Thinking about buying in Ashford. Good idea?

ukbondraider

I am considering buying one of the large 4/5 detached houses over in Ashford due to the fact that you seem to get alot for your money.

I understand that the Channel Tunnel Rail link due in late 2009 will allow me to commute to London in 37 mins vs the current 1hr 10 min. Is this rail link still going ahead?

Is Ashford a nice place to live? Any pro/cons or advice appreciated.

I am mainly looking for a modern, large house with a big garden based in an area that has a lot of greenary but where I can commute to London.

Would you agree that Ashford ticks all the boxes.

I did consider Tonbridge (mainly due to the schools) but wasnt impressed by my visit down there. Tonbridge as well as being expensive was an old place with no greenary nor many large modern detached houses. It seem very condensed despite being far out from London.

pawpurrs

Everyone says Ashford is a good place to buy, but would I live there not in a million years, If you didnt like Tonbridge you can forget Trashford! Its scary IMO, really built up and quite rough, there are places I would be terrified to be in after dark.

You really would be better in Tunbridge Wells, Battle, even Hastings.

ukbondraider

Is Ashford that bad?

Tunbridge Wells is definitely too expensive for my liking.

you can buy a 4 bed 4 reception room detached with 2 grages and a large garden in Ashford for £300K. The same in Tunbridge Wells will get you an ugly 2 bed terrace or a 2 bed apartment.

Surely a development in Ashford where the houses are £300K are not as trashy given how far out it is from London and thus the reduced no. of people who could afford to buy there? However maybe I am wrong.

Anyone else live there or have any friends there?

pawpurrs

Some of the new builds are ok, if thats your cup of tea. And some of the estates are fine. But it is a funny area, hence the prices are lower than Tunbridge wells etc, theres allways a reason that an area is much cheaper. I have lived there, or rather one mile outside (great chart) which is ok but is now pratically in Ashford.

If you like new builds what about Paddock Wood?

Theres some good shopping there though (outlet centre, tkmaxx) and the wye valley just outside is nice, there are some nice villages around Ashford, woodchurch, wye,headcorn, smarden but you will pay more than Ashford to be there.

Where do you currently live?

ukbondraider

I currently live in Wilmington in a 6 bed detached. Due to be mortgage free in Jan 2007 so am looking for a second similar sized house but at about 1/3 of the price of my current place hence why I am looking slightly further out. The 2nd place will be my main residence as I intend to treat my current place as a pension and to give it to siblings to live for as long as it takes until they are able to get a place of their own and then as a place for my parents to retire.

Ashford (very keenly priced houses), Colchester Essex (OK prices with excellent good schools), Kings Hills (nice houses although slightly more expensive) and Tonbridge (good schools but rubbish houses) are areas I am considering. Paddock Wood also a possibility but will have to spend £450K ish over there. £300K in Ashford and a Ferrari 360 sounds more tempting unless it really is a dump as you say.

Debt_Free_Chick

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Ashford "is a dump", but it does seem to suffer from "new town" issues. It ain't pretty - but it has good services. On the face of it, the town centre is a scruffy mixture of several shopping centres - but there is an "old town" which is pleasant enough to wander through.

Most 1960s new towns do feel somewhat soul-less and Ashford is no different to, say, Telford, Swindon etc. But if you want "modern" facilities and modern houses, then this is pretty much the price you pay. (Strictly speaking, Ashford is an historic market town, but it was redeveloped as a new town).

I was going to suggest some of the villages within striking distance of Ashford, but I get the feeling that you would prefer to be "in" or close to all the facilities.

As you say, with the Ch Tunnel fast link in the offing, then house prices may well boom in/around Ashford.

I understand that the Channel Tunnel Rail link due in late 2009 will allow me to commute to London in 37 mins vs the current 1hr 10 min. Is this rail link still going ahead?

According to South East Trains, yes.

ukbondraider

OK Thanks.

I intend to visit the area after xmas but would you say it is a particular green place. i.e are there plenty of houses where if you walk into your garden you would find yourself overlooking many acres of hills/farmland or greenbelt land?

I just naturally assume that all places outside of London will be like this and even more so the further out you go. However my trip to Tonbridge as I previously mentioned was a shock. Despite all the excellent reviews of the area I just felt it was too old and too built up. Couldnt find a single 4/5 bed detatched over there let alone one overlooking green land.

silvercar

eurostar is moving from waterloo to st. pancras, when this happens trains will no longer be stopping at ashford. this will be a bit of a negative for ashford.

Browntoa

yes, they are moving almost all the services to Ebbsfleet( Gravesend) and dropped the idea of a premium commuter service from Ashford as far as I remember

Nenen

My parents and sister all live in the Ashford area (but in outlying villages). Ashford itself certainly has a bad reputation with the locals, lots of rough parts and many of the schools are awful! On the other hand Colchester (28 miles from where I live) is much more 'upmarket' and, as you said, the schools are excellent, especially if you like the grammar school system which it has! Even its comprehensive schools are very good. There are parts of Kent which also have grammar school system too I think but reputation of the comprehensives in Kent tend to be rough!

Red_Panda_2

Hi Pawpurrs I have just (about 2 months ago) bought in Great Chart, small world!!

As for Ashford, there are some very pretty villages around the outskirts, which if I could afford would have preferred like Pluckley, Wye, Woodchurch etc. But they are more expensive.
Most of the new build areas are ok, but so squashed I dont think they could have put any more houses there if they tried (and by the looks of it they did hard!)
A friend is renting in a very noce looking new estate in Ashford and hates it as a lot of the houses are let to housing association, which is not a bad thing but these particular tenants are.

The Eurostar will still have services to Paris and Lille but just not to Brussels, and there will be fewer trains - but the high speed link to London is still due.