So, a move to the south is looking exceptionally likely in my near future, and I need to find somewhere to live.
To put it bluntly, I don't like London. Never have. It's too big, the public transport is useless after midnight, and housing is a rip-off. Suggestions inside the M25 are unlikely to be appreciated.
I've got to be within 2 hours maximum of Heathrow T5, ideally 45 minutes. I like the Oxford area and don't mind being in that sort of direction, but have no idea about good places to live. Henley on Thames looks to be in a good position on the map.
Will be looking to buy. Preferably somewhere on the outskirts of a good town or large village; easy access to decent mountain biking territory a distinct advantage. Compromise between outrageous house prices and likelihood of being knifed.
If anyone knows Manchester, I live in Didsbury at the moment and love it. Didsbury of the south, anyone?
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Its all about price down here, how much do you have to spend and what type of property?
henly on thames will make your wallet groan like anything!
Most aircrew live down the M4, M3 corridor, or off the western M25.
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Have a 50k deposit for a house, and salary after tax will be approximately £3,600 per month. Need to find a mortgage broker, come to think of it.
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Now assuming that you will get a mortgage of 3x pre salary, and your 50k deposit gives you a total of £230k* house purchase? Correct?
Sorry to push the point but what you can afford is key inyour target arera.
* I did 3.6k x12 x 1.4 x3 = 181k mortage.
At 230k you are in for a nasty shock.
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Standard lending is 3x gross salary. Probably Max 90% ltv. You should be able to work your budget from that.
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Excellent M40 access, and some lovely areas within spitting distance, Banbury and it's surroundings could be worth a look.
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Maidstone in Kent is quite nice = 67 miles in just over the hour (traffic permitting!)
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>>I've got to be within 2 hours maximum of Heathrow T5, ideally 45 minutes.
>>
Be aware of regular loooong traffic queues On the M3, M4, M25 near LHR and other roads to the west especially in the rush hours.
What looks good on the map may be very very different on the roads.
From what I read traffic at present is generally lighter due to the economic situation but it might increase as soon as you move.
Zero has lots more experience west of the M25.
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You need to budget for a motorbike Alfa !
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Do Alfa Romeo do motorbikes? :-)
Oxford is nice. Villages round about are pleasant too. Expensive though. Friend of mine used to live in a wee cottage called "Bunny's End" in Lower Heyford about 25 years ago. It was nice then. Good little boozer too called the "Bell" if I recall. Might be a Tesco now of course. We used to send him Christmas cards addressed to "Rabbit's a++e" but they always got there. Bet the postie could hardly control his mirth eh ?
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Sun 4 Sep 11 at 16:37
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For Heathrow it has to be the M4 or M3. I'd take the M4 as it avoids more of that dreadful M3-M4 section of M25, although those of my colleagues who travel in from the southeast generally have their own clever routes to avoid it altogether. I work just the other side of the M4 from the airport and the Weybridge, Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead areas are popular with those of us who have the choice. The M40 is a nicer motorway than either, but will add a lot of time to your journey, especially in the evenings. (It used to be my route back to Warwickshire.)
In fact I did pick the M4 last year, and moved somewhere very close to AF's target town. My 25-mile drive in takes me typically 40-55 min - the M4 past Slough can be quite slow but seldom clogs up completely. The time-consuming part is often getting on to the motorway; even a minor accident westbound from J8-9 at Maidenhead where I join can back up past the A4 junction on the A404. Even an accident east of the junction on the westbound side will cause a queue so that everyone joining eastbound can go slowly past for a good look.
AF might like to look at Twyford - small town just off the A4 to the east of Reading, with the great benefit of regular direct trains to Paddington. (Henley is on a spur line and gets only two or three direct trains each morning and evening.) It has a proper little town centre too, and is well connected to Reading and Maidenhead for bigger shops.
Don't expect any of it to be cheap, though. I'm spending less on fuel but still getting used to everything else costing more.
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Do Alfa Romeo do motorbikes? :-)
Yes, they're called Ducatis...
