Humour me - house on a budget in southern Herts
Discussion
MrDecadent said:
I once made the mistake of buying a 3 bedder over a 2 bedder when my budget was tight. I bought an ex council 3 bedder on the West side of WGC (for £240k coincidentally, in 2008 it's also just sold right now on right move advertised at £260k...) and had neighbours from hell. I concluded from this that my budget stretched only so far for crappy bits of nice ares for 3 bedders where as I could have got a decent 2 bedder and perhaps extended into the loft at a later date if I needed the space.
West side of WGC is very nice, the rest of it not so much, lacks pubs & restaurants tbh and the market towns you've mentioned are better.
That cottage you've seen in Baldock looks very nice, only downside is the bus stop outside and constant traffic flows past the house and up the road joining.
I don't think much to Hoddesdon, but Stanstead Abbotts and St Margarets looked quite nice when I drove through.
Haldens, Shoplands?West side of WGC is very nice, the rest of it not so much, lacks pubs & restaurants tbh and the market towns you've mentioned are better.
That cottage you've seen in Baldock looks very nice, only downside is the bus stop outside and constant traffic flows past the house and up the road joining.
I don't think much to Hoddesdon, but Stanstead Abbotts and St Margarets looked quite nice when I drove through.
nellyleelephant said:
It does have a station, but it is a couple of miles out of the village. They still call it Ashwell station!
A minibus service runs from the centre of the village to the station at about 7 am, same line as Baldock.
Very little chance of getting a house for that in ashwell!A minibus service runs from the centre of the village to the station at about 7 am, same line as Baldock.
To be fair the station is brilliant in that all the fast trains stop at it in rush hour.
If you do look at ashwell don't forget guilden morden and steeple morden
MrDecadent said:
Newfields 
Shame about that, I quite liked Welwyn but that left a bad taste in my mouth so now I could probably afford a better house on the West Side I don't think I'd go back.
I only ask as I grew up there & went to Stanborough. I know Newfields well, I hope you weren't at the mercy of the Groom family - well known in the town.Shame about that, I quite liked Welwyn but that left a bad taste in my mouth so now I could probably afford a better house on the West Side I don't think I'd go back.
Silent1 said:
nellyleelephant said:
It does have a station, but it is a couple of miles out of the village. They still call it Ashwell station!
A minibus service runs from the centre of the village to the station at about 7 am, same line as Baldock.
Very little chance of getting a house for that in ashwell!A minibus service runs from the centre of the village to the station at about 7 am, same line as Baldock.
To be fair the station is brilliant in that all the fast trains stop at it in rush hour.
If you do look at ashwell don't forget guilden morden and steeple morden
There's half a converted chapel up for sale at the moment for 265k, we were told they would accept near 250.
Justin Cyder said:
I only ask as I grew up there & went to Stanborough. I know Newfields well, I hope you weren't at the mercy of the Groom family - well known in the town.
Not sure who the were, apart from introducing ourselves as new neighbours (we will always knock before buying now!) we purposely didn't get involved as I didn't want to mention anything on the home sellers pack.They had about 5 kids, looked very simple and had strange looking visitors that looked (inter) related. Smoked all day every day (I could smell it in one of my bedrooms that adjoined theirs). I also remember their love of karaoke parties on school nights until the early hours, the constant slamming of doors (repeatedly, like 10 times) causing cracks on my plasterwork and pictures to fall off the party wall and dog sh!t pilled high in the garden.
MrDecadent said:
I once made the mistake of buying a 3 bedder over a 2 bedder when my budget was tight. I bought an ex council 3 bedder on the West side of WGC (for £240k coincidentally, in 2008 it's also just sold right now on right move advertised at £260k...) and had neighbours from hell. I concluded from this that my budget stretched only so far for crappy bits of nice ares for 3 bedders where as I could have got a decent 2 bedder and perhaps extended into the loft at a later date if I needed the space.
Oh, don't worry, I've been there before - I rented in a couple of rough areas as a student and have no intention of repeating the experience. My main priority is a pleasant, harmonious area. If we compromised for an extra bedroom it's more likely to be losing the garage or accepting somewhere that needs a little bit of cosmetic work.Didn't have much luck yesterday. We went to Hertford, which we know reasonably well already, and concluded we really liked it but we're going to struggle on our budget without making a lot of compromises. Currently I think all the options that have come our way are ex-council.
I quite liked Ware - it felt like a smaller, less expensive version of Hertford to me - but SWMBO was somewhat less keen. Plus the house we saw was in a new development that felt like a retirement village.
The focus seems to remain on Letchworth, Baldock and Hitchin. Again, my other half seems to really like Letchworth, but I far prefer the atmosphere of the other two. For the sake of a five minute cab ride and a lot more house for our money I could probably get over that, though.
Still haven't been back to Welwyn. Is there a nice area within walking distance of the station? To be honest we were so taken with the houses in Letchworth that Welwyn would have to offer a lot more character or a lot more life to sway us.
