Bedford....

confusedroast

Hi All

Am selling up and moving soon, want to be abe to buy a 3 bed house within an hour commute to london, was going to go Kent but have now decided we can get more for our money in Bedford

Ideally we will make around £100k on our property and will look to buy somewhere for around £170K, so will put down £70k and have £30k to use towards savings and modernising house

What is Bedford like??

coper

Hi,

We're in a similar position to you and we've just spent quite a few days over a number of weeks in and around Bedford getting to know the area before deciding whether we want to buy there.

I really liked some parts of Kempston - just outside Bedford - on Rightmove, search half a mile around postcode MK42 8UA - where you get a lot for your money. Unfortunately the Mrs decided it was just a bit too far away from London for her so its off our list!

From what we saw, Bedford's a pretty average town, with a mix of races, a mix of "haves" and "have-nots" and a mix of nice parts and not so nice parts. I'd recommend any of the little "villages" on the outskirts eg Clapham, Kempston etc rather than nearer the town centre itself.

The best thing of course is to spend some time on different days in any area to see if it suits you. I've always found that supermarkets, restaurants and pubs give you a good insight into an area!

Hope that helps,

Coper

confusedroast

thats interesting to know as an Estate AGent told me Kempston was council estate?? We didnt go there because of that but we really liked Elstow...
Will now search Kempston

coper

I'd say parts of Kempston are definitely worth avoiding but as I say, if you stick to within half a mile or so of MK42 8UA, you should be ok.

Everyone's different in their likes and opinions so it's always best to find out for yourself I reckon.

Luckily with Google Street View, you can have a good nose around an area and "upmystreet" provides a bit more background info on an area...

Cheers,
Coper

PasseySam

Hi,

Sorry I can't offer much advice but wanted to say Good luck! We're just moving to Bedford for the same reasons - commuting to london for my partner.

Still trying to get to know the areas but there did seem to be some lovely villages nearby that would be not too far from the train station for commuting into london. Depends if you want to drive to the station or be within walking/easy cycling distance...

We liked some areas in Brickhill and Putnoe within Bedord town itself, there are some lovely places in the Castle road area and near the embankment - I did see some victorian terraces for about £170-180k and some had been extended to have 3 beds. Don't know much about them though as we need a garage which many of these don't have, so I guess it depends exactly what type of house you're looking for.

We're now renting a flat temporarily whilst going through the selling/buying process and I have found it very helpful being able to actually live here and look around the areas properly to find out what they are like. Don't know your situation but this could be an option for you too.

Good luck and hope the move goes well!

Lilium

I live in Bedford, was born and grew up in Kempston...just down the road. Elstow is nice, as is the side of Kempston nearest to it...I don't like the western side of Kempston very much. Brickhill and Putnoe are good too, in Goldington...the bits near the Putnoe border are nice. Queens Park and the other areas close to the town centre are the not so nice bits...narrow streets with too many cars and not enough parking is one thing that springs to mind. The Embankment is pretty but the streets around it are the same...all feel a little claustrophobic to me.

~daisy~_2

i was born in bedford and grew up in kempston too - parents still live in hillgrounds area - thats where i would head to if im honest

but we live in flitwick - still on the commuter line nice small family town with everything in walking distance
a really nice place to settle and start a family imo

mlz1413

I moved to Bedford a few year back now.

If you want to catch the train into london do consider the traffic & travel time to station plus parking costs as Bedford gets very congested.

The town has something to offer everyone, ie old victorian terraces to new build estates. I like being in the terrace area as I can walk to town and the park and swimming pool/gym and I go against the traffic flow to get to work but parking is an issue and always will be.

there are 2 train stops so most of Bedford should only be a bicycle ride aways from the stations, Flitwick / Harlington / Leagrave are the next stops so maybe worth investigating.

If you could say what is important to you it maybe easier to comment on areas - ie will you need schooling for children? do you socialize a lot? need to be close to shops? what a village location? (Bromham is popular for that aspect)

lincroft1710

Kempston is generally cheaper than Bedford, a year or two back was suffering with problem teenagers. Brickhill "Birds" is probably better than Brickhill "Rivers". Putnoe has some good parts and some not so good. Castle Road/Russell Park area is expensive. Goldington is a mixed area. North of the river is considered better than south. Queens Park is multicultural and cheaper, Prime Ministers more expensive.

There are some nice villages to the north along the River Ouse. Clapham is improving with recent new housing and quieter since the bypass. Old part of Biddenham is expensive but newer parts less so. Bromham and Oakley are perhaps next best villages close by. New village being built south of Bedford called Wixams.

Now for the downsides £170K won't get you a modern 3 bed semi in the better areas, Bedford prices are on the increase. Congestion can be very bad in the mornings and we have the odd murder or two every year and quite a few muggings but I don't suppose this is much different from any other British town of this size.