Moving out of London

Moving out of London has started becoming a real option in my life. My other half part owns a flat in NW10, not exactly central but near the tube, but now we want something a bit bigger, a real second bedroom for a potential sprog, ideally a garden too. We both earn alright but that doesn't get you that far in London. The difficulty is that if she does squeeze one out she won't be able to work for a while, and doing something remote or part time will make child care easier too, this means if we get a mortgage at the max we can afford now we may be screwed when the monster appears.

So we're now looking at what we could afford on my salary alone if it comes to it and for the kind of place we want that's meaning we're now looking at Dagenham, Romford etc. Essex rather than London. First question, anyone do this commute? What's it like on public transport as well as cycling?

I grew up in the North so when we realised we'd have to downgrade our expectations a lot I thought of Leeds. You can get something literally twice the size for 2/3 the price. My work has a small office up there and I know some other tech company have opened offices there recently, but there's a chance I could work remotely too. Second question, what kind of things should I sort out if I am serious about moving to a new city? How do people get a feeling for an area or neighbourhood?

The main thing that scares me about leaving London is not knowing anyone in the new area, especially if I do end up working remotely, I don't want to become a hermit. I guess I could join a cycle club up there but Third question, how have other people dealt with this?

Am I mad to think Dagenham is so far out of London I may as well be in Leeds? For example these are the kinds of places we're looking at:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-96576704.html

for nearly half the price:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-96084623.html