MrDecadent said:
Not sure who the were, apart from introducing ourselves as new neighbours (we will always knock before buying now!) we purposely didn't get involved as I didn't want to mention anything on the home sellers pack.
They had about 5 kids, looked very simple and had strange looking visitors that looked (inter) related. Smoked all day every day (I could smell it in one of my bedrooms that adjoined theirs). I also remember their love of karaoke parties on school nights until the early hours, the constant slamming of doors (repeatedly, like 10 times) causing cracks on my plasterwork and pictures to fall off the party wall and dog sh!t pilled high in the garden.
That's a shame, especially as it's Handside. You picked one of the few dodgy streets in an otherwise pretty nice area. It shows the value of knocking on doors & simply asking people stuff to get the feel of a street though.They had about 5 kids, looked very simple and had strange looking visitors that looked (inter) related. Smoked all day every day (I could smell it in one of my bedrooms that adjoined theirs). I also remember their love of karaoke parties on school nights until the early hours, the constant slamming of doors (repeatedly, like 10 times) causing cracks on my plasterwork and pictures to fall off the party wall and dog sh!t pilled high in the garden.
Chris71 said:
Didn't have much luck yesterday. We went to Hertford, which we know reasonably well already, and concluded we really liked it but we're going to struggle on our budget without making a lot of compromises. Currently I think all the options that have come our way are ex-council.
I quite liked Ware - it felt like a smaller, less expensive version of Hertford to me - but SWMBO was somewhat less keen. Plus the house we saw was in a new development that felt like a retirement village.
The focus seems to remain on Letchworth, Baldock and Hitchin. Again, my other half seems to really like Letchworth, but I far prefer the atmosphere of the other two. For the sake of a five minute cab ride and a lot more house for our money I could probably get over that, though.
I grew up in Letchworth, lived in Ware for 13 years and have lived in Hertford for 3 years. My favourite by far is Hertford. Letchworth was very genteel but the lack of anything to do whatsoever got to me then and would get to me now. I quite liked Ware - it felt like a smaller, less expensive version of Hertford to me - but SWMBO was somewhat less keen. Plus the house we saw was in a new development that felt like a retirement village.
The focus seems to remain on Letchworth, Baldock and Hitchin. Again, my other half seems to really like Letchworth, but I far prefer the atmosphere of the other two. For the sake of a five minute cab ride and a lot more house for our money I could probably get over that, though.
Ware is okay but Hertford is livelier, got more in the town centre and the real benefit, two stations on two different lines.
I live near a lot of ex-council (my actaul house was built in the 1970's and always privately onwed) and they are better built than a lot of new houses in my opinion. However, you need to be somewhere you both feel at home.
Kateg28 said:
I grew up in Letchworth, lived in Ware for 13 years and have lived in Hertford for 3 years. My favourite by far is Hertford. Letchworth was very genteel but the lack of anything to do whatsoever got to me then and would get to me now.
I think Hertford is our favourite, but even the estate agent said we'd be lucky to get anything decent on our budget! It's not just snobbery about the areas, but also things like getting a garage for me or enough space on the estate for my fiancee's students to park.Really keen to find out more about Baldock currently. It seems to have a similar feel to Hertford, but at prices closer to Letchworth. And it's got the A507 right next to it.
Silent1 said:
What do you see in baldock, I can't think of a nice end of baldock especially when compared the the decent parts of letchworth 
It's the town centre. Smart as Letchworth is, I find it very dull and modern (there again, growing up in the arse end of nowhere, anywhere built after about 1700 feels modern to me...) Plus there don't seem to be many pubs or restaurants within walking distance. Baldock has a greater sense of history and seems to have more opportunities to socialise. This is purely my own opinion based on a couple of visits, but Letchworth strikes me as the sort of place you'd go if already had kids.
Anyway, we did a load more this afternoon and there are now three we're considering putting an offer in for. In a nutshell:
1) Letchworth - beautiful house with garage and the works, but town centre lacks atmosphere IMHO and this is quite a trek to the town centre. Also, obviously, a substantial distance from North London (where I currently work). Just out of budget, but close enough for an offer.
2) Baldock - smaller house (but big enough), quite smart and ready for quick sale, no garage, smaller garden, decent access to my favourite town centre of the three and the station. Still awkward for London. Comfortably in budget.
3) Hoddesdon - nice Victorian house, huge garden, massive garage, much closer to London and a matter of yards from Rye House train station but a much less salubrious area. Just in budget.
Again, we're split. My other half doesn't seem to mind Hoddesdon, but I just find it souless and a bit less friendly. On paper the third house ticks all our boxes and then some, however. The two or three car garage is particularly epic. I don't quite understand why I don't love it - sort of feel like I should.
In contrast, the middle one in Baldock requires the most sacrifices, but they're on the points I'm happiest to concede - garage, proximity to London etc. It's my favourite location, although it is within earshot of a busy main road.
