Where to buy a 3 bed with 360K?

neverdespairgirl

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

Reading is 25 mins on the train to Paddington

Precisely. And you can't get from House to Reading, and then Paddington to City, in the remaining 20 minutes.

fashionlover10

Chelmsford in Essex is lovely and approx 25 minutes to Liverpool Street. Good schools and a nice mix of town and countryside.

ETA: You could probably live within walking distance of station for your budget but bus routes are reliable and there's also 2 park and rides in Chelmsford which drop off right outside the station.

peachyprice

OP, you also need to factor in commuting costs, a season ticket anywhere on the tube is going to be £1-2k cheaper than somewhere that is on main line only.

Kynthia

I second Upminster as a good place to live. The C2C train is only 25 mins to Fenchurch St and recently was second highest train line for customer satisfaction, also you have the district line as a back up.

My colleague who lived in Reading had a nightmare commute, there was always trouble and she was left with no options during snow and the Christmas period. She worked in West London so I wouldn't want to cross London too.

thorsoak

Chelmsford could fit the bill - trains direct into Liverpool St Station. Two grammar schools which always come in the top 10 for GCSE and A level results, good city centre and shopping centre and property in the right price range - see http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E307&insId=1&radius=0.0&displayPropertyType=houses&minBedrooms=&maxBedrooms=3&minPrice=&maxPrice=350000&retirement=&partBuyPartRent=&maxDaysSinceAdded=&_includeSSTC=on&sortByPriceDescending=&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

totallybored

Where in the City OP? You could consider south London and get a train to Blackfriars/ City Thameslink/ Farringdon or Cannon Street and London Bridge for SE London? Although I wouldn't do it myself I worked with people in the city that commuted from Brighton.

ERICS_MUM

fashionlover10 wrote: »

Chelmsford in Essex is lovely and approx 25 minutes to Liverpool Street. Good schools and a nice mix of town and countryside.

ETA: You could probably live within walking distance of station for your budget but bus routes are reliable and there's also 2 park and rides in Chelmsford which drop off right outside the station.

you beat me to it ! I moved to Chelmsford 19 years ago from east London and never regretted it for a moment. I commuted to work in the City for years and could make it door to door in less than an hour. That would be cut considerably nowadays with the arrival of the park and rides.

The grammar schools are a big draw for families, lots of sports clubs, couple of theatres and very good shopping (IMO). People are very friendly in the main.

OP, have a look on RightMove for the post codes CM1 and CM2, see what you can get for the price. Areas are a bit mixed - from posh old houses, new builds and local authority, and reflected in the prices.

ERICS_MUM

Kynthia wrote: »

I second Upminster as a good place to live. The C2C train is only 25 mins to Fenchurch St and recently was second highest train line for customer satisfaction, also you have the district line as a back up.

My colleague who lived in Reading had a nightmare commute, there was always trouble and she was left with no options during snow and the Christmas period. She worked in West London so I wouldn't want to cross London too.

I went to Coopers Coborn in St Mary's Lane - marvellous school but notoriously difficult to get in.

claire16c

I used to commute through Reading. I did it for 4 years, some people do it all their lives but I got fed up.

But I worked in West London.

You can get the slow train to Waterloo though which goes through lots of commuter towns on the way with good schools etc Wokingham, Ascot, Guildford etc

But it would be more than 45 minutes.

I know people who came from Brighton too.

fashionlover10

ERICS_MUM wrote: »

you beat me to it ! I moved to Chelmsford 19 years ago from east London and never regretted it for a moment. I commuted to work in the City for years and could make it door to door in less than an hour. That would be cut considerably nowadays with the arrival of the park and rides.

The grammar schools are a big draw for families, lots of sports clubs, couple of theatres and very good shopping (IMO). People are very friendly in the main.

OP, have a look on RightMove for the post codes CM1 and CM2, see what you can get for the price. Areas are a bit mixed - from posh old houses, new builds and local authority, and reflected in the prices.

We live between Colchester and Ipswich now and as much as I like it here I miss Chelmsford so much (especially the shopping!)

Definitely agree about the mix of houses. I noticed one on rightmove on Springfield Road earlier for £1.4m :eek: If only!!