Relocation from London

altin_2

Hi,
A question related to relocation: anyone here relocated up north from London?
Explanation: after a 'nice' house price increases since we bought our flat more than two years ago in London, myself and wife where 'surprised' to see places like Leeds, where we can buy a bigger place, costing 60% of our property.
If we did our calculations right, we are to pay a cheap mortgage and get a bigger place. As I work on IT, have seen there quite a few jobs, paying almost the same compared to what I get right now.
We have been on the country for more than 10 years, but have no family here, apart of friends we made during the years.
Also kids (aged 10 and 8), may need a bit of time to settle......
While no two experiences will be the same, anyone had done the move before, and could share the experience?
Appreciate any comments.
Thanks

ruthtc

We moved from the south east to just north of Leeds (wetherby) about 5 years ago and loved it. What's good - city life on your doorstep, but equally the dales and the moors about 30 minutes up the road. York, Leeds, Harrogate all good.

People are very friendly, and as you said you get a lot more for your money.

Things to think about...
we moved up with my job, thinking my husb could find something up there too. In reality - that was hard...

House price growth a lot less/slower than the south east - think carefully about if you'd want to go back, might find you're priced out.

can't think of any other downsides! unfortunately for family reasons, we're having to move back south, but wouldn't be doing it unless we had to

Good luck!

Jhoney_2

I'm in London and would love to have been able to move up north! It is by far a friendlier place to live in general, but due to family reasons, can only move to greater London area. i am looking forward to leaving though.

All the lovely outdoor space virtually on your doorstep..... at least on your budget! Best of luck with it.

Doozergirl

We moved to the midlands. It has been great for the children to grow up and have a choice of schools.

For me, I love the greenery around me. We're still close to a couple of cities, so we're not entirely deprived of culture. We visit London a lot.

Not sure what else to say. Clearly, we can't buy a house in London anymore as we're spoiled for space, but that's hardly the end of the world.
Not much else to say. People are friendly, there is less stress. There's life out here and we like it!

Tuscan

currently waiting to exchange, have sold our house in South Essex close to South East london and bought a house in a tiny Norfolk Village very close to the Lincoln border, new house is bigger and 100k cheaper than our current one..

I also agree the North is a more friendly place to live..

altin_2

Thanks a lot for your comments.
While I see the 'differences', the aspect of unknown is terrifying my OH.
Of course is a rather good option, but we may need a few weekends there to feel and see the place.
Thanks again.

SuzieSue

altin wrote: »

Thanks a lot for your comments.
While I see the 'differences', the aspect of unknown is terrifying my OH.
Of course is a rather good option, but we may need a few weekends there to see the place.
Thanks again.

You should definitely rent first before you buy if you do not know the area.

agrinnall

One important thing to think about is that if prices in London continue to rise at a faster pace than elsewhere (and that's not the given that we might have thought it was a while ago) then in a few years you might find it impossible to return if you wanted to.

getmore4less

Start planning, no rush, the differential is not a temp situation

Think about where you might want to live, there is a lot of Not London space in the UK.
jobs commute. extra car?

with kids you have an "in" to new friends.
(kids tend to adapt quicker than adults)

travel to other places(airports and trains).

Could you rent you place out for a couple years so you have the fall back if it does not work.

clarky_cat

There are lots of IT jobs in Leeds and Manchester (I've lived in both places), both are great places to live and some lovely areas but worth researching first as they also have some rough areas (as does anywhere).

fiisch

The north is irrelevant and a dying area. The action is in the south, hence why house prices continue to rise there the fastest. I would advise extreme caution if moving north of the Watford Gap.

In reality, I relocated to the South West for the same reasons. Moving for the attraction of house prices is alone is rarely a sensible decision. There is a reason they're cheaper - less jobs; lower salaries; no running water.