-
moved (post-child) from london to manchester 2 or 3 years ago, and it's been a good move, overall. after we had a kid we stopped going out anyway, so we weren't really making the most of london – although that would have probably got back into it as the kid got older.
there's no way i would consider living in the south east outside of inner london, but my partner and me are both from the north. we moved to within about an hour's drive of our parents, which is just enough. for me, personally, you may as well live in manchester/leeds/liverpool/sheffield/bristol etc. rather than the outskirts of london anyday.
most of my old school mates are in and around manchester, but i don't see them as often as i'd like with work, covid, kids, and the fact we're all kind of scattered. i've joined a cycle club and started doing more racing, and joined my local hackspace, so have a loose network from that but not really good mates. that's partly down to me as well - i could try harder. our closest mates now are other parents i've met locally.
housing wise, we went from a 2-bed flat to a 3-bed house with garden and garage, which costs a fair bit less. our situation was complicated because we rented somewhere in between and overlapped ownership. we also went for more affordable north manchester over the more affluent south. when i was looking for somewhere (thread) i had in my mind somewhere out of town in the peak district or somewhere, but gradually we came to realise we like the ability to cycle around and the relative convenience and diversity of the city as a place to raise a kid. living up here for 18 months in a rented place helped us gain a sense of what we wanted and what we didn't – both in terms of a house as well as working, childcare arrangements, schools, etc.
You are reading a single comment by @fizzy.bleach and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
fizzy.bleach
Sumo
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