Moving Away from the Southeast... What am I missing?

fiisch

Overcrowding is a big factor as well - it feels like everyone is fighting for their 2" of space where we are, and even expensive houses are built very close to neighbouring properties...


I appreciate grammar schools is a personal and controversial subject - my feelings are shaped heavily by my personal experiences. My parents managed to send me to private school with the help of a bursary and finding creative ways to make extra income, and there is an element of obligation to try and do the same for my daughter. I experienced both the state and private education systems, and for me personally the private school did much better for me as an individual. I am not saying students at state schools cannot do as well/better than privately educated counterparts, but it takes an enormous amount of resilience and self-discipline.


I do not think we would qualify for a bursary, and £8k per child per term is likely too much for us (I have started saving, but it's not enough at the moment), therefore I would like the choice of a grammar school.


It is not purely down to schooling - the added space (the houses for similar prices to our own are out of this world!!), the rural setting and the excitement of starting a new adventure as a family all adds to the appeal. I am mindful not to rush into anything (we'd definitely need a couple of weekends away to get a feel for the place), but interesting to note other people's experiences!

fiisch

bouicca21 wrote: »

Surely the main drawbacks to moving to Grantham would be the loss of family support, the need to make a new social network and the swingeing £9k season ticket.

The loss of family support is a moot point - we are slightly further away from my parents but not considerably, same distance from the in-laws (unfortunately ).


The £800-odd per month season ticket is a factor certainly, but the increases to remote working may help mitigate this. Also, as a contractor, I can pay for this pre-tax to take some of the edge off.


A new social network is definitely a factor weighing heavy on my mind...

ReadingTim

fiisch wrote: »

There's also the factor that if it doesn't work out, house prices may well have increased at a higher rate, putting us down the ladder if we ever wanted to move back.

I am intending to return to working contract roles, therefore my job will change fairly frequently and there is the possibility of negotiating two/three days per week from home to take the edge off the added commute.

I'd suggest these are the 2 biggest reasons for not doing it.

You'll have to come to your own conclusion as to what house prices might do in the future, but even if you're not "priced out" of the area, you're likely to be buying a smaller property than you owned 'up north' if you ever needed (or wanted) to come back. Given you're also taking advantage of the help to buy scheme, I'd suggest you might also have to do so again, and therefore be limited to new builds - which may or may not appeal if you'd previously owned an 'old built' 'up north'. Adding all of those things together, any move might be a pretty bitter pill to swallow - and a real issue if you have no choice but to move.

With regard to contracting, clearly, you can negotiate WFH-ing as part of the package, but that might limit your choices, as some companies may not be keen on offering it to contracts or FTC-ers. So unless you're willing (and able) to do the commute 5 days per week, it could be a limiting factor, job-wise. And then of course there's the irony that you moved for a better life for your family, but you don't get to see your family because you're commuting all of the time...!

Smodlet

If schools are not the be-all and end-all, after all may I suggest Peterborough as a location to consider? There are some extremely nice houses within your budget and the train into Kings Cross takes 55 minutes, or it did. It may be quicker now.

There are some very good primary schools, certainly and you have plenty of time to find secondary schools, OP. HTH.

jennhg88

Commuting when you have kids (especially small ones) is a real pain in the rear end.

Spelunthus

Grantham's nice but please consider the OPPORTUNITY loss for your children. In the South-East you have a wealth of services, leisure & facilities. In Grantham, these will be less, and you will find yourselves having to travel extensively and work hard to back-fill. Providing your kids with the CHANCE to TRY as much as possible is pretty important (IMO), especially around 8-14 age group.

Please consider that, in the long run, this may be more important than a Grammar school, or Private school.

Also, a place is just a place. It's people who are important - how many do you know now? How many do you know in Grantham? I'm sure you'll meet lots of nice people, but why disrupt your family and social life when there is no need?

Waterlily24

We moved from the South East (Kent, Hampshire and West Sussex) to Lincolnshire about 20 years ago. We didn't have any young children to consider though. We love it up here - now live in North Cambridgeshire on the borders of Lincolnshire. We couldn't afford to move back but we didn't get a bigger property because we had a fairly good one down there. We do have a much bigger garden and are semi rural (no near neighbours).

We love it here.

Good luck what ever you choose to do.

westernpromise

Spelunthus wrote: »

How many do you know in Grantham? I'm sure you'll meet lots of nice people

In Grantham?

Smodlet

westernpromise wrote: »

In Grantham?

Now, now. Just because Thatcher was spawned there... Of course, the Hellmouth can be a problem...

quantumlobster

It's a double-edged sword. Property is cheap up north (as opposed to the Midlands, which has been the topic of much of this thread). A 1930s semi with a decent-sized garden, a garage, and a double drive would run you about ~£120-£140K around here, in a sleepy suburb with decent rail links and near to the coast (where the beaches are deserted ). I don't think it's unreasonable to surmise that a similar-sized property in a similar(ish) location would be somewhere between 3x and 4x the price darn sarf.

However, there's dramatically easier access to better-paid work down there. If you're career-oriented, this is a killer feature of the South East which can easily override all other considerations.

On the other hand, it's less crowded and the cost of living is less up here. And it's not like there are no jobs.

Conclusion: move to the actual north, not the midlands. But don't tell anyone, because we don't want too many incomers, with their southern ways and funny accents.