Reply to: Where's nice to live in the UK?

[wobbegong]

Let's be honest, if Reading and Basingstoke are topping your chart then the description "nice to live" is hardly appropriate somehow.
Your idea of renting a room in London during the week seems the best option to me. For quality of life at the weekend get yourself down to Devon or Dorset and give yourself something to look forward to. Nights out in Basingrad? You'd have more fun in a coma!!

Listen to shaunbhoy, he's talking sense. Forget the Thames Valley, it's a load of cr@p (with the possible exception of Marlow and Henley). Maidenhead, Slough, Basingstoke, Reading, High Wycombe, are just soooooo awful. Sure the houses are "cheap", but that's for a reason. THEY CAN'T SELL THEM!!!

Go Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, or even further afield such as Dorset, Norfolk, or Suffolk.

The Thames Valley is horrid. I lived there for 13 years, I know. Save yourself. RUUUUUUUUNNNNNN!

[norrahe]

Mmmmm......

The OP wants to buy a semi with a garage. You can't get that in those areas for the price he wants to pay.

Definitely not, anything Surrey way within 20-40 mins commute is premium property.

Used to live out that way and it has escalated since.

[shaunbhoy]

I think we're looking at:

1. Reading
2. Basingstoke (for all its sins it does tick a heck of a lot boxes)
3=. End of the M3
3=. Winchester
4. South coast somewhere - probably Bournemouth (rent room in London)
5. Erm....I can't rank them from then on as would need to fully research local possibilities. Can you think of any pockets of business? Cardiff? Bath? Bristol? Brum perhaps? York? I just don't know!

Let's be honest, if Reading and Basingstoke are topping your chart then the description "nice to live" is hardly appropriate somehow.
Your idea of renting a room in London during the week seems the best option to me. For quality of life at the weekend get yourself down to Devon or Dorset and give yourself something to look forward to. Nights out in Basingrad? You'd have more fun in a coma!!

[SueEllen]

Richmond and Twickenham look like good suggestions to me. Richmond prices might be a bit strong but it's a nice place to be plus you could bike in from there.

Mmmmm......

The OP wants to buy a semi with a garage. You can't get that in those areas for the price he wants to pay.

[Worzel]

Richmond and Twickenham look like good suggestions to me. Richmond prices might be a bit strong but it's a nice place to be plus you could bike in from there.

[Francko]

Any particular recommended areas within my 300K budget? Semi with 3 beds and a garage in a safe enough hood where its contents have a chance of being there in the morning.

Could shrink it to 2 bed but would def prefer 3 beds and a box room for study / junk / guests.

Croydon or Mitcham.

Only because you can find something for 280-290k. The rest can be used to buy personal weapons to defend yourself and your property.

[Olly]

Richmond or Twickenham have many reasonable (and some good) pubs.

Plenty of students & crappy clubs in Kingston if that's your thing.

Anything more exciting, it's a mini cab on your way home (black cabs often refuse to go that far).

Been out in Richmond a bit, really liked it. There's even a bit of posh totty there too. Spose the cab home from there won't break the bank, from the city it would though!

Ok...still in the running, probably quite high too actually. I think we're looking at:

1. Reading
2. Basingstoke (for all its sins it does tick a heck of a lot boxes)
3=. End of the M3
3=. Winchester
4. South coast somewhere - probably Bournemouth (rent room in London)
5. Erm....I can't rank them from then on as would need to fully research local possibilities. Can you think of any pockets of business? Cardiff? Bath? Bristol? Brum perhaps? York? I just don't know!

[Moscow Mule]

One negative as far as I can see...now "town centre"...what would I do at night?

Richmond or Twickenham have many reasonable (and some good) pubs.

Plenty of students & crappy clubs in Kingston if that's your thing.

Anything more exciting, it's a mini cab on your way home (black cabs often refuse to go that far).

[Olly]

So I've been having a look at the head of M3 area and to be fair it seems really nice. Good shout to those that came up with it.
Affordable (just!) and a long overland train, which is more pleasant than underground or a 30 -40 minute motorbike ride to work. Plus of course accessible to M3 for jobs in the other direction.

One negative as far as I can see...no "town centre"...what would I do at night?

[SueEllen]

I take that back. looked up 350K in Shepperton (as per Moscow Mule's advice) and you can get something decent much to my surprise.
Don't really know what Shepperton's like though.

Shepperton - http://www.shepperton-info.co.uk/

Though you may get a bit wet living there as it's an area prone to flooding.

I can't actually remember what the place is like as I've only been there drunk and years ago.

[Olly]

I'm not looking to buy a house. I stopped looking about 5 years ago.

I'm still waiting for the crash though.

Having said that, with interest rates so low, it would have been cheaper to buy than rent, and I'd have to loose a lot of value in the crash to offset the equity I would have built up over the last 5 years.

I could have / should have bought 5 yrs ago but I was convinced the rapid price rise was unsustainable and was waiting for them to fall in price...actually more like 7 years ago.

I worked in Saudi saved 20K deposit, in which time prices had gone up by 30K. I bought in Bulgaria instead which actually was a good idea but I neglected to sell about 18 - 24 months ago...arse!

Totally agree...with low interest rates, people who didn't buy at the absolute peak must be very content. right now.

I'm in no rush to buy. Just I have a wad of cash I'm not getting any enjoyment from and really need a house for that feeling of being settled and giving my a place to enjoy my hobbies; fixing / breaking stuff and motorbikes.

[doodab]

Interesting all this talk of property and NO ONE has said "don't even think of buying at these prices."

Just goes to show that the proper house price crash is just around the corner.

Everyone's looking to buy now, when what I would call a tulip hole house in a dump of a place can't be bought for less than £500K.

Still, carry on.

I'm not looking to buy a house. I stopped looking about 5 years ago.

I'm still waiting for the crash though.

Having said that, with interest rates so low, it would have been cheaper to buy than rent, and I'd have to lose a lot of value in the crash to offset the equity I would have built up over the last 5 years.

[DimPrawn]

Interesting all this talk of property and NO ONE has said "don't even think of buying at these prices."

Just goes to show that the proper house price crash is just around the corner.

Everyone's looking to buy now, when what I would call a tulip hole house in a dump of a place can't be bought for less than £500K.

Still, carry on.

[doodab]

Well in theory I could afford to borrow more but whether a lender would give it to me is a different matter. Currently my income is up to the 40% bracket and I hope to keep it like that since I'm allergic to tax.

500 ..600 these are all imaginary numbers to me. I thought 300 for a first time buyer was a fairly good stab at things.

I'm going to buy beer I think, Edelstoff if they have any, that Starkbier makes me feel funny and tastes yick.

Starkbeir is dangerous stuff. The first time I had it (on a friday evening) I woke up on a saturday which was a public holiday and for several hours I actually thought I had slept through til sunday.

3 bed semis in decent areas of London aren't really first time buyer territory these days. If you shop around a bit you can find a terraced place in a "not too bad" area with tube for sub £400k though.

If you are considering london, I would say look for a 2 bed flat somewhere that fits your budget. Somewhere on the forthcoming crossrail might be a good shout as it should increase in value a bit when it's built.

[Moscow Mule]

Don't really know what Shepperton's like though.

No, me either.

That's why it's gone to the bottom of our "potential places to move to" list.