

You, sir, are attempting to live in a dreamworld.

I'm in a vaguely crappy 3-bed house in a very very dull village/town. It's 15 minutes' walk to the train station, and about 1h15 from there into Victoria.
It's just about ok for my needs, but I think you've got your rose-tinted glasses on.

Can't even remember the last time I saw an actual bakers'.

First.Aspect

DDD sounds like you want something more like Wiltshire.

Mind you, the village green idyl you describe is still available in Cheshire or Yorkshire, if you could tolerate the locals.

WGW - dont tell everyone. The southern uplands aren't too shabby either. I am looking at the moorfoot hills with a dusting of snow as I type. And off to Assynt tomorrow. Could be worse.

alansd1980

Going south then Banstead,Woodmansterne, Chipstead, Tadworth, Tattenham corner are all probably within budget but the reason for that is the transport links aren't great.
I am in Banstead and its a really nice place to live. Five mins walk to the village high street and there are several cafes, restaurants, a greengrocer a butcher, no bakers but there is a waitrose and M and S food and 2 pubs. Within half a mile of my house there are several parks, fields and woods. To top off the quintessentially english village feel I sat last week and watched the village cricket team play while having a picnic in the park. The downside is that the train links are awful but its only 16 miles to the middle of london so I use a scooter a couple of days and cycle the rest.

I would suggest if Mrs DDD is going to commute as well you are going to be hard pressed to find somewhere nice that fits the bill and is affordable. It will just mean 2 of you are stuck on trains or rushing back to pick up the nipper. The main thing that makes living where we do possible is that my wife works a mile down the road so is always home and able to pick the baby up from nursery at 5.30

rjsterry

alansd1980 wrote:

Going south then Banstead,Woodmansterne, Chipstead, Tadworth, Tattenham corner are all probably within budget but the reason for that is the transport links aren't great.
I am in Banstead and its a really nice place to live. Five mins walk to the village high street and there are several cafes, restaurants, a greengrocer a butcher, no bakers but there is a waitrose and M and S food and 2 pubs. Within half a mile of my house there are several parks, fields and woods. To top off the quintessentially english village feel I sat last week and watched the village cricket team play while having a picnic in the park. The downside is that the train links are awful but its only 16 miles to the middle of london so I use a scooter a couple of days and cycle the rest.

I would suggest if Mrs DDD is going to commute as well you are going to be hard pressed to find somewhere nice that fits the bill and is affordable. It will just mean 2 of you are stuck on trains or rushing back to pick up the nipper. The main thing that makes living where we do possible is that my wife works a mile down the road so is always home and able to pick the baby up from nursery at 5.30

I think us Londoncentric types are a bit spoilt. We see 'only' having 3 trains an hour as a poor service, when really, it just means that you need to be a bit more organised, learn the timetable, and make sure you are at the station on time. That said, PT has been a PITA for me over the last two days.

clarkey cat

DonDaddyD wrote:

What I would like is to live on a road where one side is houses and on the other side is a green crowned by 2 pubs, a butcher, baker, post office and shop - maybe a restaurant or two, maybe. Behind my garden is a field full of lambs. (Like where ITB lives).

Down the road by, which I mean a few miles, is a 'town or village' with more shops maybe even a Supermarket. Further still is a City.

Welcome to Hersham Village. We are in the process of buying somewhere here at the moment.

mtb-idle

clarkey cat wrote:

Welcome to Hersham Village. We are in the process of buying somewhere here at the moment.

Laced up boots and corduroys?

bondurant

Ha! Finally some Sham 69 recognition.

+1 for Hersham village

jimmypippa

DonDaddyD wrote:

I was thinking of the Aldershot (Ash), Guildford, Farnham area? They any good?

The train used to be pretty rubbish. But I had to get to Sunbury on Thames, which meant changing at Clapham Junction. Most of the time I drove.

Some very pricey areas, and some not very nice (about 15-years ago).

I seem to recall that there were actually trailer parks (as in the US sense) in that area.

DonDaddyD

Thank you for all the personal experiences and suggestions. I'm loving the motorcycle idea, yesterday I was looking at Ongar, how that would work getting to Hammersmith I do not know...

