where to buy in the Midlands...

thesaint

Think about setting a realistic budget.

Doozergirl

Deleted_User wrote: »

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

It's alright. Not much else to say!

tomtontom

In Nottingham you've got Sherwood, Arnold and Hucknall that would fulfil your criteria. There's Mansfield also but you'd have to be careful as to which part you chose.

One point on schools - a good school is likely to be oversubscribed. Applying outside of the normal entry points you're going to be relying on someone leaving and someone not being ahead of you on the waiting list. Also, good schools can become poor schools and vice versa.

hottdang1

I can take on a mortgage but if I'm looking at the late £200k's - I may as well stay put and commute - providing I put up with a serious increase in traffic


However - living on M25 is beyond ridiculous now - to head south to London, what was routinely taking 45mins 2 years ago is 2 hours, even 3 hours at least once a week



Looking on rightmove - randomly picking Rugby as it's quite central to the scope I've mentioned, between 140 and 160K 2bed min there are 480 hits coming back in a 20 mile radius

Sorry if this sounds a bit naive but if they're all non-go's then that's a big swathe written off surely?
are they really that bad?
If there were just a few hits, I'd say I had undersold myself but some of these properties look great - the streets (that you can see) look ok, good cars when in shot etc - also expensive kitchens and bathrooms etc

you can often tell the bad ones - just little clues (mattress and junk in one neighbours garden!)


I offer thanks for the comments - I know this is often personal interpretation but I'm keen to avoid known trouble areas etc

Someone has just pointed to old town northampton - any thoughts on that? I dont know the town at all

thanks

[Deleted User]

hottdang1 wrote: »

Looking on rightmove - randomly picking Rugby as it's quite central to the scope I've mentioned, between 140 and 160K 2bed min there are 480 hits coming back in a 20 mile radius

Sorry if this sounds a bit naive but if they're all non-go's then that's a big swathe written off surely?
are they really that bad?

No, they aren't 'really all that bad', but they will not fulfill the criteria that you have given - which is to be next to the best schools and have great transport links in a nice 3 bed with a garden in an area with high employment.

LittleMax

Deleted_User wrote: »

No, they aren't 'really all that bad', but they will not fulfill the criteria that you have given - which is to be next to the best schools and have great transport links in a nice 3 bed with a garden in an area with high employment.

I disagree - even in the Brownsover area of Rugby you would be in the catchment area for the second best secondary school in the town (not counting the grammars - which are amongst the very best in the country). You will get a nice house with a garden, close to shopping and buses into town. 5 Minutes to the M6 j1. It ticks all the boxes.

The only difficulty you will have is getting a place in a good primary. But as others have said you will have this issue for all good schools whatever town you move to, as they will not be carrying spaces, you will be waiting for someone to leave. That said it could happen after all you will be leaving a place at your child's current school.

Before I suggested rugby, I did a search on Rightmove for your budget, you can get a nice house - of course everyone's idea of what is nice is not the same

LittleMax

Lutterworth would also be worth looking at. I know it has really good secondary schools, but not sure about public transport.

knightstyle

DD recently moved to Retford, Notts. Nice town with a country feel, good shops and markets, close to A1 and most important good choice of houses for under £159k.

Doozergirl

tomtontom wrote: »

In Nottingham you've got Sherwood, Arnold and Hucknall that would fulfil your criteria. There's Mansfield also but you'd have to be careful as to which part you chose.

One point on schools - a good school is likely to be oversubscribed. Applying outside of the normal entry points you're going to be relying on someone leaving and someone not being ahead of you on the waiting list. Also, good schools can become poor schools and vice versa.

If you are coming in at an unusual time, you don't have to live in catchment. Swings and roundabouts, I think.

If you don't live in a city, pressure on places is not as tough. A big part of the reason we moved to the Midlands!

LittleMax

hottdang1 wrote: »

Someone has just pointed to old town northampton - any thoughts on that? I dont know the town at all

thanks

What do they mean by Old Town? - Abington is lovely but will be out of the price range you have set. Kettering Road, St James End, Semilong are not where I would choose to be. Not sure about schools, I know the boys school and girls school are good but think they are on a lottery system as they are single sex schools.

Also as in my first post, the whole town is horrendous for congestion - if that's one of the things you are trying to escape you will hate it. I used to commute to Milton Keynes everyday and it would take almost an hour - half of that was getting across town to the M1.