confusedsoul Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Hello All, I have been a silent reader of this site for the past 3 years and highly respect the opinions around here.... I finally decided to join up to get an expert opinion. We have been planning to buy a small house for quite some time but have been unable to do so in our own area (Greater London) as the sellers are highly delusional and not out side of London as no matter where I look the prices seem really high to us at least . Found 2 properties in the cheaper part of Reigate...and pitched 5% less than asking...got rejected.....improved to 3% less than asking still got rejected and the properties got sold for their desired asking prices...... When searching for areas our first priority is outstanding schools both junior and senior and accessibility to some shops without the usage of cars....oh and of course a rail link to London (work commute).......We can only afford something in the region of 250k-290k....but everywhere I look a house close to good schools just never comes in our range...I really need some guidance and help....... All sorts of advice is welcome and appreciated... Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSvetz Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Have you tried the Havering/Romford (e.g. RM7) area, lots of decent sized homes in the price band you can budget to? No idea on the schools though so you would need to do some research. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confusedsoul Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 Have you tried the Havering/Romford (e.g. RM7) area, lots of decent sized homes in the price band you can budget to? No idea on the schools though so you would need to do some research. Good luck. Thanks...but Romford is too close to Ilford and Barking...I am trying to avoid East London and its surroundings.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flopsy Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 You'll find that home buyers in the South East have calculated their maxium travel time and drawn a map around London. Then they have visited the areas on the perimiter, and composed a short list, started looking at homes, made some offers and then found that house prices have increased as they look and they can no longer afford to live there. Even cities like Brighton escalated in price. That's what happened to us anyway. Wishing you all the best on your hunt for a home. It's really tough out there and we have given up. I keep some saved searches on our favourite areas and not have dropped enough in price to offer anything suitable in our price list yet. Can you move anywhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confusedsoul Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 You'll find that home buyers in the South East have calculated their maxium travel time and drawn a map around London. Then they have visited the areas on the perimiter, and composed a short list, started looking at homes, made some offers and then found that house prices have increased as they look and they can no longer afford to live there. Even cities like Brighton escalated in price. That's what happened to us anyway. Wishing you all the best on your hunt for a home. It's really tough out there and we have given up. I keep some saved searches on our favourite areas and not have dropped enough in price to offer anything suitable in our price list yet. Can you move anywhere else? Oh you riding in our boat too......*sigh* We are willing to move any place which fulfills the criteria: 1) reasonable travel time and expense to London......(we consider 1 and a half hr reasonable) 2) Excellent schools 3) Amenities on a walking distance.... You have any areas in mind....?? We checked Frimley....but the high street was miles away and there weren't very many shops.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 You want a place that ticks ALL the most popular boxes, you're automatically in competition with the greatest numbers of sheeple. Anyone selling into that market is in a strong position to get a high price. Just decide what you're going to compromise on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spangled Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Oh you riding in our boat too......*sigh* We are willing to move any place which fulfills the criteria: 1) reasonable travel time and expense to London......(we consider 1 and a half hr reasonable) 2) Excellent schools 3) Amenities on a walking distance.... You have any areas in mind....?? We checked Frimley....but the high street was miles away and there weren't very many shops.... Hitchin, Hertfordshire. 22 mins on the fast train to King's Cross, regular trains 30 mins. Good (at least rated 2 by Ofsted) state schools at primary and secondary level. Lovely market town. Lots of decent terraces for >£300k. We lived there for two years after 12 years in south-east London - only relocated to the north east last year for family reasons - would have stayed and settled there otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spangled Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hitchin, Hertfordshire. 22 mins on the fast train to King's Cross, regular trains 30 mins. Good (at least rated 2 by Ofsted) state schools at primary and secondary level. Lovely market town. Lots of decent terraces for >£300k. We lived there for two years after 12 years in south-east London - only relocated to the north east last year for family reasons - would have stayed and settled there otherwise. I meant <£300k. (Where's the edit post function?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confusedsoul Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hitchin, Hertfordshire. 