Can’t afford to rent or buy - don’t know what to do

[Deleted User]

wildbilljones said:

Luke451 said:

[Deleted User] said:

I wouldn't recommend  Birmingham, sure it's got great train services, and I have no doubt there are lots of interesting places there, but have you seen the number of stabbings in that area? ( live within the county so see this on the local news) but for actual stats on knife crime:

"ONS data shows that in 2022/23, West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of 178 offences per 100,000 population. In contrast, the North Yorkshire recorded the lowest rate of 35 offences each, per 100,000 population." 

Like many cities there are good bits but you do really need to do your research, wherever you decide on. I'd go North!

UK has criminals everywhere, and regarding knife crime, just give them what they want, majority of bad knife crimes happen between gangs. 

Plus, it's enough to avoid certain areas and certain people in life completely.

You can't recommend Yorkshire if he wants to travel to London to see family and friends, though I agree that it's nice up there.

I’m not worried about knife crime. If you get stabbed, you get stabbed. It’s very unlikely and I’m not worried about it. I’ve lived in South London for several years and I’ve had knives pulled on me but it wouldn’t discourage me from living there again. 

I don’t know anything about Birmingham. I think most people see it as somewhere that is quite deprived and where people have dodgy accents. I should visit because there’s always more to places than stereotypes. 

It is quite deprived. But that is true of a lot of places these days.

But to go and really look around a place is the only answer. When I lived on the coast people would say how wondeful to be by the sea all year, then they moved and found that it was cold, wet, the shops and all amenities shut out of season,  no regular trains etc and very soon they scuttled back to the city.

Good luck! 

timehastoldme

I love Birmingham, but I'm a Brummie so of course I do. I've lived in North London, teaching in Haringey, I've taught in Birmingham, neither worse than the other. Depending on your interests there's really lovely and vibrant spots to live, and fast trains down to London for visits.

Longwalker

elsien said:

I don’t live in Brum, but I live quite close to it. Good theatres good places to eat, handy  countryside not too distant if you like walking. Good for the motorway networks in all directions.
As with anywhere, some lovely areas and others that I wouldn’t touch with a bargepole.

For what it’s worth, someone was stabbed and killed at the end of my road last year. And they have been some issues with drug dealing. I still consider my area a  perfectly safe place to live. 

When I was a child I always had a yearning to live in Putney - London - SW15, a rather nice leafy suburb, surround by Richmond park and Wimbledon Common, next to the Thames. High rates, high rents,

I moved there in 1986, burgled 5 times, witnessed two stabbings the manager of the supermarket was shot, and the high street on a Sunday was covered with puke and blood

Moved out in 89 to Tooting, a much lower class area, Could leave the windows open there and walk the dog in the middle of the night, even though the pub at the end of the road was well known for its drug dealing the the ladies of the night  

BungalowBel

wildbilljones said:

Luke451 said:

Purbeck14 said:

I wouldn't recommend  Birmingham, sure it's got great train services, and I have no doubt there are lots of interesting places there, but have you seen the number of stabbings in that area? ( live within the county so see this on the local news) but for actual stats on knife crime:

"ONS data shows that in 2022/23, West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of 178 offences per 100,000 population. In contrast, the North Yorkshire recorded the lowest rate of 35 offences each, per 100,000 population." 

Like many cities there are good bits but you do really need to do your research, wherever you decide on. I'd go North!

UK has criminals everywhere, and regarding knife crime, just give them what they want, majority of bad knife crimes happen between gangs. 

Plus, it's enough to avoid certain areas and certain people in life completely.

You can't recommend Yorkshire if he wants to travel to London to see family and friends, though I agree that it's nice up there.

I’m not worried about knife crime. If you get stabbed, you get stabbed. It’s very unlikely and I’m not worried about it. I’ve lived in South London for several years and I’ve had knives pulled on me but it wouldn’t discourage me from living there again. 

I don’t know anything about Birmingham. I think most people see it as somewhere that is quite deprived and where people have dodgy accents. I should visit because there’s always more to places than stereotypes. 

