At Avon Beach in Mudeford for sunset
(Picture: Handout)For years Lydia and Mark Cranton had thought about moving out of London, spending endless weekends and holidays scouring the south coast and the west country in a never-ending search for the perfect spot to bring up their daughters Poppy, eight, and Clara, six.
Their problem was that although there were factors driving them out of London they also loved their home and community in Lee Green.
Mark, 41, is a freelance graphic designer which means he can work anywhere, as can Lydia who set up an Etsy shop selling pet portraits and personalised gifts (www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BarkAndBirch).
"I took a long time coming round to the idea of moving, but eventually we realised we were not using London and it was pointless staying,” said Lydia.
The couple were keen to live close to the sea, with nature on the doorstep, in a quieter and less polluted atmosphere than London, with good secondary schools, and where they could afford a larger property to give them more space to work from home.
Eventually, after three years of soul searching they settled on Christchurch, Dorset, which ticked all the boxes, is close enough for easy visits back to London, and also reasonably near to Lydia and Mark’s respective families.
They sold their four bedroom terrace in December 2020 with the plan of renting a property in Christchurch so they could house hunt as cash buyers. Unfortunately, many others had the same idea at the same time, and after trying and failing to find a rental they decided to stay in Lee Green, renting a house from a friend.
House buying from a distance, in a very hot market, was a challenge. “Houses were being sold before we could even look at them,” said Lydia. “Prices kept on going up and up.”
The couple made above asking price offers on a couple of houses, but were outbid, and were giving up hope when they finally found what Lydia describes as an “ugly bungalow”.
What the three bedroom house lacked in aesthetics it made up for with its large garden and the potential to remodel. In October the Cranton family were finally able to leave London for good.
They had sold their London house for £735,000 and paid £540,000 for their new home (against an asking price of £500,000).
“We are planning to do a fairly big renovation on it and add some extra bedrooms,” said Lydia. “Because we paid less for it than our top budget it means we will be able to do that.”
The girls are now settled into new schools, and the family is looking forward to getting to know the neighbourhood better as spring approaches.
“We have the beach ten minutes in one direction, and the New Forest ten minutes in the other,” said Lydia. “But we chose Christchurch because it is a nice town, and Bournemouth is nearby, so the girls will have something to do when they become teenagers.
Her advice to others is not to worry too much about identifying the perfect location, or the dream house.
“A friend said to me: “You are a happy family, you will be happy wherever you go”, which calmed us down a lot when we were looking,” said Lydia. “And don’t worry about finding the perfect house, because good enough is still wonderful.”