The Letchworth one really took us back at first. It's without doubt the nicest house in the nicest condition and the immediate area is very pleasant. You're just surrounded by miles of suburbia in either direction, though. And when you do finally reach civilisation it seems to be wall-to-wall charity shops.
They're all good in very different ways.
We sold our 4 bed detached on Lordship Estate Letchworth (it was the 2nd largest plot on the estate) and now have a 3 bed terraced in Wyrley Dell also on the Lordship Estate, only sold up to free up capital to build our house here in France. Lordship and Manor Park are without doubt the best estates for layout and space and wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Letchworth. When we eventually move back we'll sell the terraced house and the house in France and move over to Manor Park
Silent1 said:
I can't think of a nice end of baldock especially when compared the the decent parts of letchworth
+1.The original parts of Letchworth have some of the nicest houses in Herts - and I don't just mean big houses (there are lots) but the smaller ones are also beautifully designed and the place has a unique feel. Buy there if you can. There's nowhere like that in Baldock.
Letchworth, Baldock & Hitchin town centres all have their good and bad bits but they're so close to each other that if you live in Letchworth (its the middle one) you can get to the others easily if you want.
Spindoctor said:
Letchworth, Baldock & Hitchin town centres all have their good and bad bits but they're so close to each other that if you live in Letchworth (its the middle one) you can get to the others easily if you want.
All three are very close, true. My thinking is that the amenities you have in Letchworth are the sort of thing you'd happily drive to - sports centres, cinema etc. Whereas Baldock has the sort of thing you might want to walk to in the evening. By which I mean the pub.Perik Omo said:
Two good pubs in Willian Village which is a five minute walk from the Letchworth Lordship and Manor Park estates.
The place we're looking at currently is on the north west side of Letchworth. Any good?I am swaying back towards Letchworth a little. Around there I could afford a house with a garage - having to drink lemonade at the pub would be less of an issue if I could drive the TVR there (rather than sell it due to lack of space!)
I liked Letchworth, found the town centre a little soul less as you've found but they were talking about renovating it, not sure if this has already happened?
Garden city houses looked great and it seems to give the surburbs a unique feel. A little like Hampstead Garden Village in places!
Welwyn is a bit like Letchworth, but no pubs to speak of, has a John Lewis and few other shops. West side is best if you fancy a wonder; head straight out of the Howard Centre and walk up to the water fountain and keep walking straight up. Houses seem to be a lot more than Letchworth, I reckon you'll be looking at ex-council without a garage tbh on the west side of town.
I can see the allure of Baldock - high street, close to the 507, pubs, I prefer the more market town feel over places like Letchworth. Hitchin is probably the best of the 3 up there and would be the one I pick. However if it was a toss up between a 2 bed terrace in Hitchin with no parking and a 2/3 bed semi in Letchworth on a nice road with everything else I think I'd have go for Letchworth for the quality of life (I only have OSP and haven't got a garage where I live and I really want something like a TVR/Caterham/etc depending on the day of week ).
We looked at a place in Hertford ourselves, seemed to be either cottages with no OSP or the new (ish) builds on the foxholes dev, I quite liked it there but it was a bit of a trek to Hertford North station for me and the trains were not that quick.
There are some villages with train stations that might be better value - Watton at Stone looked nice when I drove through but might be a tad quiet!
Garden city houses looked great and it seems to give the surburbs a unique feel. A little like Hampstead Garden Village in places!
Welwyn is a bit like Letchworth, but no pubs to speak of, has a John Lewis and few other shops. West side is best if you fancy a wonder; head straight out of the Howard Centre and walk up to the water fountain and keep walking straight up. Houses seem to be a lot more than Letchworth, I reckon you'll be looking at ex-council without a garage tbh on the west side of town.
I can see the allure of Baldock - high street, close to the 507, pubs, I prefer the more market town feel over places like Letchworth. Hitchin is probably the best of the 3 up there and would be the one I pick. However if it was a toss up between a 2 bed terrace in Hitchin with no parking and a 2/3 bed semi in Letchworth on a nice road with everything else I think I'd have go for Letchworth for the quality of life (I only have OSP and haven't got a garage where I live and I really want something like a TVR/Caterham/etc depending on the day of week ).
We looked at a place in Hertford ourselves, seemed to be either cottages with no OSP or the new (ish) builds on the foxholes dev, I quite liked it there but it was a bit of a trek to Hertford North station for me and the trains were not that quick.
There are some villages with train stations that might be better value - Watton at Stone looked nice when I drove through but might be a tad quiet!
MrDecadent said:
We looked at a place in Hertford ourselves, seemed to be either cottages with no OSP or the new (ish) builds on the foxholes dev, I quite liked it there but it was a bit of a trek to Hertford North station for me and the trains were not that quick.
There are others, depends on your budget though. We bought in Hertford 3 years ago and have a 1970's 3 bed end terrace on corner plot with garage, enclosed car port and off street parking for 3, maybe 4 cars. Not on Foxholes and near to Hertford North.
Trains are slow though..... (but there are two different lines)
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