There are some nice  places in Birmingham...Solihull, Edgbaston, Erdington, Bourneville, Sutton Coldfield to name a few .....these are expensive for Birmingham but cheap for someone used to London prices and I am sure you would be able to pick up a decent flat there.  Also places between Birmingham and Coventry such as Balsall Common but that might be a bit small-town for the OP.

https://www.firstmortgage.co.uk/branches/birmingham/area-guide/best-areas-to-live-in-birmingham/

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=REGION^17614&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=&maxPrice=200000&minBedrooms=2&maxBedrooms=&displayPropertyType=&maxDaysSinceAdded=&_includeSSTC=on&sortByPriceDescending=&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

[Deleted User]

BungalowBel said:

wildbilljones said:

Luke451 said:

Purbeck14 said:

I wouldn't recommend  Birmingham, sure it's got great train services, and I have no doubt there are lots of interesting places there, but have you seen the number of stabbings in that area? ( live within the county so see this on the local news) but for actual stats on knife crime:

"ONS data shows that in 2022/23, West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of 178 offences per 100,000 population. In contrast, the North Yorkshire recorded the lowest rate of 35 offences each, per 100,000 population." 

Like many cities there are good bits but you do really need to do your research, wherever you decide on. I'd go North!

UK has criminals everywhere, and regarding knife crime, just give them what they want, majority of bad knife crimes happen between gangs. 

Plus, it's enough to avoid certain areas and certain people in life completely.

You can't recommend Yorkshire if he wants to travel to London to see family and friends, though I agree that it's nice up there.

I’m not worried about knife crime. If you get stabbed, you get stabbed. It’s very unlikely and I’m not worried about it. I’ve lived in South London for several years and I’ve had knives pulled on me but it wouldn’t discourage me from living there again. 

I don’t know anything about Birmingham. I think most people see it as somewhere that is quite deprived and where people have dodgy accents. I should visit because there’s always more to places than stereotypes. 

There are some nice  places in Birmingham...Solihull, Edgbaston, Erdington, Bourneville, Sutton Coldfield to name a few .....these are expensive for Birmingham but cheap for someone used to London prices and I am sure you would be able to pick up a decent flat there.  Also places between Birmingham and Coventry such as Balsall Common but that might be a bit small-town for the OP.

https://www.firstmortgage.co.uk/branches/birmingham/area-guide/best-areas-to-live-in-birmingham/

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=REGION^17614&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=&maxPrice=200000&minBedrooms=2&maxBedrooms=&displayPropertyType=&maxDaysSinceAdded=&_includeSSTC=on&sortByPriceDescending=&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

I'm actually surprised at how much these properties are. I think it would be hard to justify moving all that way to an area where I don't know anyone and there isn't any work for flats that aren't drastically cheaper than London's. Thank you for sharing your knowledge though. Birmingham is definitely an area I should get more familiar with. 

[Deleted User]

A couple on 'Location, location, location' last night put their requirements into AI (Chatgpt?) and it produced  the 'perfect location' for them, Phil found them a house there. Of course it does help when you have 700K! Might be an interesting little experiment to try though. 

EDIT as I've just read a bit of your previous thread, where you state  your type of work and really London being where that  work is but that you didn't feel able or willing to pay commuting costs too far out. So really travelling  a distance to continue working in London doesn't seem feasible for you? Which is fair enough. 

theoretica

[Deleted User] said:

BungalowBel said:

wildbilljones said:

Luke451 said:

Purbeck14 said:

I wouldn't recommend  Birmingham, sure it's got great train services, and I have no doubt there are lots of interesting places there, but have you seen the number of stabbings in that area? ( live within the county so see this on the local news) but for actual stats on knife crime:

"ONS data shows that in 2022/23, West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of 178 offences per 100,000 population. In contrast, the North Yorkshire recorded the lowest rate of 35 offences each, per 100,000 population." 

Like many cities there are good bits but you do really need to do your research, wherever you decide on. I'd go North!