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My friend used to live next door to a woman with a Morgan. It always struck us as a terribly Oxfordshire village thing to do. It's a long time ago but I'm sure she used to pull a trailer with it for some reason. Funny folk in the country. Webbed feet you know most of them.
:-)
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That reminds me of the story of the the two Scots ducks on a tandem. The one at the back says "Quack". The one at the front says "Ah cannae gang ony quacker"....
Righto then, I'll um...
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>> AF might like to look at Twyford
You beat me to it, WdB. Particularly if rail connections are important. But, if it's Heathrow you need access to, rail connections aren't much cop from the west.
I would go along with that recommendation on balance. I'd also suggest the better Reading suburbs too (Woodley, Maiden Erleigh, Caversham Heights), and the better parts surrounding Bracknell (Bullbrook, Chavey Down, Winkfield/Winkfield Row, Warfield).
These areas are very pleasant, but not on the radar of the must-have-a-period-property-and-live-somewhere-prestigious people. Which is what Henley-on-Thames is, and is priced acocrdingly. They are low-key areas for the region, and command lower prices as a result, with no significant drop in living standards or quality of area by any discernable measure.
South Oxfordshire is nice if you want peace and quiet, Wallingford is lovely and Didcot station isn't too far away (although Didcot itself I wouldn't recommend).
(In case Alfa Floor hasn't noticed before, I live in Reading and grew up in the Windsor/Ascot/Bracknell area.)
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>> >>I've got to be within 2 hours maximum of Heathrow T5, ideally 45 minutes.
>> >>
>> Be aware of regular loooong traffic queues On the M3, M4, M25 near LHR and
>> other roads to the west especially in the rush hours.
>> What looks good on the map may be very very different on the roads.
>> From what I read traffic at present is generally lighter due to the economic situation
>> but it might increase as soon as you move.
>>
>> Zero has lots more experience west of the M25.
dont forget he is a pilot, probably wont be commuting in rush hours. So were are probably looking at up to 40 miles down the M3/M4/M40 and probably 40 miles either way round the western M25.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 4 Sep 11 at 16:59
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"Mountain Biking territory"
Clue No1.... No mountains.....!
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>> "Mountain Biking territory"
>>
>> Clue No1.... No mountains.....!
>>
Wild swimming is easier dahn sarf.
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>> "Mountain Biking territory"
>>
>> Clue No1.... No mountains.....!
>>
99.9% of mountain bikes have never been near a mountain.
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Lots of nice mountain biking territory along the North Downs - Leatherhead and Dorking way and well within commute of terminal 5...
I would be looking for somewhere as close as possible but as Zero says, it all depends on how much you have to spend on a house.
I know of flight crew who commute to Heathrow from Kent but have been seriously caught out by the M25 delays.
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>> dont forget he is a pilot, probably wont be commuting in rush hours.
>>
T5 - parking for pilots cars ???
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Are there any rail links to T5, other than from London?
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I have ze friend (yes, even me!) who lives in this area and computes to Heathrow todo dia ~
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34614203.html?showcase=true
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I'm sure Alfa can do sums, but he might like to have a tinker with this mortgage calculator:
www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/how-much-mortgage-borrowing#result
It suggests a mortgage of around £250,000, with a repayment of about £1,600, an eye-watering sum to me.
Just about doable on Alfa's juicy salary, but he won't have a great deal left to live on, so I hope the mountain bike's paid for. :)
This would give him a house buying budget of £300,000 max.
Twyford was mentioned earlier, £300,000 buys a two or three-bed semi, or a small bungalow:
www.findaproperty.com/searchresults.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&areaid=0475&prt=1
Alfa mentioned Oxford, how about nearby Didcot where the budget buys an extra bedroom or two and a double garage:
www.primelocation.com/uk-property-for-sale/search/path/uk.england.oxfordshire.didcot/t/house/?np=250000&xp=300000&ls=0
Last edited by: Iffy on Sun 4 Sep 11 at 21:58
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See Banbury mentioned above. Share other's doubts about timings to LHR but there's some lovely countryside nearby. West of the Cherwell probably suffers from Cotswold pricing but there are some nice villages towards Thorpe Mandeville.
