Relocating from London.

Grumpelstiltskin

You must research and visit before you even think about moving to a city.

Nothing wrong with Nottingham area BUT there are some no go areas.

What job do you hope to get?

Nottingham has 2 universities and a number of companies in the financial sector.

Start by looking at news sites for Nottingham ( BBC etc ) for a few weeks you will soon get an idea of the area. Local newspaper website also Nottingham Evening Post and West Bridgeford Wire come to mind.

It is only a couple of hours from London by train so surely you can get a day off, if not then forget moving. ( Oh and look at Megabus site, they do trains London to Nottingham )

moneyistooshorttomention

elsien wrote: »

Personally I'm still hankering after a walled garden and a turret.

With you on that - I'd love a walled garden. You can keep the turret - no head for heights here:rotfl:

walwyn1978

The take a week off and look around is a good idea as a starting point. When we relocated back to Yorkshire from London after 11 years away we did exactly that - drove around the areas we were considering, ate in the pubs, looked at where the shops were, thought about schools etc. It made then online looking at houses to rent much easier.

+1 for rent first then buy btw. Buying basically sight unseen or at best a quick one off visit isn't smart. Plus then you've got time to get a good local solicitor for your conveyancing, you have time to seek out local opinion about the EA's (who gets a quick sale through, who overprices, who takes photos with a fish eye lense so expectations don't match reality, etc)

Good luck with your move.

MysteryMe

I'd check out places where you'd easily find work first. You may be able to buy a property outright but you still have many bills to pay each month.

moneyistooshorttomention

Re going for a visit to have a looksee in advance at an area one proposes to move to - one thing I would say (from my own experience) that it's a good idea (if you can manage it) to take a good friend with you for help with sussing the area out.

It's another pair of "eyes and ears" to notice things/discuss things with on the spot that a single person doesn't have (unlike a couple).

In my own case - I rented a self-catering place for a week to do a joint have a holiday/check the place out and I did offer for my best friend & her husband to come with me and regard it as a free holiday for themselves (as I wouldnt have allowed them to cover any of the cost of the place - as I was going to be there anyway). Unfortunately, she was too ill to do so.

But, if you have a good friend, then I suggest you make that offer to them and take them with you for a free holiday if you can. It's a better idea than long-distance phone calls to discuss at a distance.

diggingdude

Famo wrote: »

I have been reading about various areas and have thought of Northampton/Birmingham/Newcastle (I have lived in Newcastle for 2 years, Studying). Sal, 3 bed house in London ? Where. I don't know anybody in Nottingham. I want to make a fresh start as I am somewhat distant from my remaining family. I am hoping that if I get a decent offer I can take a chance on the work front as even if I'm off for at worst a year I can weather the storm.

Worried Jim....Derby seems good value although Nottingham perhaps a little more desirable.

Having lived and worked in Northampton I personally wouldn't recommend it, certainly research t before you move there

Davesnave

I think you need to know what sort of area within any given city would appeal, or whether you really want city life at all.Yes, there are 'no-go' areas in most large conurbations, but the atmosphere of many 'nice' areas varies widely too.

I don't know Nottingham, but I'm familiar with parts of Birmingham, because my daughter lives there. She's always gone for the more up-market parts, but some of those were like living in a small town and really quiet. Now, she's opted for a more trendy, cosmopolitan location with a bit of a 'buzz' to it, which is much more like city living as I understand it..


If I were relocating to the Midlands, I'd choose a smaller place with countryside easily accessible, but that's just me. I don't get a sense from your posts of what you want from a city, besides the possibilty of good employment and better value than in London.

zagubov

I've rarely been to Northampton or Nottingham and it was decades ago, but although they're similar sizes, I came away with a strong impression that one was a big town and the other was a (modestly-sized) city. I'm a city boy and I liked Nottingham. The big student population keeps it cheap and lively, but I think some areas had crime problems.

They are cheap as chips to live in, and are under-appreciated IMHO.

tlc678910

I don't think you have mentioned what you do but why not look for a job and move (to rented first) when you get one. It is easier to get a job when you have one - in the sense that employers will be less suspicious of your motives and your reference is current. This would also open you up to a wider job market as you can look in any of your preferred cities and then find out about nice areas to live when you are already local.

Famo

I am a single man with no children.

I worked in social care for 15 years and for the past 3 years I've been working as a delivery driver.

I figured that if I didn't find work so quickly I would have 2 possible rooms to rent to steady the ship.

I have heard about crime in Nottingham although as a south Londoner there is no shortage either !

Principally I see that it's a good opportunity to own a decent sized freehold house and be mortgage free.

Yes I idea of a weeks holiday does sound good, I currently have zero annual leave until January :-(

I have had a scan of the net regarding decent areas in Notts including a few mumsnet threads.