where to buy in the Midlands...

hottdang1

Hey All,

Granted - quite a broad subject but before I hopefully narrow this down - just want to say thanks in advance for any help

ok
we are early mid fourties with an 8yr old son
nearest family is Bedford

I currently live in Hertfordshire but my job is IT and my company move me from contract to contract - current one will finish this summer - I have no issue with getting next placement

Since recession though, it is becoming apparently a lot of our customers are pushing into the midlands
Therefore the plan is to move to Midlands to reduce travel time but also we have good equity and can potentially be nearly mortgage free
Also the company my wife works for is on shaky ground - redundancy consultations are underway



The ideal scenario in addition to obvious ones like low crime rate etc are:

2 or 3 bed house £130-£150k in good order with garden
close to M1 or good route north and south (I may need to go as south as Northampton or north to Derby but I am quite open to suggestions here. I am prepared to travel 90mins and have company car)
Good schools - junior and secondary (Vital)
good public transport (Vital - my wife cannot drive)
and good probability my wife can secure work (naturally vital but not necessarily immediate overnight etc)

Asking people I know, I have been pointed to north side of Coventry
certain fringes of Leicester
Northampton (a bit too south possibly)

Without wishing to cause any offence, it seems popular advice to stay out of any of the city centres - probably much the same in my region tbh

this is a serious enquiry so any help much appreciated

all the best
Adrian

Ithaca

We live in Kenilworth, just south of Coventry. Similar position, I work in IT, we're late 30s and have a 7 y/old and a 3 y/old.

There are loads of large firms here here... IBM, Jaguar LandRover, National Grid, Npower, EON, Coventry Building Society etc are all within 10-15 miles and all have an ongoing need for permanent and contract IT resources. Sainsburys has just moved a large part of its IT/Digital operation to Coventry and is busy recruiting at the moment.

Our side of Coventry is expensive - we sold our two-bed home in the summer for £230k and bought a four-bed family home for £470k, and there's literally nothing in your price range on the market in Kenilworth - but that's because the schools are top notch and they are really nice places to live (Kenilworth, Balsall Common, Leamington etc).

Transport links are great - my in-laws are in north Wales and my parents are in just south of Cambridge and it's dead easy to get onto M6 and then onto M1 / A14 / M54 etc. You've also got the M40 / M42 a few miles away too. You can also get the train into Birmingham in 20 mins or so.

North of Coventry has a less-good reputation - Bedworth / Nuneaton etc are not as pleasant as south of Coventry. Schools generally aren't quite as good but you always have the option of grammars for post-11 schools. Balsall Common and Kenilworth both have very highly-rated primary and secondary schools, Leamington is also good for secondary but can be hit-and-miss for primary depending on your catchment.

If you can I would recommend mortgaging and going for a 2-3 bed place this side of Coventry, although you would need to stretch the budget and you may not get a massive garden: somewhere like URL="http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51893023.html"]this[/URL, for example.

And don't discount the edges of Coventry... some suburbs are really nice and are not what you'd perhaps associate with Coventry, and your money will go a lot further.

agrinnall

Ithaca wrote: »

If you can I would recommend mortgaging and going for a 2-3 bed place this side of Coventry, although you would need to stretch the budget and you may not get a massive garden: somewhere like URL="http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51893023.html"]this[/URL, for example.

It's a hell of a stretch from the OP's £130-150K to a property at £275K. Perhaps you should be a bit more realistic in your suggestions.

hottdang1

thanks both - I couldn't go to £275k: that's pretty much value of my current property in Herts so it would wipe out my equity which I am relying on for this move

rgds

Ithaca

agrinnall wrote: »

It's a hell of a stretch from the OP's £130-150K to a property at £275K. Perhaps you should be a bit more realistic in your suggestions.

OP has stated they are "nearly mortgage free". My point was by taking on a (modest) mortgage you will expand your options considerably.

You could argue (in fact I would argue) that it's not realistic to expect a three-bed house with a nice garden, excellent schools, great transport links and a thriving local economy in a low-crime area within 90 mins of London and 30 mins of Birmingham for £130k.

OP's current property is worth £275k, so if that was sold why could you not afford another house for the same value?? Or is the plan to pay stamp duty and fees out of the equity?

Doozergirl

I'm not sure it's a realistic ask at that price either. I'm Midlands based and you wouldn't find that sort of price anywhere that I'd want to live.

You want all things. For that price I would not expect a good area with good schools.

£160k would buy the smallest 2 bed house where I am and it could be described as having most of those things, though access is to the M42 and I'd say you need to be in a city to have truly good public transport links.

charlishae

Decent places close to the M1/ good transport links I would recommend


Long Eaton/Draycott/Borrowash (inbetween Nottingham and Derby)


Castle Donnington (near east midlands airport)


Loughborough (forest side/ grange park estate)


Anstey/Birstall/Groby (North Leicester)




Don't know much about the areas south of that though.

LittleMax

I was going to suggest Rugby - gives you all the benefits that Ithaca had highlighted but closer to the M1 and A14 and cheaper than Kenilworth/Warwick/Leamington. Has some very good schools - including grammar schools. Only caveat is the town is expanding rapidly and school places are not keeping pace, you will need to check catchment areas when you buy, and if you move mid year, may not have places in the best schools.

We moved to Rugby from Northampton 3 years ago. Northampton will give you better links with Bedford, but the cheaper side of town is the eastern side, and the town has become so gridlocked it would be a nightmare to access the M1. Houses close to the M1 in Northampton such as Grange Park and Wootton will be out of your budget.

[Deleted User]

Warwick / Leamington you are looking at minimum 300k for the kind of house you want.

Kenilworth will be more

Coventry is a lot cheaper. The best areas by far are Finham, Stivichall and Allesley Village but even still you will be needing probably over 200k for these areas for your specifics.

Rugby and Solihull is worth looking at but again you will struggle to get the house you want next to decent schools, big garden, close to motorways etc with your budget.

Conclusion: Unless you are willing to sacrifice some of your specifics you need to up your budget

[Deleted User]

Redditch is also cheap, but I couldn't comment on how nice a place it is as I don't know it that well.

scoops82

I would prefer the south side of Coventry to Nuneaton or Bedworth but then I am slightly biased.


South side of Coventry is nice with good transport links. Styvechale, Chylesmore and Finham and Earlson. Earlsdon has the a feeling of a little village but in my opinion its overpriced. All are close to the M40, A45 and M6.


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-57949592.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39412848.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38120652.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-53203828.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-40334169.html


Again, taking on a small mortgage and buying at £170-£200k really increases your options.