Does LHR/T5 mean you're going to be 'flying the flag'? Still on the scarebus?
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Alfa might find a two bedroom house down south is less than he'd pay for the equivalent in Didsbury :-)
I assume staying in Manchester isn't somehow an option though - although I am biased.
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£280k in didsbury buys about the same in the cheaper parts of his target area.
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I wouldn't want to go in from as far as Oxford.
I've recommend Fleet/Farnborough - prices are reasonable, lots of green spaces, just off the M3, with the A30 as an alternative route, and you can cut up to the M4 if there's an M3 problem
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I am with Tigger on this, farnboro is cheap. Bracknell is cheap too if you can handle the locals.
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Friend worked at T5, lives in the New Forest (lots of biking). He bought a motor boat moored near Heathrow for working days. Worked very well and much enjoyed by the rest of the family when visiting London and was also used for the odd river cruising holiday.
He has recently left T5 - think the boat is on the market!
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Alfa Floor. What do you want? Cheap or pretty, because you can't have both at the same time in the South.
Cheap? Try Addlestone.
Pretty? Try Oxfordshire.
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What about Bury St Edmunds? Under 100 miles to Heathrow and detached houses well within your budget.
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>>What about Bury St Edmunds?<<
Nice drop of beer there as well (Greene King) UK's largest British-owned brewery.
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>>Nice drop of beer there as well (Greene King)
Their Abbot Ale is rather tasty.
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- - - >Their Abbot Ale is rather tasty< - - -
Tell me about it!
:-D
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the local have two heads and marry their sisters out that way..
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It's a shock when you see real life house price comparisons and realise how near impossible it is for anyone to start out in the expensive areas without help (parents) ot luck (lottery). Had a look at the list of properties in the area Dog linked to, we are close to offering on something near here which would be £300,000 more in that area.
The place we're considering is a recent repo which was bought at the height of the 2007 prices and no doubt with a big mortgage because everything was looking good for the couple at the time.... but 4yrs on not so good.
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Two heads are better than one, Zero...
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>>>The place we're considering is a recent repo which was bought at the height of the 2007 prices and no doubt with a big mortgage because everything was looking good for the couple at the time.... but 4yrs on not so good.
Damn... edit button timed out. Meant to add that going to the max mortgage you're allowed always needs care. I'm amused that the first thing all the agents ask, and keep asking again, as we're looking at the moment is *what's the absolute maximum you could afford*. Why would we want to spend the absolute maximum?
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>> Two heads are better than one, Zero...
Not the ugly ones they sprout there. Brings new meaning to BSE.
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What about Bury St Edmunds? Under 100 miles to Heathrow and detached houses well within your budget.
And only the whole of London in the way. Heathrow(ish) to Bury last August took us over four hours. Even 90 minutes each way to work is exhausting over an extended period - that's why I chose to relocate last year. AF, of course, may not be doing the trip twice a day - but then he probably has less scope than I do for working at home and staying off the roads altogether.
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>>Heathrow(ish) to Bury last August took us over four hours.
The RAC estimates 1 hour 35 minutes for this journey of around 97 miles.
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>>The RAC estimates 1 hour 35 minutes for this journey of around 97 miles. <<
If you used that figure to catch a flight you would probably miss it most weekdays! OK - at midnight you may be ok:)
I assumed the original posting suggesting BSE was just a windup.
Last edited by: pmh on Mon 5 Sep 11 at 09:57
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www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-19509513.html
I have family who live here - pleasant enough place. Forty odd miles to Heathrow. Buy a bike !
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>> www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-19509513.html
>>
>> I have family who live here - pleasant enough place. >>
That house is no good. Where's the thermal separation between the kitchen and the conservatory? Building Regs anyone?
