Brightongirl

I am originally from Brighton, England; lived there until I was 21. I have finally persuaded my wife, a US citizen, to move to England - major accomplishment! I have lived in Florida until now; I am 53, she is 51. My wife and I can't afford to buy a property in the part of Brighton/Hove where we'd like to live. i.e. within a mile walk of the beach. My Dad lives in Peacehaven and has suggested either that or Newhaven. They have both proven promising as Zoopla/Rightmove show we could get a 2 bedroom flat for under 225K GBP, which is our budget. We want a place that is move-in ready as we're not up for renovations or major decorating.

Can anyone recommend other towns on the South/Southeast coast where the cost of living is reasonable, where there is public transportation especially trains, & where we can be close (i.e. 1-4 hours by train) to family in Brighton, the Isle of Wight and Andover? We especially enjoy spending time on the coast and hiking the Downs for example. It doesn't have to be a "young" town and we are not major shoppers. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

spouse of scouse

Sorry, I can't help at all with your actual question I'm just sticking my nose in to ask if you're up to speed on what to watch out for when buying a flat.

You may well already know all this, but just in case...
Make sure you know how many years are remaining on your lease.
Find out what your annual service charge and ground rent will be, and read the fine print on the lease agreement (before signing it!) to see how much these charges are permitted to increase on a yearly basis.
Find out if any major works are planned, and if so, if the current reserve fund has enough to covers the cost or if you'll be asked to contribute.

In an ideal world the solicitor you engage to do the purchase should be across all these things (and more), but some are better at the fine print than others.

SanDiegogirl

This question has been asked lots of times. Do a search on this forum for say, 'best places to live' or 'towns in Southern England' etc

Without knowing what your income is going to be (you said you would not be working), it's difficult to give specifics are to where to live - and one person's ideal place may not suit another.

The UK is not huge. You could get to the coast/Brighton from as far away as Birmingham in 4 hours by train. Most places have public transport and reasonable living is again subjective.

Brightongirl

I know about leasehold and freehold but that's about it. Luckily my Dad has quite a bit of experience having purchased several properties so he'll be useful. The reason we want a flat is that we don't want to deal with the outside maintenance and gardening personally. (Had enough of that in Florida!) I imagine an "annual service charge" would be similar to condo association dues in the US, but I have no idea what "ground rent" is? We own a house and a condo here in the US so that's the extent of our purchasing experience.

Brightongirl

Thanks. We actually want to live on the South/Southeast coast but be a 1-4 hour train journey to my family. Income - that's another question entirely! I don't plan to work initially but my wife plans to but that income wouldn't be more than 30K GBP annually. But we do have reasonable savings to support ourselves. Just don't want to spend it on a large property we don't need or want to maintain.

SanDiegogirl

With your father living in Peacehaven he is probably your best bet in helping you find a place to live.

You say you are looking for a low cost of living; while down on the coast is cheaper than London (?) no area in the South East/West of England is low cost, since housing is some of the more expensive in the country.

Brightongirl

I understand. I wish I'd grown up in a more affordable area trust me! But it's the need to be close to home that's drawing me back, and that desire to be "home" and around family that you know loves you. I'm tired of being lonely over here and don't want to move to a part of England where I would be equally lonely!

Helen1964

Have you considered the Isle of Wight itself?
It's generally very affordable, I believe.

Brightongirl

I have considered it because I have a sister who lives in Shanklin and I lived in Cowes for 2 years as a teenager. I checked on Zoopla yesterday and there were a few flats in our price range. I'd have to visit again a few times because I recall not being happy when I lived there but that was probably more due to being a teenager after parents' divorce. It is very pretty though and definitely surrounded by nice coastal towns; very easy to take the ferries to Portsmouth and Southampton.

Lion in Winter

Pretty, but bugger all to do unless you like going for walks.

Floridablues

Why not take a look at Essex/Suffolk coast line. A little biased as I'm from that part of the world before crossing the 'pond' to Florida close on 20 years ago. Felixstowe, close to Ipswich is a much changing area and only an hours drive down to London

Brightongirl

I just took a look at property values and Felixstowe looks quite affordable. I think we need to keep our options open and explore a few places the next time we visit Out of curiosity what part of Florida are you in?; I live in Palm City, about a half hour drive north of West Palm Beach. I truly have the Florida blues because I don't enjoy the heat and humidity here.

Floridablues

That was a quick reply....I'm actually just west of Orlando, close to the parks and more or less smack bang in the middle of Florida. One thing, funny enough I cope well with is the heat and humidity. I'm in my 60s now and certainly thinking its time to move on. Don't know much about your part of Florida and normally head west to Tampa area coastline. Certainly experiencing much of a transient population growth since moving here and now with the virus and thousands without jobs, fearing this area is one that's going to be on a rapid decline. Feel free to message if you need any more information about the Suffolk area as I lived there most of my life before moving to Florida. I do have an aunt that lives in Hove who is close to her century birthday...must be the sea air!