Looking for a house...

GrumpySO&SO

So, we FINALLY have a solid-seeming offer on our house (a previous offer fell through due to the unadopted roads on our estate... which will soon be adopted for which we had proof!). We went below what we hoped for, but in all fairness it is probably the best we're gonna get.

Anyway, we're moving to Cambridgeshire and I frankly know nothing about the place so it's really hard trying to find a house in an area you know very little about. We're moving up cos my partner got a new job up there after losing his previous job and yada yada yada there are lots of jobs up there in his field so we figured ah heck. Cambridgeshire can't be too bad a place to live and all that. Plus I've always wanted to move away somewhere different.

All I know so far is that Huntingdon, in particular Oxmoor is a right old dump and Haverhill is Chavhill based on some ten year old forum posts that are probably rather prejudiced. Also my other half's work colleagues have stuck their noses up at the place. Most of them all seem to live in Cambridge which is well out of our affordability-zone.

Now, I know the dumps to avoid around where I live (Southampton, which is one big dump but a very useful and practical dump that isn't really as bad as people make out.)

Looking for advice on...

1. Where to find advice! Discovered a website called streetcheck and I look at the information on Zoopla as well, and Rightmove.
2. Does anyone have an opinion on Littleport, near Ely.
3. What to look for when looking around?

My other half has looked around this house in Littleport and really likes it but the bedrooms seem a bit too small. It is cheap. Our budget is £260 at the absolute MAX but this house is £230k but I'm thinking it's more worth £220. I'm going to see it on Monday with him again... he likes to look at things like boilers (very interesting) but I'm more interested in space and where to put all of our assorted junk.

He also has a viewing tomororow at a house which really does look fantastic. But is a few roads down from the aforementioned dump Oxmoor of which I really know nothing about.

What I do know is that the area looks rather scruffy because we'd seen another house together down that road. Just something a bit dilapidated about it although we didn't have a great amount of time to look around then. After we saw the first house down there we didn't think there'd be much point exploring.

I'm probably just stressing too much at this point.

Davesnave

I would not move to an area of the country I was unfamiliar with without renting there first.

Yes, it is a hassle, moving twice, and one has to watch out in areas of rapid price inflation, but it's a larger hassle buying into a mistake.

Also, being sold puts one in a strong bargaining position.

That's only a personal opinion and I recognise it might not be everyone's choice.

Time2go

I’m from Haverhill originally but left 10 years ago. It’s got a really good community feel and my bad facilities and surrounded by lovely villages with good public transport links. Where is he working as that will be key to what area you want to end up in.

Saffron Walden is lovely as is Linton if you want to be south of city.

LandyAndy

Davesnave wrote: »

I would not move to an area of the country I was unfamiliar with without renting there first.

Yes, it is a hassle, moving twice, and one has to watch out in areas of rapid price inflation, but it's a larger hassle buying into a mistake.

Also, being sold puts one in a strong bargaining position.

That's only a personal opinion and I recognise it might not be everyone's choice.

This ^^^^


We moved from Warrington to the New Forest and rented for 10 months (mostly because we hadn't sold when we needed to move) and it made things so much easier. We rented furnished so that we could keep our old house looking like a home, and I was there most weeks because I still had work in the area.


But, being on the ground in our new location made house hunting a much more relaxed and focused experience. We actually ended up buying on the same road that we were renting on.

PasturesNew

I was born/grew up there, leaving 20 years ago.

Oxmoor was a dump even in the 1980s, my friend had a flat there and had her front door removed by thugs on bonfire night to put on their bonfire!

Haverhill was built as a "London overspill" area and was "rough as ..." even back when I first started looking in the 1980s.

If I were going back, I'd not be able to afford where my parents lived. Council houses at £300k and my old privately bought home would be about the same price.

I'd not think of going to Littleport, "they're a bit inbred and thick there" is my memory of the area (I worked just outside Littleport at one point).

Places change over time, but what's happened in the area is that people have been priced further out ....

You really need to understand all the places - and even somewhere without a reputation might have your only option being in "the rough road".

Also, travel is/was a nightmare.... Littleport to Cambridge is a single carriageway - plagued with endless death crashes ... and road mayhem/traffic jams. Ditto the A14.

If you say how much you've got to spend and what size of house I'll load up Rightmove and do a radius from that point and tell you which houses I'd prefer to view and why. It depends where the job's located too, as roads clogging up are the main issue.... and "ooh I wouldn't live there if I were going to there"

I've just loaded RM and done a 20 mile radius of where I grew up, with £250k a 2 bed house .... there were 3. 2 in Huntingdon, one in Cambourne (built since I left the area, but already gaining a "reputation" as there was a murder there about a fortnight ago).

