Moving out of SW11 recommendations Post Reply

[bmf16]

Does anyone have any recommendations for places outside of London - but commutable - that offer a similar community / vibe to SW11? We are thinking about our next move and drawing up a list of places to visit & check out, any reccs greatly appreciated!

[movingrecommend]

Try the Life After London websites / forums.

[gill44]

Yes! We recently moved out of Balham to Teddington and haven’t looked back. The High Street is like a mini Northcote Road - lots of independent coffee shops/ boutiques/pubs etc and joy of joys, a Waterstones bookstore - plus the other half is the big boys, Boots, Tesco, WHSmith etc etc
Trains are frequent into Clapham Jct and Waterloo; plus you have the river and Bushy Park within walking distance.
Housing stock is highly sought after so I would recommend you become what estate agents all proceedable, ie a cash buyer, to get first dips at anything that comes up.
Good Luck

[gill44]

Yes! We recently moved out of Balham to Teddington and haven’t looked back. The High Street is like a mini Northcote Road - lots of independent coffee shops/ boutiques/pubs/delis/antique shops etc and joy of joys, a Waterstones bookstore - plus the other half is the big boys, Boots, Tesco, WHSmith etc etc
Trains are frequent into Clapham Jct and Waterloo; plus you have the river and Bushy Park within walking distance.
Housing stock is highly sought after so I would recommend you become what estate agents all proceedable, ie a cash buyer, to get first dips at anything that comes up.
Good Luck

[JenPropertyFinder]

How about Cobham or Guildford?
Commute 25 or 40 minutes but you get a choice if good schools and vibrant high streets?

[Pippa123]

We also made the move from Wandsworth to Teddington with our 2 young kids & haven’t looked back!
We are loving all the outdoor space with Richmond & bushy park & the river. It feels like a different world to Wandsworth. Recently voted 2nd best borough in the country for schools too in terms of ofsted /results plus good transport, however as previous poster says you need to jump on houses with good locations as unfortunately they are virtually all sold off market.
Good luck in your search.

[Mumonthestreets]

Yes! We recently moved out of Balham to Teddington and haven’t looked back. The High Street is like a mini Northcote Road - lots of independent coffee shops/ boutiques/pubs etc and joy of joys, a Waterstones bookstore - plus the other half is the big boys, Boots, Tesco, WHSmith etc etc
Trains are frequent into Clapham Jct and Waterloo; plus you have the river and Bushy Park within walking distance.
Housing stock is highly sought after so I would recommend you become what estate agents all proceedable, ie a cash buyer, to get first dips at anything that comes up.
Good Luck

How does one 'become' a cash buyer? Tips and tricks welcome!

[dudette]

To be a cash buyer you need to sell your current house and rent somewhere and make sure you have your mortgage finances in place. You need to target the agents that sell the sort of properties you want in the area you want to buy and call them every week. You need to become mini best friends with them so when the right house comes up you are the first person they contact. Be reliable and always turn up on time for viewings and be willing to see stuff you think you might not be interested in. Good luck!

[Pippa123]

That’s exactly right. We had to sell our house in Wandsworth and then rent in teddington so we were in a proceedable position. We were then an attractive proposition to agents.. we bought a house which was never marketed and had to pay asking price.
it wasn’t easy but it was worth it as we have no plans to move again!

[bmf16]

Thanks for your replies everyone! We have spent some time visiting various places in Surrey and agree with posters here that Teddington is the only place that fitted the bill. It has a bustling high street, a community feel, lots going on, as well as feeling quite residential in places. Unfortunately it's still very expensive, so not soo much cost saving for bigger space versus SW11. Because of this we may have to continue our search before we attempt to become 'cash' buyers, but thank you for recommendations so far.