UK has criminals everywhere, and regarding knife crime, just give them what they want, majority of bad knife crimes happen between gangs. 

Plus, it's enough to avoid certain areas and certain people in life completely.

You can't recommend Yorkshire if he wants to travel to London to see family and friends, though I agree that it's nice up there.

I’m not worried about knife crime. If you get stabbed, you get stabbed. It’s very unlikely and I’m not worried about it. I’ve lived in South London for several years and I’ve had knives pulled on me but it wouldn’t discourage me from living there again. 

I don’t know anything about Birmingham. I think most people see it as somewhere that is quite deprived and where people have dodgy accents. I should visit because there’s always more to places than stereotypes. 

There are some nice  places in Birmingham...Solihull, Edgbaston, Erdington, Bourneville, Sutton Coldfield to name a few .....these are expensive for Birmingham but cheap for someone used to London prices and I am sure you would be able to pick up a decent flat there.  Also places between Birmingham and Coventry such as Balsall Common but that might be a bit small-town for the OP.

https://www.firstmortgage.co.uk/branches/birmingham/area-guide/best-areas-to-live-in-birmingham/

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=REGION^17614&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=&maxPrice=200000&minBedrooms=2&maxBedrooms=&displayPropertyType=&maxDaysSinceAdded=&_includeSSTC=on&sortByPriceDescending=&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

I think it would be hard to justify moving all that way to an area where I don't know anyone and there isn't any work

Have you tried looking from the other side of the question - look at job ads nationally and use them to direct your thoughts to different areas. 

EssexHebridean

Looking at your desire to stay within a close range of London - people have suggested various areas worth looking at just outside the M25 (and even some options just inside!) - have you explored options on any of those? Romford was mentioned earlier, I will throw Barking & Dagenham into the mix as well. 

RHemmings

Is there really no work in Birmingham? I thought there was a lot of opportunity there. 

Re: Chat GPT. I gave it a go. I'm not going to post all of the replies as some give away a few too many personal details about me. But, this is what I ended up with for suitable places to live for a £300K budget for a house but near to London. Influenced by previous discussion. 

[Chat GPT]

Finding a three-bedroom house for £300,000 in or very close to London can be quite challenging, as London's property market tends to be one of the most expensive in the UK. However, there are some more affordable areas within a reasonable commuting distance of London where you might find suitable housing options. Here are a few areas to consider:

1. Croydon: Croydon is a suburb of London and offers more affordable housing options compared to central London. It's well-connected to the city center by train and has green spaces like Lloyd Park and South Norwood Lake for outdoor activities.

2. Bromley: Another suburb in the Greater London area, Bromley provides a mix of suburban living and access to green spaces, including Kelsey Park and Church House Gardens.

3. Dartford: Located in Kent, Dartford is accessible by train from central London. It has some more affordable housing options and is close to the beautiful Darent Valley for outdoor pursuits.

4. Luton: Luton is in Bedfordshire, and it's connected to London by train. Housing tends to be more affordable here, and you can explore the Chiltern Hills for cycling and outdoor activities.

5. Watford: Watford is a town in Hertfordshire and offers a range of housing options. It's well-connected to London by train and has green spaces like Cassiobury Park.

6. St Albans: While it may be a bit more expensive than some of the other options, St Albans in Hertfordshire is known for its cultural attractions and green spaces. It offers good train connections to London.

Keep in mind that the closer you get to central London, the higher property prices tend to be. You may have to make trade-offs between the size and location of the property to stay within your budget. Additionally, the commuting distance to your university and the availability of cycling routes and swimming facilities in the area should be considered. Working with a local estate agent in the specific area you're interested in will be helpful in finding the best available options within your budget.

[End of Chat GPT]

EDIT: No three-bed houses in St Albans for £300K or less. There are some in Luton, but all seem to have 'compromises' to my eyes. I haven't looked at other areas. 

[Deleted User]

RHemmings 

That's really interesting, as I know a couple of those areas reasonably well, albeit from the 1980s  :-)