Time2go

Haverhill was rough as in 80s but as more moved into area fad couldn’t afford Cambridge prices and people lived there and set down routes after the overspill of 70s it became a really nice place to live with a fab community spirit just a bit of a lingering reputation

bouicca21

Assuming you are not going to take the excellent advice about renting in order to get to know the area better, you also need to tell your potential advisors more about what you want.

Flat or house? Easy access to public transport and/or road network? How far from shops, bars and restaurants or does that not matter? Semi rural feel or urban vibe? Ready to move in or doer upper? Bland modern or character older?

getmore4less

Hope this job came with a massive pay rise very expensive area.

Start with the commute routes to work and keep going out till you find something you like enough at the budget you have.

if you are going to view you might as well put a few on the list.

First glance I like this one.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50932863.html
http://www.welney.org.uk/suspension-bridge/susp-br.htm


http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61531963.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51211050.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50043036.html

Waterlily24

A friend of mine used to live in Little Downham and said that Littleport was a dump. We live in North Cambridgeshire (funnily enough having moved up from Locks Heath, Southampton) and found houses to be a lot cheaper up here. It was a long time ago though about 25 years ago.

Cambridge itself is very expensive, my son lives there. A lot of people would say avoid the Wisbech area which is our nearest town but we are about 8 miles away. Spalding is just a bit further away. It really depends where your other half is going to work. Can't remember how long it takes to get to Cambridge from here but I think it's over an hour and a half. Properties are much cheaper up this end lol.

GrumpySO&SO

Funnily enough th one of the houses you linked there is the one we thinking about in Littleport.

We are looking for a 3 bedroomed house, preferable with a seperate dining area or a conservatory. With a porch or where the stairs are away from the hall at least. With a secure garden. Not too old, so nothing pree 1900. Yeah the agents we've spoken to in the past have given use the same look.

But we have found a few suitable houses within that criteria which we are viewing. All seem to have their problems. Right house. Too remote. Right area, wrong house.

We have 3 indoor cats.

Renting was actually the plan. (Still it's mostly) Also wanted to wait until the spring. But still need to think about where. It could take a while to get to know some place anyway. Plus with three cats renting might be... Probematic. The cats are good and we clean their trays regular and they don't pee everywhere but I'm not sure how many landlords would be willing to take that on faith even if we increase the deposit.

Either way that's be the same question... Where to rent, where to look? We'd want at least 2 bedrooms just really to house the sheer load of junk we have collected, including the cats and all their bloody junk.

His job is in the science park in Cambs. I am looking at a 20 mile radius.

What i like about LP at first glance is that it has a railway station near by (a couple of miles a walk from that house but that's okay.) And I'd like to work at Addenbrookes if possible. I don't drive but my partner could drive me to work or at least part way.

I'd heard about the "inbred" rumours around the fen villages before... Hehe. It's things like that though i dunno how much faith to put in. And one person's dump is another person's castle.

My concern recently with this LP house (the one on kirby close) is that according to streetchecker there are a lot of social housing of shine kind. But i guess that makes me a snob... I'm not to bothered as such but if we need to sell the place again it might affect it. Plus in my experience locally sadly people in these housings do not and ate not encouraged to look after their area. I dunno if it is near a social housing estate of if it is just mixed in... But i used to live near the worst council houses in the UK so maybe I'm judging too harshly.

But then in our price range in this area i wonder how fussy we can really be. Not as if we come from a stunningly fab area at the moment. We are in a new build estate which also has soc housing within and nothing to complain about. But most people here are young FTB and a stark difference to the white lightening swilling yobs that saunter about from the roads behind us. So rather sheltered.

Appreciate all the help and advice! :T

kkgree1

My colleague lives in Littleport, having moved from Cambridge 2 years ago as it was affordable to buy there. She has a 3 bed house on one of the new build estates and doesn't have any issues.

Having grown up close to Cambridge, I know a handful of people who can afford to live in the city (or within 5 miles) and most of us live 15 - 20 miles away.

I would reiterate others opinion about commute as the drive from Littleport would easily take over an hour in peak periods. Being on a train line is ideal - for the Science park you can get off at the new Cambridge North station which is 10/15 minutes walk from there. Also they are building a new railway station at Addenbrookes due to Astra Zeneca and other companies moving there and that would be good for you, once open, if you wanted to train into work.

Huntingdon - another colleague has recently bought in Godmanchester, not far from Oxmoor, but got a 3 bed house for 240k. It is taking her 1 hour, 20 minutes each way on the Guided bus into Cambridge, as the alternative is the A14 car park. Needless to say I don't think she will be commuting into Cambridge for long!

Good luck and definitely rent whilst you decide on area.