Owning your own home

I'm speaking from the perspective of someone who rarely has a commute longer than 30 mins by bike BTW - compared to 90 minutes of train journey WFH is probably more appealing.

Going to the office keeps me in check, I find.

I find the prospect of WFH terrifying. I'd be surrounded by laundry all the time.

In terms of affording a bigger house, how?
Both of us are working in good jobs but I think we're getting used to living a modest life. I'd love to have no upstairs neighbours and not live on a bus route and have a back garden.
Everything in my area is unavailable or not worth stretching ourselves for, just for freehold. Our house is fairly equivalent to a house "worth" 650 in the area.

welcome

I'd be surrounded by laundry all the time.

Yeah I just end up sorting all this shit out just to avoid the work I'm paying myself to do. Huh.

That's my problem.
"ooh. I'll just do that. And make some food. And I've got that thing to do there. Oh. Kids coming home soon. best pack up"

Also:
West Norwood?

Wrote a response that was way too long, so have edited it:

Overall be rational and work out any move based on your set of circumstances.

These are some of the things that didn't occur to us, but have since been shown to be important.

1. Don't assume the benefit of family nearby. Sound it out first - what are their expectations vs. their capacity to deliver to your expectations?
   
2. Fertility treatment policy of the local GP and LHA - LDN GPs and hospitals will likely be good, outside will be a gamble. Check.
   
3. Friendship support network - for your partner. Depending on what type of baby miniloin is it could be vital for her mental health. How far will the close friends moving there will be, are they your close friends, will their lifestyles match a yours, etc.?
   
   

(FYI I've assumed your partner is female and she'll be giving birth to any children. Apologies for the assumption if that's not the case.)

2 days WFH, 2 days in the office. Moved down to 4 days/week when my daughter was 1 yo and started nursery and wife went back to work (also part time). So I have a "daddy day" but also do two days of drop-off/collection from school when I'm WFH.

Office days are mostly to get out of the house and away from wife/daughter - it's not a huge flat and neither of them really understand the concept of "door shut = at work".

There's no reason I couldn't be 100% remote, the few in-person meetings I have are only done that way because the majority of the people happen to be in the office that day. Some of the people I notionally share an office with live in Coventry, Northampton, Cornwall and one lived in Brussels for a good few years.

My boss of the last 3 years is in India and we've never met in person. My main colleague of 8 years is in North Carolina and we've never met in person. The SQA team that support us are in Kuala Lumpur and we've never met any of them in person. etc.

Saying that, I do find one day a week to have face to face meetings with some colleagues useful. Some things that may take an hour or longer to sort out by instant messenger, email, or a phone call, or even video conferencing, can often be sorted out much quicker or with less misunderstanding by going over to talk to them and pointing at things on a screen. Also nice to be away from distractions like ringing doorbells (deliveries for flats above/below) and the like (our office is like a library, it's lovely).

So whilst I could work anywhere with an Internet connection I love where I live (SW15) and wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. The schools are good, we (and our daughter) have a good set of local friends and don't want to have to rip that up and start again somewhere else. Within 5 minutes of running or I'm on wooded tracks on Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park beyond that. I've got a local 10k loop that I can do and usually only have to stop to cross one road (and could avoid that by using a bridge). I can be out in the Surrey Hills is no time on the bike, etc.

Can't move to anywhere in particular to be closer to family as they're quite spread out. A 2 hour train journey to see either sets of parents is not much different from 5 hours to see one set and 3 hours to see the other.

This may change in 10 years when my daughter is old enough to go to uni (or whatever else she wants to do) but I'm not going anywhere whilst we've got this setup.

I might have had a different outlook had we thought about it before starting a family, but then my wife has much stronger views on where she wants to live and, with me being happy anywhere (grew up in a rural village, University in a big UK city, and then lived in various major world cities), that works for me.

Sure I could punch out and buy a house in the sticks, with unnecessary extra bedrooms, a big garden and a garage etc, but I'll be able to do that in 10 years time too if I want (and won't need as much space either so money will go further).

Amongst all of the friends who upped and disappeared to the country many love it and it really does work for them, but I've got a few friends who've sold up in London and moved out to the sticks to start families/etc, boasted about their huge house and a garden that's bigger than our local park, and a few years later they're desperate to move back to London but can't afford to.

but I've got a few friends who've sold up in London and moved out to the sticks to start families/etc, boasted about their huge house and a garden that's bigger than our local park, and a few years later they're desperate to move back to London but can't afford to.

I don't have any friends, but this would have been me about 5 years ago. Not boasting about a huge house etc, but moving out and then going mad.

Dulwich reach

Anywhere South really,
Brixton, tooting, Herne Hill, West Norwood, occasionally think we could do forest hill, but then change my mind.

Ain't Brixton and Tooting top dorrah?

We decided how much space we needed + garden reqs and then held that up against budget. Ruled out most of London immediately.

Your company doesn't have a WFH policy and doesn't want to open that can of worms.
The remote IT infratructure is a bit shit.
A large part of your day is people asking you ad hoc questions and sorting their issues out on the spot.

Yep, but as I mentioned earlier, lots of places are coming back to our budget, now people are realising they can’t get top dollar for them and they’ve been sitting there for 6mths plus..
Most of the places we’re looking at will need some sort of work doing to them. The ones that you can hang your clothes up and move your furniture into with nothing needing to be done are the ones that are over budget..

Some things…. can often be sorted out much quicker or with less misunderstanding by going over to talk to them and pointing at things on a screen.

This and wat aggi said.

so long as you all stay the fuck out of sydenham. WE'RE FULL.

Obvious agreement goes here.

Though, if you have a decent baby sitter/want to share childcare options, talk to me.

Nah you're assumptions are correct. Point 2 hadn't considered - the first one has been discussed so fairly solid on that. Point 3 is a worry for both of us, partner has family and friends nearish but doesnt drive the reverse is true for me. Although I'm from Norfolk so it's like a bit closer to my friends there (but not really).

I couldn't wfh I manage an org of 100+ people all in London office, 1 day a week would be the max but I do have flexi hours (could start at 10 and finish at 4:30 to try and avoid some rush hour - make up time in the eve etc).

We're going to head up and see it this weekend. The ideal is still a detached/semi in or around Leytonstone, with room to increase size and a large garden which can have a self contained office/studio. #hensteeth

Plenty of that ilk for your Budget in Walthamstow... its a bit like Norfolk being close to the marshes too but less NFN types.

I don't often go to Walthamstow but I had to drive there yesterday. It was horrific. Box junctions everywhere, appalling and aggressive driving by pretty much everyone, including bus drivers, roads blocked off/dead ends everywhere. The sat nav was having a fit with the route as all the suggested routes were scuppered by no through roads and presumably newly installed dead ends.

It would do my head in to deal with all that regularly.

stop trying to make walthamstow a thing!

Yeah driving in Walthamstow is pretty joyless, but I didn't move to London to enjoy driving a car.

You mean Walthy?

This

Also y u in southampton?