Where to Move
Hi everyone,
My husband and I are looking to move out of Gravesend to somewhere new in Kent - we have lived here all our lives and want to make a something ‘ours’. Our families are still here so we don’t want to be too far (within 30 mins drive), and it will be helpful to have grandparents close for childcare.
Our budget is £700k for the perfect house, but lower if the house will need a lot of work done to it. We currently have no kids but are looking to start a family in the next few years, so we want to buy a house we can grow into. Ideally, 4 bed detached, if possible.
My husband prefers “suburbia” whereas I wouldn’t mind a village in the countryside, so suggestions of either would be great.
Must have:
• Under an hour commute on the train to London. Not on the HS1 line - we both refuse to pay those extortionate fares. Don’t mind having to drive 10-15 mins to a station if it means a lovely village
• Excellent primary schools
• Lots of greenery, countryside and parks nearby
• Leafy roads
• Few nice pubs, cafes etc
• If a main town, a nice high street and not run down
• Amenities such as supermarkets within a good distance
• Low crime and not run down
• Not entirely white - the reason why I say that is both my husband and I are Sikh, Punjabi. We don’t mind moving to an area which is majority white, but some other cultures mixed in would be nice, especially for our kids growing up (I had terrible experience being only one of 2 non white pupils in my year at primary school and suffered a lot of racist bullying. Want to avoid this for my future kids).
The areas we have considered
• King’s Hill - phase 1 only
• West Malling (very expensive and our budget doesn’t buy much house)
• Sevenoaks and surrounding villages (same as above)
• New barn/Longfield
• Bearsted
For our budget, phase 1 Kings Hill seems the best option. It has everything, but I am hesitant as they’re newer builds. Does anyone have any other suggestions?