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>>That house is no good.<<
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's no good, the EPC is OK, and I'm sure they've heard of those things called radiators but - all that glass sure is a'gonna get steamed up in the winter.
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If it's not been pulled up by the council by now then they're probably alright. I thought building regs also said you couldn't have a radiator in a conservatory. Probably wrong on that but isn't that part of the deal with it not being a 'permanent fixture'?
We have no doors between our dining room and the conservatory either. And when we bought the house we got the seller to reduce the price accordingly and also to provide indemnity insurance. We've not put doors up since being here but the room does take some heating.
We like the open space now though to be honest. Even if it does cost more to heat.
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>> If it's not been pulled up by the council by now then they're probably alright.
>> I thought building regs also said you couldn't have a radiator in a conservatory. Probably
>> wrong on that but isn't that part of the deal with it not being a
>> 'permanent fixture'?
>>
If you have a radiator in a conservatory then it's supposed to have its own control circuit rather than just being 'T' d off the main circuit, although we did the latter as it was waay less hassle.
Personally I'd want to stick a wall back up between the kitchen and conservatory in that photo (I think to count as a conservatory from a planning (or maybe building regs, can't remember which) point of view there's supposed to be a door between the main house and the conservatory, otherwise it's a house extension. As already said though it doesn't matter after x years anyway and there's always indemnity insurance.
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...If it's not been pulled up by the council by now then they're probably alright...
Looking at the other pics, it seems the left and righthand walls are built of brick, so planning permission may have been granted as an extension, built in that style.
It looks a fair size, but may also fall within permitted development rights.
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...If you used that figure to catch a flight you would probably miss it most weekdays...
One thing about Alfa is they can't leave without him. :)
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I'd suggest somewhere in the area between Reading and Fleet, probably a bit cheaper to keep clear of towns with railway stations, as they'll always be dearer - on the basis a railway station close to home would be no use to you, working at T5. Yateley, for example, isn't a thrilling area but a 3 bed semi is probably within budget.
Having travelled from Fleet/Camberley to LHR many times both me and the taxi drivers tend to use the A30 not the M3, unless travelling at midnight or something.
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>> Having travelled from Fleet/Camberley to LHR many times both me and the taxi drivers tend
>> to use the A30 not the M3, unless travelling at midnight or something.
Yeah, the chances of getting trapped on the M3 J3-J2 is always high.
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They might consider another kind of leaving without him if he keeps them waiting too often.
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>>I assumed the original posting suggesting BSE was just a windup.
>>I've got to be within 2 hours maximum of Heathrow
>> Preferably somewhere on the outskirts of a good town or large village
>> Compromise between outrageous house prices and likelihood of being knifed.
>>What about Bury St Edmunds? Under 100 miles to Heathrow and detached houses well within your budget.
Not ideal, I know, but not a wind-up.
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>>One thing about Alfa is they can't leave without him. :)
That's right. So no particular hurry.
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Don't flight crew often stop the night before at a hotel? So commuting times might not be such a problem?
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Weirdest "detached" house I've ever seen. But that's pretty cheap for (near) Henley.
Very, very busy road, mark you. Heavily congested up to the main road junction at rush hour. You will spend most of the day with drivers in stationary cars staring in your front room window.
Last edited by: Alanović on Mon 5 Sep 11 at 10:54
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It's also on the Berkshire side of the river, which might be fun if you're applying for school places. Vić is right about the queues too. Reading Road and the Kings Road area near the hospital might be better placed, although you'd get the usual problems of on-street parking spaces that might not fit an A320.
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>> www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-19780899.html
The benefits of living down south... Up here people take the cheapest quote for a conservatory (well, maybe a lean-to in that case), end up with something like that, then spend a fortune trying to keep the cold out.
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>>Up here people take the cheapest quote for a conservatory (well, maybe a lean-to in that case), end up with something like that, then spend a fortune trying to keep the cold out<<
At least it's got a proper (glass) roof and not one of those blimming polycarb things.
