Wanted: The Impossible (Equestrian Property)

[mattdaniels]

Have been searching for a while for the next house and everything I can find doesn't quite meet the criteria so was wondering if the PH massive can do any better than my efforts with Google / Right Move / Rural Scene etc.

Looking for a 3+ bed property with garage (pref double) and decent length garden (50'+) with a couple of stables and a couple of acres. Must be an hour to London by train (ie. include the commute to the station) and under 400k.

They seem to be shifting like hot cakes as the ones I find to look at are already sold when I phone up for a viewing. Plus there are not very many of them anyway, esp. not with that size of budget.

Just wondering if anyone here knows of anything available (or coming available which might not even be on the market yet) ?

[mattdaniels]

Use Psychology said:

but really its horrible, not a good place to commute to london from... etc.

I'm Sussex born and bread - it's a pop to commute to London from. What house have you found (or are you just randomly naming a county?)

Grantham, Ipswich etc. are most definitely not 1 hour commutes to London I can assure you. Even Cambridge is pushing it if you are talking over that neck of the woods.

[mattdaniels]

E36GUY said:

Grantham/Ipswich might well be an hour but that is an hour on the train so factor getting to the station at the home end then getting to the destination in London and you'll be looking at 2 hours each way most likely.

Exactly. Grantham / Ely are more than an hour on the train to London. I commute from Northampton so already have a two hour commute to Canary Wharf so need the train bit to be an hour to London because then its another 30-40 minutes to get across London, and you have the home to station journey to figure in.

[mattdaniels]

Zippee said:

Does the property have to have stables and a couple of acres? Plenty of very good sized properties round my way (St Neots, 40 mins to London Kings Cross) and also often theres paddock fields that come up for sale separately, can you not try and find a house and then a paddock nearby? Else I think 400k, an hour from London and 2 acres is really pushing it.

Agreed hence the thread title. Property has come up over the last couple of months but very rare and whenever I've phoned up for a viewing it's already sold. The land and stables critieria is the most obvious candidate for compromise if there is a livery yard nearby or scope to purchase some adjoining land and build.