Where to buy house for under 300K?

Skiddaw1

Murphybear said:

mark_cycling00 said:

I know this isn't necessarily helpful but £200k gets you....

A grade 2 listed
2 bed house
Build by isambard kingdom Brunel
Sandstone terrace with front garden 
Centre of town, nice historic area 
just 45mins from paddington, trains every 10mins

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153109784#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's Swindon!!

I only found out about the "railway village" today. It's really very pretty. 

The house is lovely and the rooms a reasonable size.  But you know what they say,   “location, location, location”.  

Oh I don't know. Swindon ain't bad. There are plenty worse places. Fab countryside just on your doorstep. I wouldn't rule it out if I was the OP.

ThisIsWeird

mark_cycling00 said:

I know this isn't necessarily helpful but £200k gets you....

A grade 2 listed
2 bed house
Build by isambard kingdom Brunel
Sandstone terrace with front garden 
Centre of town, nice historic area 
just 45mins from paddington, trains every 10mins

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153109784#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's Swindon!!

I only found out about the "railway village" today. It's really very pretty. 

Two reception rooms. Two LARGE bedrooms. Cute - when done up sympathetically.
Within quick - day-trip - reach of the most stunning areas of the country, like Wales and the SW.
Yup, silly.

(Rushes off to buy...)

snooksnj1

Murphybear said:

mark_cycling00 said:

I know this isn't necessarily helpful but £200k gets you....

A grade 2 listed
2 bed house
Build by isambard kingdom Brunel
Sandstone terrace with front garden 
Centre of town, nice historic area 
just 45mins from paddington, trains every 10mins

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153109784#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's Swindon!!

I only found out about the "railway village" today. It's really very pretty. 

The house is lovely and the rooms a reasonable size.  But you know what they say,   “location, location, location”.  

But it is near the outlet mall and 5 guys. 

mark_cycling00

ThisIsWeird said:

mark_cycling00 said:

I know this isn't necessarily helpful but £200k gets you....

A grade 2 listed
2 bed house
Build by isambard kingdom Brunel
Sandstone terrace with front garden 
Centre of town, nice historic area 
just 45mins from paddington, trains every 10mins

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153109784#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's Swindon!!

I only found out about the "railway village" today. It's really very pretty. 

Two reception rooms. Two LARGE bedrooms. Cute - when done up sympathetically.
Within quick - day-trip - reach of the most stunning areas of the country, like Wales and the SW.
Yup, silly.

(Rushes off to buy...)

It's unreal how cheap/depressed/undesirable Swindon is considering it's amazing rail and motorway links and proximity to nice places!

As you say, short trip/drive to Bath, Bristol, Devon, Wales, Cotswolds, Oxford, Marlborough etc.

A few miles up the road by the lakes and houses sell for £1.5million+

If I had guts I'd consider buying it 

There's a BBC news article explaining how the village used to be a no-go area but it's much safer and improved now

TripleH

I've never been, but Swindon can't be worse than Harlow?

My knowledge only comes from into Waterloo unfortunately.

MysteryMe

There are very few areas that are all good or all bad. Towns, even small towns, will have areas that are less desirable than others.  It's pointless generalising a whole town. Where I live if someone say an addresses in a certain area I would say they are not the best. Other areas where I live are very nice.

TripleH

Yes, true. I lived in Lambeth and never had any issues (except car got broken into and satnav nicked), but a friend claimed it felt the most unsafe area he'd been in when visiting.

Never had any issues living in Harlow, just not very aesthetic compared to other places.

It doesn't take much to change an area. Sandblasting terrace houses in Middlesbrough transformed the feel of the area and attitude, making it feel a little less oppressive.

Albermarle

TripleH said:

I've never been, but Swindon can't be worse than Harlow?

My knowledge only comes from into Waterloo unfortunately.

Swindon was a Victorian railway town and is quite industrial for a town in the South, whereas Harlow is a new Town built around an old village. So quite different.
 Swindon is also famous for the 'Magic Roundabout'

EssexHebridean

TripleH said:

Yes, true. I lived in Lambeth and never had any issues (except car got broken into and satnav nicked), but a friend claimed it felt the most unsafe area he'd been in when visiting.

Never had any issues living in Harlow, just not very aesthetic compared to other places.

It doesn't take much to change an area. Sandblasting terrace houses in Middlesbrough transformed the feel of the area and attitude, making it feel a little less oppressive.

Comes into its own in Autumn on that score with all the gorgeous trees giving colour though! 

ReadySteadyPop

mark_cycling00 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

mark_cycling00 said:

I know this isn't necessarily helpful but £200k gets you....

A grade 2 listed
2 bed house
Build by isambard kingdom Brunel
Sandstone terrace with front garden 
Centre of town, nice historic area 
just 45mins from paddington, trains every 10mins

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153109784#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's Swindon!!

I only found out about the "railway village" today. It's really very pretty. 

Two reception rooms. Two LARGE bedrooms. Cute - when done up sympathetically.
Within quick - day-trip - reach of the most stunning areas of the country, like Wales and the SW.
Yup, silly.

(Rushes off to buy...)

It's unreal how cheap/depressed/undesirable Swindon is considering it's amazing rail and motorway links and proximity to nice places!

As you say, short trip/drive to Bath, Bristol, Devon, Wales, Cotswolds, Oxford, Marlborough etc.

A few miles up the road by the lakes and houses sell for £1.5million+

If I had guts I'd consider buying it 

There's a BBC news article explaining how the village used to be a no-go area but it's much safer and improved now

That`s pretty hard core for a village, what were the issues?