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K9F



Member Since: 12 Nov 2009
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 9610

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Stornoway Grey
JJ wrote:
but it falls down on value for money.


Interesting comment.

Value for money can be difficult to quantify. If you live in an 'attractive' area this will naturally come at a premium, usually in the shape of the size of the house and/or amount of land you wish to buy.
It depends if you can reach a compromise in the overall scheme of things and what exactly your priorities are. If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!

Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!!
Post #340713 25th Jun 2014 1:38pm
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JJ



Member Since: 18 May 2009
Location: Winchester
Posts: 932

United Kingdom 1987 Defender 110 V8 Petrol CSW Corris Grey
True K9F .

3 bed terrace ( or link detached if you prefer ) on a bog standard estate £325k to £395k but you get a cathedral city with walking access to the country side from any point in the City , Southampton airport, the coast , London 1 hour. ect.

It is great for dog walks and the bus in to town every 10 mins but a small space for your money and if you want a bit of land with your house win the lottery.

Saying that the neighbours are great , crime is low and I don't know anyone without a job.
Post #340718 25th Jun 2014 1:52pm
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Muddybigdog



Member Since: 11 Apr 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 995

United Kingdom 2007 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Zambezi Silver
We until recently lived in mid Devon for 3 & a half years, couple of miles from Chulmleigh, was quite a spectacular place, very much like jam & Jerusalem TV sitcom. Very nice friendly people, much slower way of life, everyone puts there hand up if they/you stop to let them by in country lanes, lanes are narrow so reverse gear gets a hammering.

We lived about 17 miles from the nearest supermarket, you have to make sure you dont forget the milk, but there are a few small village shops/garages that can be used for essentials if you forget something. If you have kids it can be a nightmare, as only 1 or 2 buses a day went through the villages, many villages dont have public transport. so you could end up carting them around. It does rain a heck of a lot in the west country, much more than where we are now in Suffolk, however most weekend we would be on either Exmoor 30 min drive north or Dartmoor 30 mins drive south, no bad weather just ill prepared clothes.

Exeter is a safe city, I believe the safest in the UK, everything you need there, fast trains into Paddington from Exeter St Davids, 2:10mins, plenty of restaurants, cafes, DIY shops etc etc. I would recommend staying away from coastal areas, busier, more expensive and full of tourists, who dont understand the Devon way of life. Internet can be hard sometimes to acquire, dial-up in some villages still, so dont expect fibre optics speeds.

Would we go back, YES in a flash, but as long as the rest of the family moved too.

All said, we tend to holiday in Scotland, the scenery is on another level, everyone we encountered is as nice as the folk in Devon, property is probably cheaper in more rural parts of Scotland than compared with Devon. Rain and midges does make parts of Scotland challenging, but with the jet stream moving around like this past winter down south, Scotland could be the place to live.

Happy to help if you need more.


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Post #340740 25th Jun 2014 4:17pm
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Lambley



Member Since: 20 Apr 2013
Location: Mid Devon
Posts: 1435

United Kingdom 2006 Defender 90 Td5 HT Java Black
Thanks for the replies, Muddybigdog - Chulmleigh is one of the places we've been looking at, the slow pace of life appeals to me, don't get me wrong - I'm not ready to hang up my boots yet, but peace and tranquility with nice people, a local pub and plenty of space is a must, the older I get the more I hate noise and being around lots of people, where I live is lovely but it's time to move. We've had an agent around today and the board will be up after the weekend. We might end up renting somewhere until we find 'that perfect place', if 'her indoors' has anything to do with it - we'll end up in Devon, I don't think I'll convince her of anywhere else unless there's a compelling place that I can take her to convince her otherwise.
Post #340831 25th Jun 2014 9:32pm
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What puddle?



Member Since: 25 Oct 2013
Location: Reading
Posts: 952

United Kingdom 
Lambley, Devon is lovely, but for character, then Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, AND the Cotswolds are very much the same. Indeed, if I dropped a Devonian somewhere in the Cotswolds, they wouldn't be able to tell if they were outside of their county. Ask your wife to consider those places as, to me anyway, they are very similar. Stow (on the Wold) is lovely. But if she is set on Devon then look at the area south of Dartmouth - Slapton. It feels a little cut off because the villages are a distance apart. Look at the village of Strete. The older you get, the closer you'll want to be to a doctor's, to a dentist, and to a hospital. Should you ever need ongoing treatment for anything, you don't want to travel miles every time to get to the nearest proper hospital. Plymouth is reasonably close by, as is Torquay. Now left.
Post #340888 26th Jun 2014 8:22am
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Projectblue



Member Since: 22 Nov 2011
Location: Devon
Posts: 1096

England 
Devon is full. Move along. Nothing to see here. Plus it's a nightmare.
Example:- You can go green laning without issues from walkers, they just think you are a farmer and are going to run them over unless they move so get out of the way all polite so no arguments.
I can commute 20 miles in under 30 mins (rather than 50min for 7 miles) I mean where's the fun in that?
Exeter is rubbish. You can move about in town cos it's not packed. The car parks are free after 6, so you can go for a meal, see a film and not pay a fortune in parking. Hopeless.
I've been here 7 years now and it's rubbish Very Happy

Cotswolds & Somerset are nice. But no sea (Bristol Channel doesn't count Laughing )
Cornwall is too far (it's 3 hours to St.Ives from me!)
Dorset is really nice, has the sea, but can be hard to reach certain parts (e.g. North of the county) because there are no major routes to/from.
Weather is generally 3-5c warmer here but heavier rain. When it rains here, it REALLY rains. Out in the villages the roads are the drains, so usually you will end up with 4" of water cascading down the road between the banks. Pick your property carefully.

