if you have to work in Northwood, then i would suggest living in Chesham, Amersham, or Berkhampsted. each has much more affordable housing, better schools, less Chav/Ned culture, and are areas that we are looking to purchase a place to rent out before we leave for our 4 year assignment in Oz. we have decided that if we are forbidden to purchase in Oz on a 457 visa, we might as well purchase OUTSIDE the M25, which is the area with greater value growth.

one of our sons and his GF have just bought a decent place in Chesham, which is tubeable to Northwood(and central Londonium). £ 230K, £ 80K deposit, £ 150 mortgage for 15 years = £ 1,100/month ex-council tax BTW

Thanks...
We will rent first some where in Northwood and then look around, get a feel for the area...

That's the sort of statement that people with short memories, or little experience of the UK housing market make.

Try looking at the threads about people trying to sell their houses in the UK. Here's one ...

" ... this crap market"

"House valued £675,000
Put on market £650,000
6weeks later £635,000
8weeks later £599,000
And not one single offer"

Extrapolate that for next 6 months. Ouch.

Just noticed this post - it makes interesting reading. How much does a 250K pounds mortgage work out to per month in repayments?

Does anyone know Sevenoaks? Is it is a decent place and what are the costs of a season ticket from there to London?

I'm in Sydney at the moment but giving serious thought to heading back to the UK. I'm originally from Essex (for my sins) and so London/South East England makes sense family wise. I did live in Manchester before where affordability is much better but I don't know if I could live there again (so much rain....).

Habe a look on this site...a lot of info on mortgages

There are plenty of sites to search for the going rates on mortgages. They can vary so much depending on the type you want. Once you've found one you think suits you best and the interest rate for it, you can use a mortgage calculator to find out what the payments would be. Google is good to find both these things.
Finally, once you have a good idea of what a mortgage is going to cost you each month, take a look at this site I-Resign.com for a great cost of living tool. Put in all your monthly expenses you expect to have, and see if you'll be earning enough to cover it. There is also a salary calculator which will tell you how much net pay you can expect to take home each month.

if you want affordable and commutable you could do worse than Leighton Buzzard, mainline to Euston 40 mins