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

Thank you for all the personal experiences and suggestions. I'm loving the motorcycle idea, yesterday I was looking at Ongar, how that would work getting to Hammersmith I do not know...

Central Line from Epping or District Line from Upminster are both fairly close by.

DonDaddyD

What is

Reigate
Horley
Oxted
Salfords

Like as a place to live?

asprilla

DonDaddyD wrote:

What is

Reigate
Horley
Oxted
Salfords

Like as a place to live?

I was seriously considering Reigate; nice town centre, commuting riding distance to London and right on the edge of the Surrey hills, what's not to like?

Trains are terrible. If it had a decent train service then you could add £200k to house prices there. Redhill is close by and has much better trains, but from what I've seen of the place it's a hole (sorry to anyone who lives there).

Anyway, shouldn't your first port of call for any house buying decision be the Ofstead reports for the schools in the area?

rjsterry

Asprilla wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

What is

Reigate
Horley
Oxted
Salfords

Like as a place to live?

I was seriously considering Reigate; nice town centre, commuting riding distance to London and right on the edge of the Surrey hills, what's not to like?

Trains are terrible. If it had a decent train service then you could add £200k to house prices there. Redhill is close by and has much better trains, but from what I've seen of the place it's a hole (sorry to anyone who lives there).

Anyway, shouldn't your first port of call for any house buying decision be the Ofstead reports for the schools in the area?

Poorer train service might be the price you have to pay for a house within budget in a nice area. After all if you are cycling (and riding in from Oxted will put hairs on your chest - Titsey Hill on the commute?) then trains are less of an issue. Obviously Ms DDD will want a better service, but she could pedal a short distance to a station, no?

wgwarburton

Hi,
Yes- you are not alone in looking for a big house in a nice area with good schools and convenient transport links... If you were able to "leverage" your transport options by use of a bike, so that places unattractive to most people would suit you just fine, then your buying power would be increased. If your partner can't do that it isn't much of an option, though.

The critical point here seems to be Ms DDDs commute... I guess it's that which you need to focus on. If there's room for a bit of imaginative commuting on her side then there may be some opportunities to find a good niche but if she's looking for the same solution as everyone else there's obviously going to be plenty of competition and hence prices will be hefty....
Maybe you should look for a tiny flat to use during the week and spend your weekends out of London altogether!!

Cheers,
W.

asprilla

rjsterry wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

What is

Reigate
Horley
Oxted
Salfords

Like as a place to live?

I was seriously considering Reigate; nice town centre, commuting riding distance to London and right on the edge of the Surrey hills, what's not to like?

Trains are terrible. If it had a decent train service then you could add £200k to house prices there. Redhill is close by and has much better trains, but from what I've seen of the place it's a hole (sorry to anyone who lives there).

Anyway, shouldn't your first port of call for any house buying decision be the Ofstead reports for the schools in the area?

Poorer train service might be the price you have to pay for a house within budget in a nice area. After all if you are cycling (and riding in from Oxted will put hairs on your chest - Titsey Hill on the commute?) then trains are less of an issue. Obviously Ms DDD will want a better service, but she could pedal a short distance to a station, no?

Absolutly. Reigate wasn't rule out by me, but Mrs A. If she want to continue working in London the total journey time must be less than an hour. Nurserys will generally only allow drop off at 8 at the earliest which limits your options for getting to work by 9.

DonDaddyD

The nursery is near where Ms DDD works and she has an arrangement with them. My understanding is that she also wants him to go to the local pre-school. The issue is that we can get to work and home and the journey is reasonable (obviously schools are the deciding factor but we need to be able to afford the area as well!). At the moment I'm just evidence/case building as I'm going to have to sit her down and put forward a rationale as to why we should live in 'x, y and z'.

I doubt highly that Essex/Ongar is going to realistically, logistcally or practically work, but I am open to the suggestion from her.

rjsterry

I would not bet on ddd getting into a Hammersmith pre-school if you don't live within the catchment area (which will be measured in metres, not miles), let alone proper school. This means living in Hammersmith (1 bed flat?) or coming up with a plan B.