The idea of renting prior to buying is sensible. Be aware there are a lot of people doing the same. Estate Agents are crap. By the time you see something on the net, they will have had a couple of people they think are ideal in for viewings. And when I say ideal, I mean people who can't negotiate & just pay asking.

If you need further info just ask Thumbs Up
Post #341639 29th Jun 2014 6:31pm
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Lambley



Member Since: 20 Apr 2013
Location: Mid Devon
Posts: 1435

United Kingdom 2006 Defender 90 Td5 HT Java Black
Thanks Projectblue, we have our first viewing on sat afternoon so we'll see how it goes, fingers crossed.
We've narrowed it down to the area around Holsworthy, it's a nice market town and is just about big enough for shops, fuel, provisions, health centre etc, plus there's a couple of L/R places near and Devon 4x4 isn't far away either! Everyone seems very friendly when I've been to visit, I'll probably stay in Stibb cross over the next few weeks and book some viewings.
Person for person there are 18 times less people in mid/North Devon than the borough we live in now!
Post #342155 1st Jul 2014 10:47pm
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Pickles



Member Since: 26 May 2013
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 3755

Australia 2013 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 CSW Keswick Green
I've lived in Aus for most of my life, but I was born in the UK, still consider myself ENGLISH, still have visions of living in an English Country village, like Vowchurch (near Hereford), where we lived for about 5yrs. Still barrack for M.U. & still barrack for the English cricket team when they come to Aus.
So what does one pay for a reasonable house in the UK these days?
We live in Melbourne, where we have a small 3 bedroom brick veneer home, with a lounge, dining room, family room, ensuite bathroom, & most importantly, a double garage for Gracie. Land is about 60' frontage X 120' deep. Our home would be worth about $650K (Aus $) We are about 30ks from the centre of Melbourne, about 50 mins in the train, and we are about 8 mins walk from the beach!
Pickles.
Post #342164 1st Jul 2014 11:09pm
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Projectblue



Member Since: 22 Nov 2011
Location: Devon
Posts: 1096

England 
Good luck Lambley Thumbs Up
Holsworthy is nice but you are feckin miles from Devon 4x4 bud Laughing

I know this sounds a bit teaching granny to suck eggs but stuff takes ages to get to here. Holsworthy to South Molton near Dev 4x4 is 30 miles BUT it will take you an hour. Out of season.

Add 20-25% during Grockle season apart from A30, A38 & A361 then add 30-35% weekday and 50% Saturday. Most locals will avoid the A30 & M5 completely on Saturdays in summer.

Plus side is low car insurance Whistle
Post #342175 2nd Jul 2014 12:36am
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Projectblue



Member Since: 22 Nov 2011
Location: Devon
Posts: 1096

England 
Pickles, it's impossible to give you a price as nothing compares. Stuff is measured differently (you mention frontage, similar to Canada but they don't use that here) plus it's all about location and demand.
Post #342177 2nd Jul 2014 12:42am
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What puddle?



Member Since: 25 Oct 2013
Location: Reading
Posts: 952

United Kingdom 
Yes, it REALLY is location, location, location. It actually is. I live in a nice road in Reading - when house prices were going down or stable during the slump, ours went up a little (according to the surveyor we had), and now they're rocketing. It's one of just four roads that we wanted to live in Reading, and we made a wise choice. Melbourne looks great, but I personally couldn't handle the spiders. I have enough of them in my Defender, but I can cope fine with those. A huntsman (that I saw on TV's Crazy Fools the other day) I could not! House prices generally in Britain are crazy - I know foreigners get a shock. Current price rise is caused primarily by low interest rates and lack of space to build more! Now left.
Post #342246 2nd Jul 2014 3:05pm
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K9F



Member Since: 12 Nov 2009
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 9610

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Stornoway Grey
Projectblue wrote:
I've been here 7 years now and it's rubbish Very Happy

If you need further info just ask Thumbs Up


Why do you continue to reside where it's rubbish jumps unwittingly to the forefront of my mind? If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!

Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!!
Post #342248 2nd Jul 2014 3:10pm
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LandRoverAnorak



Member Since: 17 Jul 2011
Location: Surrey
Posts: 11240

United Kingdom 2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Orkney Grey
I think you need to re-read the paragraph that leads up to your quoted bit Mal Wink Darren

110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak

"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia
Post #342254 2nd Jul 2014 3:28pm
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K9F



Member Since: 12 Nov 2009
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 9610

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Stornoway Grey
Bow down Apologies I have totally misread it, no offence meant. Night seven of an 8 shift stint tonight! Embarassed

Thanks Darren off to surf Rightmove - Devon..... Laughing If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!

Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!!
Post #342259 2nd Jul 2014 3:39pm
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wizz80



Member Since: 06 Dec 2012
Location: north devon
Posts: 38

Nothing wrong with the holsworthy area lived in petrockstow for the whole of my 34 years till few months ago and only moved three miles. Know the area like back of my hand if you need advise and do also work on landrovers every day. There a few of us fellow owners around the area and also several good pubs if that your thing. I'm actually Sat in one now enjoying a cider after a hot day at work . If I can help out just shout cheers wizz .
Post #342339 2nd Jul 2014 9:11pm
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