22 mins on the fast train to King's Cross, regular trains 30 mins. Good (at least rated 2 by Ofsted) state schools at primary and secondary level. Lovely market town. Lots of decent terraces for >£300k. We lived there for two years after 12 years in south-east London - only relocated to the north east last year for family reasons - would have stayed and settled there otherwise. A big thanks....I have started checking it as of now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Horse Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hitchin is a lovely market town and within the area there are a number of other towns that all have different things to offer both in character and facilities. In terms of schooling, generally all of the primary schools are extremely good although the William Ransom, Samuel Lucas and Whitehill Schools seem to get the highest plaudits locally. Secondary schooling has traditionally focused on Hitchin Boys and Girls' Schools (former grammar schools) although The Priory has a vastly improved reputation and is a co-ed. Catchment for the single sex schools is tight and you really need to search for properties within the sg4 9 postcode - you will notice inflated prices because of this. Other secondary schools within this area that have very good reputations are the Knights Templar School in Baldock, John Henry Newman in Stevenage and Highfield in Letchworth. Knights Templar is a co-ed that serves the needs of Baldock as it is the only school and it has an excellent reputation. Baldock is smaller than Hitchin but is a town in itself with its own rail link and is only 10 mins drive away. John Henry Newman is a co-ed Catholic School with an excellent reputation. The Old Town of Stevenage is really nice but most of Stevenage has a fairly poor reputation - I think this is undeserved but I guess has always suffered in comparison to the other nearby towns. Letchworth is a strange town in many respects where there is a very diverse housing stock. Highfield has a good reputation but is not necessarily a school where housebuyers would battle to buy to get into. In North Herts you may also want to consider somewhere like Bishop's Stortford which has some excellent schools and is again a very nice market town (although I much prefer Hitchin). If you go a little further north you may be surprised by the quality of the secondary schools in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Bedford rail link is not as good as the Hitchin one but there are some really good schools such as Harlington and Redborne School in Ampthill. I also happen to think that this pocket of Bedfordshire is lovely and really benefits from being just that little more isolated from London. Further north from Hitchin but on the same train line there are a couple of cracking schools - Swavesey and Comberton. I would consider these to be amongst the best and you have the advantage of much lower house prices if you can bear to commute a little further. You also have the advantage of being nearer to Cambridge (Hills Road sixth form college has an outstanding reputation). I've lived and worked in this area for a couple of decades and I think it is a lovely area. I'm also very proud of it's sporting heritage with Lewis Hamilton, Ian Poulter, Victoria Pendleton and Jack Wilshere all being born and brought up within 5 miles of Hitchin - can't be bad can it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc9604 Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Further north from Hitchin but on the same train line there are a couple of cracking schools - Swavesey and Comberton. I would consider these to be amongst the best and you have the advantage of much lower house prices if you can bear to commute a little further. You also have the advantage of being nearer to Cambridge (Hills Road sixth form college has an outstanding reputation). Ah, the heady days of Hills Rd; kids being asked to sit exams privately if they weren't expected to get a higher grade... It does score well in the league tables though, funny that. Swavesey wasn't particularly special either although I expect the picture is different now. The real trouble with living in/near Cambridge is there is so little housing for people who work there let alone as a dormitory town for London. To avoid paying silly prices you need to be nearer St Ives, Ely, Newmarket or further and that option is not compatible with commuting to London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Horse Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Ah, the heady days of Hills Rd; kids being asked to sit exams privately if they weren't expected to get a higher grade... It does score well in the league tables though, funny that. Swavesey wasn't particularly special either although I expect the picture is different now. The real trouble with living in/near Cambridge is there is so little housing for people who work there let alone as a dormitory town for London. To avoid paying silly prices you need to be nearer St Ives, Ely, Newmarket or further and that option is not compatible with commuting to London. I started my response by typing "Entering kids privately used to happen a lot years ago" .................. .............anyway it did happen with respect to exam entries. The modern alternative is to get pupils to sit "easier" qualifications such as vocational ones which had a comparable value on paper to more traditional qualifications. I would advise anyone to try and obtain value added data and destination details (eg uni entry) to really evaluate how effective an establishment is. Swavesey clearly has improved - its Ofsted rating is outstanding - http://www.swaveseyvc.co.uk/page/?title=Ofsted+Report&pid=72 Silly prices are all relevant to what you might pay in London. I think the OP stated that they were prepared to commute a fair distance. The Cambridge line is also getting better as are the overall commuter links - http://www.railfuture.org.uk/ox-cam/ If there is going to be future technology growth in the UK (which IMO is what we really need then it's going to occur / is happening in this