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>> >>Up here people take the cheapest quote for a conservatory (well, maybe a lean-to in
>> that case), end up with something like that, then spend a fortune trying to keep
>> the cold out<<
>>
>> At least it's got a proper (glass) roof and not one of those blimming polycarb
>> things.
>>
LOL, I'm currently sitting in the polycarb roofed conservatory at Spamcan Towers, there's a cloudburst going on and I can't hear myself think! It is useful as an rain warning though, a few spots on the roof and you can hear it in most downstairs rooms (unless the original back door is closed).
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>>sitting in the polycarb roofed conservatory at Spamcan Towers, there's a cloudburst going on and I can't hear myself think!<<
Sooooooooooo expensive though, fully glazed roofs, ISTR the one I had fitted up in Warleggan (bronze solar) was almost as expensive as the conservatory itself!
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Yes, we're quite happy with the polycarb roof, it does have it upsides, as you say cost is much lower than 'proper' glazing and it's more thermally efficient; the 5x3m conservatory only has one radiator (about 3KW IIRC) but is seldom too chilly to sit in, even in winter. It's also where I've got my stereo set up, so the most used room in the house for me.
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The conservatory I had put up in Warleggan was a Baltic Pine job (carp!) the glazing only had a 10mm airgap!
Freezing in the winter, but it was 700ft above sea level though,
UPVC job with glazed roof in Truro got the sun from early morn til late afternoon + it was never cold,
No conservatory here :(
Interesting you say your polycarb is more thermally efficient, must be triplewall then.
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>>
>> Interesting you say your polycarb is more thermally efficient, must be triplewall then.
>>
It's nothing particularly special, but it is triplewall.
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Fancy something ultra modern?
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-19591875.html?premiumA=true
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30293317.html
It's even got a lawn on the roof.
Just noticed the requirement for mountain biking territory in the OP - Caversham Heights and Sonning Common (the latter in South Oxfordshire but striking distance to Reading) are ideal for this. My road ends at the Berks/Oxon county boundary, there's huge amounts of muddy mountain bikers passing my door every day on their way to some great off road biking routes in the Oxfordshire countryside, but those of us living in Caversham avoid paying the South Oxfordshire property prices.
Last edited by: Alanović on Mon 5 Sep 11 at 11:14
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And here's a more sensible option. This part of Caversham I reckon offers the best value for money in the region. Very close to the Oxfordshire countryside, some lovely pubs in the country lanes within a very few miles. Even a wonderful brewery round the corner with an on site shop for take outs (Loddon brewery). Marvellous. Close to Reading town centre, and easy access to the M4 and M40 for getting to London/Heathrow.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-19340163.html
Wish I had a few quid spare to buy this one as a rental.
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Thanks for all the info! Sorry been late replying, working last night.
Zero - absolutely spot on there with the maximum mortgage calculation as it was pretty much what I had in mind.
Time for a trawl through RightMove...
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I rememeber now why I left Reading and moved to Scotland....
How about Lincolnshire(*) and commute by Cessna !
* my friends, fed up with the rain in W Yorks, are considering it and tell me it's cheeeep!
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>> I rememeber now why I left Reading and moved to Scotland....
>>
>> How about Lincolnshire(*) and commute by Cessna !
>>
>> * my friends, fed up with the rain in W Yorks, are considering it and
>> tell me it's cheeeep!
>>
It's cheap at least because the wind and rain howl in off the North Sea and make the place feel like ice station Zebra - well that was the opinion of the my father who was born and bred there.
I can do T5 in about an hour 45 from the far side of the New Forest, a bit far for a daily commute IMHO. 250K would get you a reasonable 3 bed semi, 20 mins. bike ride from blue flag beaches or the New Forest National Park.
tinyurl.com/3gkxabn
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a friend of mine works a from heathrow and he commutes from a village called quianton(sp)
inbetween bicester and aylesbury and he says its not too bad a drive
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Moving dahn sarf - Zero
