Has anyone relocated from the South East to North of England?

Yes the ribble valley is nice. I like Lancashire.. Burnley is erm cheap

One of my aunts was brought up in Leeds, but married and worked in London for many years. Whilst my cousin was still school-age (<10) and my aunt was mid-career the family relocated to West Yorkshire. Despite a later divorce and division of assets, my aunt became mortgage-free on a two bedroom cottage before she retired.

My parents were brought up in Leeds, but worked and raised a family in London and the South East. They retired early (50+) and relocated back to West Yorkshire, buying a large two bedroom duplex apartment outright.

I was born and brought up in London and the South East, but did live in Yorkshire for couple of years when I was twenty-ish. In my early thirties I purchased a large one bedroom city centre apartment in West Yorkshire outright, using the money from my divorce. I let the flat for a couple of years, then relocated up here over a decade ago, returning to full-time study.

My sibling moved out of London to a commuter town with their spouse and child, not far from the in-laws whom they have a great relationship with, and have a large mortgage. They have a circle of close friends who are scattered in other commuter towns around the South East.

My cousin is now in the North East with their spouse and children, not far from the in-laws whom they have a great relationship with, and are mortgage-free on a four bedroom detached house.

Nobody in my family regrets their decisions AFAIK. Financial freedom is amazing, but relocating is much less stressful if you have some friends or relatives nearby.

We were lucky enough to become mortgage free down South, moved from Locks Heath to Felpham and bought a doer upper which was not mortgagable. We put an extension on and did the whole thing - a very big job it sold recently for about £520,000. We moved up here about 20 years ago because of my husbands job and love it, but there is no way we could move back down south because of the price of properties here and there. We are East Anglia though so not North.


Our first house was a semi in West Wickham and they are going for over £600,000 so even more.

chelseablue wrote: »

still have a mortgage but of only around £70,000

Or you could buy a 4 bedroom terrace with some small change

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70183558.html

chelseablue wrote: »

I know new builds aren't everyone's cup of tea (or should I say brew?)
but this is just to show the difference

This is not far from where we live now, we could either never afford it be mortgaged up to the eyeballs for 40 years https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-76776347.html

Or move and get something like this, still have a mortgage but of only around £70,000
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-78058697.html

Is a house like that really the most important thing in life you aspire to? It does seem you are looking for a bit of a status house, or as I would call them "all fur coat and no knickers houses".

What else do you want from an area? Countryside, vibrant music scene, friendly neighbours, food scene? Moving half way across the country away from friends and family, getting new jobs etc just for a house seems a bit odd to me. Surely there is more to life? What if the new area just doesn't do it for you so you decide you don't like "the north" and want to move back? Can you cover the depreciation?

Don't be fooled into thinking that a new build means no DIY either.