Mental rambling about Relocating to the north
Discussion
I Currently live on the south coast - I own a flat, mortgage paid up - estimated value say £100K.
I'm really not liking my current work environment. My work is excellent but my work throughput is too low.
I'm not likely to get another post if I walk out of my current job. - Aged 59 I have a couple of herniated inter-vertebral discs, and my legs and hands do not work too well anymore. I'm also diabetic and suffer from ulcerative colitis which is currently in remission, so I try to avoid any stressful situations.
Looking on the internet there seem to be many properties in northern towns ( Peterlee, Darlington inter alia) where it seems possible to buy a house for £25K to £40K.
Is there any reason for not selling my flat, then driving up north to look at purchasing a house up there. This would mean that I had a fully paid up home, and +£60K cash in hand on which to live until my state pension kicks in.
The PH bonus is that most of the roads appear to have plenty of on-street parking, so I could replace the Skoda Roomster with a more interesting car.
I'm really not liking my current work environment. My work is excellent but my work throughput is too low.
I'm not likely to get another post if I walk out of my current job. - Aged 59 I have a couple of herniated inter-vertebral discs, and my legs and hands do not work too well anymore. I'm also diabetic and suffer from ulcerative colitis which is currently in remission, so I try to avoid any stressful situations.
Looking on the internet there seem to be many properties in northern towns ( Peterlee, Darlington inter alia) where it seems possible to buy a house for £25K to £40K.
Is there any reason for not selling my flat, then driving up north to look at purchasing a house up there. This would mean that I had a fully paid up home, and +£60K cash in hand on which to live until my state pension kicks in.
The PH bonus is that most of the roads appear to have plenty of on-street parking, so I could replace the Skoda Roomster with a more interesting car.
Living in a sh*thole estate where it rains every day is probably not gonna help.
Move to somewhere with year-round sun, like Portugal or Tenerife or Cyprus. Plenty of Brits to socialise with, plenty of vitamin D sunshine for the health, and plenty of cheap apartments to leave spare cash.
Move to somewhere with year-round sun, like Portugal or Tenerife or Cyprus. Plenty of Brits to socialise with, plenty of vitamin D sunshine for the health, and plenty of cheap apartments to leave spare cash.
Depends whereabouts you live of course but any terraced house half decent will set you back at least 100k in the North (Say Manchester area).
The East coast around Mablethorpe/ Skegness is quite a cheap area, but it can be cold in winter.
You may pick up a house for 50k, but it will either be a s
thole or want a fair bit spending on it.
I've lived in the north & the south.
I prefer the north.
The East coast around Mablethorpe/ Skegness is quite a cheap area, but it can be cold in winter.
You may pick up a house for 50k, but it will either be a s
thole or want a fair bit spending on it.I've lived in the north & the south.
I prefer the north.
I did exactly what you are thinking of.
I am a few years older than you and have my own health problems.
I bought a house at auction in Newbiggin - just north of Newcastle.
I have a sea view, detached stone cottage and completely refitted interior. I did this for about 70K so it is doable.
Recently I sold another refurbished house in the same town for 79K and was the subject of a thread on here.
Houses are available here for 40k and they are OK - Not ste like others are suggesting. You will probably need to do some updating but builders day rates round here are £80 to £100 and they work in all weathers unlike the southern softies!
Avoid Peterlee, Station Town or any of the neighbouring Co Durham towns like the plague. Yes, you can get cheap houses there but they are going nowhere and neither will you.
Look at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Ashington, Widdrington and surrounding areas. Avoid Blyth.
PM me if you want some further insights.
I am a few years older than you and have my own health problems.
I bought a house at auction in Newbiggin - just north of Newcastle.
I have a sea view, detached stone cottage and completely refitted interior. I did this for about 70K so it is doable.
Recently I sold another refurbished house in the same town for 79K and was the subject of a thread on here.
Houses are available here for 40k and they are OK - Not s
te like others are suggesting. You will probably need to do some updating but builders day rates round here are £80 to £100 and they work in all weathers unlike the southern softies!Avoid Peterlee, Station Town or any of the neighbouring Co Durham towns like the plague. Yes, you can get cheap houses there but they are going nowhere and neither will you.
Look at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Ashington, Widdrington and surrounding areas. Avoid Blyth.
PM me if you want some further insights.
With all due respect, if your flat is only worth £100K on the South coast, I suspect you live in a fairly deprived area such as Hastings, Dover or Folkestone etc.
What are you hoping to achieve by moving up North? Is this a way that you can live in a house? I suspect you're not happy with your current arrangement but I would be very careful about moving up North only to live in another deprived area, albeit in a house.
Previous poster (Ricky) shows it can be done but I would increase your budget and be selective about where you buy. I imagine there are some great places up North that are cheap but I would sell the flat and use that to buy a house in a nicer location.
Good luck.
What are you hoping to achieve by moving up North? Is this a way that you can live in a house? I suspect you're not happy with your current arrangement but I would be very careful about moving up North only to live in another deprived area, albeit in a house.
Previous poster (Ricky) shows it can be done but I would increase your budget and be selective about where you buy. I imagine there are some great places up North that are cheap but I would sell the flat and use that to buy a house in a nicer location.
Good luck.
rayny said:
I'm really not liking my current work environment. My work is excellent but my work throughput is too low.
I'm not likely to get another post if I walk out of my current job. - Aged 59
What's the issue with work?I'm not likely to get another post if I walk out of my current job. - Aged 59
Do you have no other savings, pension etc? Have a look at the early retirement thread.
IMO you'll be even less happy in a bad part of an unfamiliar town. If anything I'd sell up and rent abroad until the money runs out then throw yourself at the state, but that is probably one for the "unpopular opinions" thread.
Thank you for your comments so far.
