Big life decision

PM22

I'm now thinking about IOW - at least I've been there so I don't have to visit

kimwp

What's your list of reasons to move and your list of things you want in your new location?

RosaBernicia

PM22 said:

I'm now thinking about IOW - at least I've been there so I don't have to visit

I would really recommend going to visit anywhere you seriously think of moving multiple times and at different times of day.  It gives you a chance to figure out which streets are nice and which have dodgy neighbours, which are just that bit too far to walk to the train station in the rain, all the things you can't tell from a map.  Sometimes just walking down half a street changes what the immediate area is like - you know they say location location location!

For IoW there is also the extra travel to think about - the ferries occasionally made things quite complicated for former colleagues, and that can limit job options.  You might be able to find quite a lot of the good things about that area elsewhere on the south coast - what it is it you like about the idea of living on IoW? 

PM22

I only have a budget of 125k - I’m used to living in difficult areas so don’t mind that at all. I’d love a house. Cumbria gets a lot for your money but I’ve been to IOW many times and liked it a lot 

kimwp

Presumably you will need a job - might be worth looking at what is available on the IOW 

enthusiasticsaver

 IOW is quite expensive for houses as I recall. Do you want a flat or house? If you move a bit further away from London would you have enough to get a property you want?

 The thing is that if you are lonely is that through choice or circumstances and would that be different if you moved? You say you are an introvert but that doesn’t have to mean no friends.

Moving is expensive so you only want to do it once. 

Broomstick

I had to make a decision about where to live years ago when my children were tiny.  I made a list of several possible places where I already had some support or knowledge and we booked youth hostel rooms to go and spend weekends there - at the time it was the cheapest, safe self-catering option I could think of (and I was broke).  I made lists of what was really important for us in a new area:  wholefood shops, a great public library, a swimming pool, easy walking with a buggy, public transport, street parking... anything really. 

I looked at all the local papers to gain a sense of each place, searched for information for family activities we might join, looked at cheap and free touristy things to do, researched street safety and crime and made lots of lists.  As we went along, the criteria changed a bit and the checklist got amended but by the end of it all we did find a new home in a town that ticked all the boxes and we ended up staying in the area for many years. It took a couple more visits after we'd decided to go there to find the right accommodation too.  It really does help to gather lots of data.  To my surprise, the place that had been top of my list at the start ended up at the bottom from things we experienced on our visit. 

If you approach it as a project with a plan, it can be quite fun and, in my experience, left me feeling more in control than if I'd rushed into things in a hurry.

RosaBernicia

PM22 said:

I only have a budget of 125k - I’m used to living in difficult areas so don’t mind that at all. I’d love a house. Cumbria gets a lot for your money but I’ve been to IOW many times and liked it a lot 

Cumbria I would definitely recommend spending time there (and out of tourist season, specifically in the cheap areas not the pretty Lakeland villages), if you don't know it.    And if you're considering living in the country or a remote area but haven't before, find some realistic blogs or books (or even DFW diaries on here) so that you get a feel for how transport and jobs and other differences might work for you. 

RosaBernicia

Broomstick said:

I had to make a decision about where to live years ago when my children were tiny.  I made a list of several possible places where I already had some support or knowledge and we booked youth hostel rooms to go and spend weekends there - at the time it was the cheapest, safe self-catering option I could think of (and I was broke).  I made lists of what was really important for us in a new area:  wholefood shops, a great public library, a swimming pool, easy walking with a buggy, public transport, street parking... anything really. 

I looked at all the local papers to gain a sense of each place, searched for information for family activities we might join, looked at cheap and free touristy things to do, researched street safety and crime and made lots of lists.  As we went along, the criteria changed a bit and the checklist got amended but by the end of it all we did find a new home in a town that ticked all the boxes and we ended up staying in the area for many years. It took a couple more visits after we'd decided to go there to find the right accommodation too.  It really does help to gather lots of data.  To my surprise, the place that had been top of my list at the start ended up at the bottom from things we experienced on our visit. 

If you approach it as a project with a plan, it can be quite fun and, in my experience, left me feeling more in control than if I'd rushed into things in a hurry.

That sounds great - thank you for posting this, I'm going to pass on your suggestions to a friend who is house hunting atm. 

Dairydodger

I moved from the SE to Cumbria 15 years ago. If you want to know anything about the area, jobs, transport etc, just let me know and I'll try my best to help.

Take great care of yourself