area. So there will probably be more job opps on your doorstep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confusedsoul Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Hitchin is a lovely market town and within the area there are a number of other towns that all have different things to offer both in character and facilities. In terms of schooling, generally all of the primary schools are extremely good although the William Ransom, Samuel Lucas and Whitehill Schools seem to get the highest plaudits locally. Secondary schooling has traditionally focused on Hitchin Boys and Girls' Schools (former grammar schools) although The Priory has a vastly improved reputation and is a co-ed. Catchment for the single sex schools is tight and you really need to search for properties within the sg4 9 postcode - you will notice inflated prices because of this. Other secondary schools within this area that have very good reputations are the Knights Templar School in Baldock, John Henry Newman in Stevenage and Highfield in Letchworth. Knights Templar is a co-ed that serves the needs of Baldock as it is the only school and it has an excellent reputation. Baldock is smaller than Hitchin but is a town in itself with its own rail link and is only 10 mins drive away. John Henry Newman is a co-ed Catholic School with an excellent reputation. The Old Town of Stevenage is really nice but most of Stevenage has a fairly poor reputation - I think this is undeserved but I guess has always suffered in comparison to the other nearby towns. Letchworth is a strange town in many respects where there is a very diverse housing stock. Highfield has a good reputation but is not necessarily a school where housebuyers would battle to buy to get into. In North Herts you may also want to consider somewhere like Bishop's Stortford which has some excellent schools and is again a very nice market town (although I much prefer Hitchin). If you go a little further north you may be surprised by the quality of the secondary schools in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Bedford rail link is not as good as the Hitchin one but there are some really good schools such as Harlington and Redborne School in Ampthill. I also happen to think that this pocket of Bedfordshire is lovely and really benefits from being just that little more isolated from London. Further north from Hitchin but on the same train line there are a couple of cracking schools - Swavesey and Comberton. I would consider these to be amongst the best and you have the advantage of much lower house prices if you can bear to commute a little further. You also have the advantage of being nearer to Cambridge (Hills Road sixth form college has an outstanding reputation). I've lived and worked in this area for a couple of decades and I think it is a lovely area. I'm also very proud of it's sporting heritage with Lewis Hamilton, Ian Poulter, Victoria Pendleton and Jack Wilshere all being born and brought up within 5 miles of Hitchin - can't be bad can it! Oh wow!! that is lots of brilliant information.......A big big thank you...I am now marking schools, then rail links and looking houses around them.... cheers mate!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc9604 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 The Cambridge line is also getting better as are the overall commuter links - http://www.railfuture.org.uk/ox-cam/ If there is going to be future technology growth in the UK (which IMO is what we really need then it's going to occur / is happening in this area. So there will probably be more job opps on your doorstep. It looks like the long-proposed new station at Chesterton sidings in Cambridge is going ahead now which may present new opportunities. I The company I work for in Cambridge is indeed a growing technology company and the thing that is limiting our growth is recruitment - it is hard to attract people to come and live and work in an expensive area (ok, London would be more expensive) with terrible infrastructure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 It looks like the long-proposed new station at Chesterton sidings in Cambridge is going ahead now which may present new opportunities. I The company I work for in Cambridge is indeed a growing technology company and the thing that is limiting our growth is recruitment - it is hard to attract people to come and live and work in an expensive area (ok, London would be more expensive) with terrible infrastructure. How is a growing technology company so narrow-minded as to expect their bums-on-seats to be physically in their office? This is why I haven't worked for a UK company since last century! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc9604 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 How is a growing technology company so narrow-minded as to expect their bums-on-seats to be physically in their office? This is why I haven't worked for a UK company since last century! Because if you need laboratories, workshops, hardware support, admin support and customer meeting facilities you just can't do all that from your employees' spare bedrooms! Besides, have you seen the size of a spare bedroom round here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Horse Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Oh wow!! that is lots of brilliant information.......A big big thank you...I am now marking schools, then rail links and looking houses around them.... cheers mate!!! No worries - any progress? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confusedsoul Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 No worries - any progress? None so far unfortunately...and now the news that the rail fares are rising.......*face palm*.... I guess the prices should go down further due to this....or I may be wrong..don't know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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