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

I would not bet on ddd getting into a Hammersmith pre-school if you don't live within the catchment area (which will be measured in metres, not miles), let alone proper school. This means living in Hammersmith (1 bed flat?) or coming up with a plan B.

My English frustrates me.

Sorry, I meant local to where we live. Right now he goes to a nursery near Ms DDD's work. When we move, and when he is old enough, she'll want him to go to the local pre-school. How this'll work in terms of her picking him (because I won't be able to) I haven't a foggy but she has a far greater mind than me and has probably already thought this one through.

Ian.B

Fitting working hours around nursery hours is a doddle compared to fitting working hours around primary school hours

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I would not bet on ddd getting into a Hammersmith pre-school if you don't live within the catchment area (which will be measured in metres, not miles), let alone proper school. This means living in Hammersmith (1 bed flat?) or coming up with a plan B.

My English frustrates me.

Sorry, I meant local to where we live. Right now he goes to a nursery near Ms DDD's work. When we move, and when he is old enough, she'll want him to go to the local pre-school. How this'll work in terms of her picking him (because I won't be able to) I haven't a foggy but she has a far greater mind than me and has probably already thought this one through.

Ah, no worries. Pick ups are an issue - WFH or part time helps, especially as pre-school is often only half day.

DonDaddyD

Ian.B wrote:

Fitting working hours around nursery hours is a doddle compared to fitting working hours around primary school hours

I once suggested that school should go onto 4.15 - 4.30pm as in an additional lesson, but I got shouted down and accused of not wanting to look after my son... wanting free childcare.

tailwindhome

DonDaddyD wrote:

Ian.B wrote:

Fitting working hours around nursery hours is a doddle compared to fitting working hours around primary school hours

I once suggested that school should go onto 4.15 - 4.30pm as in an additional lesson, but I got shouted down and accused of not wanting to look after my son... wanting free childcare.

No one shouted you down and no one accused you of anything. You're playing the forum victim again.

phy2sll2

TailWindHome wrote:

No one shouted you down and no one accused you of anything. You're playing the forunn victim again.

Reported for racism.

Oh, wait - might have misread that.

DonDaddyD

OK....

So, Ofstead and schools. What key bits of information do I need to look at to determine which are the really good schools?

asprilla

DonDaddyD wrote:

OK....

So, Ofstead and schools. What key bits of information do I need to look at to determine which are the really good schools?

Each school is given a ranking. There are four. Cant remember off the top of my head but they are something like; Excellent, Good, Average and Needs Improvement. You get the picture.

It's also worth look at what the progression is for each school; so is the next school (next age bracket) after the one you want easy to get to or is it a 20 minute drive in rush hour? Is that 20 minutes in the direction of commute or the completely opposite direction?

You'll also need to look at the entry qualifications for the schools as many of the better ones require religious attendance and / or are by distance from the school as the crow flies.

Remember that you might not get your first choice school so you should look at the general quality of schools in the area.

Finally, the quality of schools can go down as well as up and past performance is not necessarily and indicator of future performance.

I've delivered multi-million pound projects with shorter risk registers than selecting a new house based on schools.

wgwarburton

Hi,
I haven't done the research, so this may be complete B*******cks but I have a strong suspicion that the most accurate proxy measure for ranking schools may well be the price of a family home nearby...

Cheers,
W.

asprilla

WGWarburton wrote:

Hi,
I haven't done the research, so this may be complete B*******cks but I have a strong suspicion that the most accurate proxy measure for ranking schools may well be the price of a family home nearby...

Cheers,
W.

Probably a correlation. However, within half a mile of most of the schools in Elmbridge and you can find a three bed house for £300k or £2m. You tend to find that for the really expensive houses location doesn't matter because they go to public schools.

okgo

WGWarburton wrote:

Hi,
I haven't done the research, so this may be complete B*******cks but I have a strong suspicion that the most accurate proxy measure for ranking schools may well be the price of a family home nearby...

Cheers,
W.

Probably about right outside of London, obviously incorrect for anywhere even slightly more town-esque, Tiffin in Kingston for example which is a good school is about 800 meters from the Cambridge Estate which is an absolute blight on the entire town.

But further out of town, yes, probably. But there are always exceptions.