I love living here in Reading. I was born at the highly commended Royal Berkshire Hospital in the same maternity wing that Prince George would have opened his eyes in for the very first time, if Kate had laboured just a few weeks earlier (in fact, we had a press encampment outside the maternity block!). My own son Dexter was born there too, and has spent a few anxious days in children’s A&E (with Strep B) being fussed over by all the lovely nurses.
Being so close to London (just 25 minutes on the fast train to Paddington) and with a huge station redevelopment underway (to be completed by Summer 2015) it’s very popular with London commuters and trendy urbanites. As the 3rd busiest station outside of London, you are incredibly well connected and can explore the rest of the South East easily.
The Oracle Shopping Centre, Reading
Although there’s plenty of historical buildings and unspoilt walks here in Reading, there’s also a thriving shopping scene and great night-life to be had too. With literally hundreds of bars and pubs fighting for your hard-earned pennies, I’ve had many a messy night on Reading’s streets. Add to this the fact that many major brands have chosen to pop flagship stores in Reading’s Oracle Shopping Centre, and you won’t have to nip up to London’s Oxford Street for some retail therapy either.
There are plenty of pretty and quintessentially British villages a short car ride away too. This makes it the perfect solution for those who work in London but want a country base for their families. Given we have Bucklebury just down the road too, you could even bump into Kate and Wills in Mamas & Papas.
Caversham Bridge, Reading
Finally, we have some outstanding schools to choose from. There are private schools, same sex schools, and some highly recommended mixed comprehensives. With two of the best performing secondary schools here in Tilehurst (my neck of the woods), finding a home in this catchment area can be tricky.
My biggest tip for buying here in Reading is to hound the agents. Waiting for properties to pop up on Rightmove is a risky strategy as so many are snapped up before they’re loaded onto the website. Use Rightmove to build a list of local agents and get on the phone!
Despite us hoping to move to Australia in the next few years, if it all fell apart tomorrow I can’t see us moving elsewhere in the UK. I’ve moved around of course. I went to university in Chichester, then made a shocking mistake and moved up to Derby with an ex partner, and most recently spent 3 years in West London (Ealing). But when everything went wrong with (yet another) ex-boyfriend, I came home to Reading with my tail between my legs to build a new life in familiar surroundings. It was here I met my Craig once again and the rest is history. I definitely owe a lot to my burgeoning hometown.
The best thing about Reading - my Craigy x
There’s no denying that living here is expensive. Being so commuter-friendly, house prices are only just below the national average (£238,976). With the average house price here in Reading currently at £230,501 (a whopping £411,562 for a detached property) the rental market is particularly strong as first time buyers have found themselves priced out of the market. You can expect to pay anything between £800 and £1400 pcm for a family home in the town centre and the surrounding areas (Woodley, Earley, Calcot, and Tilehurst to name but a few). Our own three bed terraced sets us back £895 a month but we’ll be busting at the seams by the time another Mini Mill’s makes an appearance.
It’s true, there’s no greater sense of achievement or security than owning your own home. So it’s well worth a look at the Halifax Mortgage Calculator to understand how much you could borrow. With house prices across the UK only just beginning to pick up after the recession, houses have never been more affordable for the first time buyer - and there’s every chance you will make a considerable return on your investment when the market recovers.