The only reason this has crossed my mind is in order to retire early, without being a burden on the state (other than my medical requirements).
Outside of work I'm actually quite happy.
I wouldn't mind living in a house or in a flat, it just seems that in the northern towns there are more houses than flats for sale.
The only reason this has crossed my mind is in order to retire early, without being a burden on the state (other than my medical requirements).
Outside of work I'm actually quite happy.
I wouldn't mind living in a house or in a flat, it just seems that in the northern towns there are more houses than flats for sale.
My Aunt and Uncle did this, had a nice place in London and sold up to retire to the Scottish border.
They enjoyed it at first but as they got older they found being the other end of the country from their friends and family in an isolated village was a real struggle.
They did this at absolutely the wrong time and found themselves forever priced out of moving back down south.
They enjoyed it at first but as they got older they found being the other end of the country from their friends and family in an isolated village was a real struggle.
They did this at absolutely the wrong time and found themselves forever priced out of moving back down south.
Yipper said:
Living in a sh*thole estate where it rains every day is probably not gonna help.
Move to somewhere with year-round sun, like Portugal or Tenerife or Cyprus. Plenty of Brits to socialise with, plenty of vitamin D sunshine for the health, and plenty of cheap apartments to leave spare cash.
Staggered to say it, but that post makes sense.Move to somewhere with year-round sun, like Portugal or Tenerife or Cyprus. Plenty of Brits to socialise with, plenty of vitamin D sunshine for the health, and plenty of cheap apartments to leave spare cash.
Lower stress, more sunshine, not sure on the medical side of it but that would be my move - a spanish bungalow.
Ricky146a said:
I did exactly what you are thinking of.
I am a few years older than you and have my own health problems.
I bought a house at auction in Newbiggin - just north of Newcastle.
I have a sea view, detached stone cottage and completely refitted interior. I did this for about 70K so it is doable.
Recently I sold another refurbished house in the same town for 79K and was the subject of a thread on here.
Houses are available here for 40k and they are OK - Not ste like others are suggesting. You will probably need to do some updating but builders day rates round here are £80 to £100 and they work in all weathers unlike the southern softies!
Avoid Peterlee, Station Town or any of the neighbouring Co Durham towns like the plague. Yes, you can get cheap houses there but they are going nowhere and neither will you.
Look at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Ashington, Widdrington and surrounding areas. Avoid Blyth.
PM me if you want some further insights.
WADR, Newbiggin must be on the up, It was rather John Wayne when I lived up there...I am a few years older than you and have my own health problems.
I bought a house at auction in Newbiggin - just north of Newcastle.
I have a sea view, detached stone cottage and completely refitted interior. I did this for about 70K so it is doable.
Recently I sold another refurbished house in the same town for 79K and was the subject of a thread on here.
Houses are available here for 40k and they are OK - Not s
te like others are suggesting. You will probably need to do some updating but builders day rates round here are £80 to £100 and they work in all weathers unlike the southern softies!Avoid Peterlee, Station Town or any of the neighbouring Co Durham towns like the plague. Yes, you can get cheap houses there but they are going nowhere and neither will you.
Look at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Ashington, Widdrington and surrounding areas. Avoid Blyth.
PM me if you want some further insights.
Have friends in Ellington and that still seems nice enough although the 400+ houses on the colliery site must mean big queues in the Top Shop.
There are some really nice areas of Northumberland and once out of the commuting zones, in areas where there is little nearby work then prices are lower, think towards the Scottish Borders etc But for 100K not sure.
The idea of moving abroad seems a good option the the somewhat illness hampered OP may benefit from better weather BUT if he needs regular healthcare then maybe not. Maybe somewhere in Cramlington/Annitsford/Dudley next to the new hospital would be a more obvious choice.
Yipper said:
Move to somewhere with year-round sun, like Portugal or Tenerife or Cyprus. Plenty of Brits to socialise with, plenty of vitamin D sunshine for the health, and plenty of cheap apartments to leave spare cash.
I'm not sure moving to another EU country now would be a path of low stress given that there's a decent (some would say odds-on) chance he'd lose the right to live there in a year or so's time and be forced to come back to the UK anyway. Skyedriver said:
WADR, Newbiggin must be on the up, It was rather John Wayne when I lived up there...
Have friends in Ellington and that still seems nice enough although the 400+ houses on the colliery site must mean big queues in the Top Shop.
There are some really nice areas of Northumberland and once out of the commuting zones, in areas where there is little nearby work then prices are lower, think towards the Scottish Borders etc But for 100K not sure.
The idea of moving abroad seems a good option the the somewhat illness hampered OP may benefit from better weather BUT if he needs regular healthcare then maybe not. Maybe somewhere in Cramlington/Annitsford/Dudley next to the new hospital would be a more obvious choice.
John Wayne? Have friends in Ellington and that still seems nice enough although the 400+ houses on the colliery site must mean big queues in the Top Shop.
There are some really nice areas of Northumberland and once out of the commuting zones, in areas where there is little nearby work then prices are lower, think towards the Scottish Borders etc But for 100K not sure.
The idea of moving abroad seems a good option the the somewhat illness hampered OP may benefit from better weather BUT if he needs regular healthcare then maybe not. Maybe somewhere in Cramlington/Annitsford/Dudley next to the new hospital would be a more obvious choice.
Yes, Newbiggin was very iffy some years ago. It went from one of the main northern tourist destination when it had the mines and railway to a very depressed town with high levels of petty crime.
Move forward 20 years and it is now a very pleasant village/town with good road links and decent housing and a good beach. Ellington is only a few miles away and a good possibility.
Cramlington and area is pricey.
Good hospitals in the area including the new Northumberland one. Waiting times are almost zero whenever I have been with staff fighting to get at you!
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