Anyone live in/around Reading?
I'm weighing up a job opportunity that would require relocating close to Reading (from Suffolk).
Strikes me that Reading seems to be relatively expensive (compared to the area I am in now) - are there places around the area that are cheaper? Work would be RG5, equidistant between central Reading and the M4..
It's just me, so probably looking for 1 or 2 bed - house or flat. If I had to economically, I'd go for a house share (of which there are loads) - but I'd rather have a place to myself..
Grateful for any advice - I know absolutely nothing about the area, so just don't know where to look!
Comments
It's not London cost, but it is no way rural or northern rates either
however there are an astonishing number of flat shares available
RG5 is Woodley which is a small town,where most of the accom is relatively modern housing estates with the odd remnant of a beautiful cottage stuck in between. Lots of young professionals house sharing there though So you are better basing yourself central Reading, which does have a lot going for it.
if you like rural countryside then you can head out of town on all 4 compass points and get 4 different types of countryside and geology.
The cheaper bet may well be to go to Bracknell which is a 15 min drive to Woodley through nice countryside or quicker via motorway where all forms of accom are much cheparer
A cursory look seems to put 1 bed non-studio flats in the £8-900pcm area ±10miles central Reading - i'm currently paying £825 for a 3 bed semi.. (though this is shared with my sister, who wouldn't be coming - so I wouldn't want to pay this much!)
May have to accept a share - I think the nightmare of my student shared houses is putting me off!
As a further question - what's the music scene like around Reading? Jazz is the thing that's drawing my attention at the moment, but I'm not that fussy as long as there's gigs to play!
but there are plenty of places just outside of Reading that are pretty nice..
Re housing, Reading's probably one of the cheaper places to live in the area - most of the small towns outside Reading are considered "Nicer" and therefore more expensive. If you want cheaper, you're realistically looking at Slough or Bracknell which are (with all due respect to those that live there) god-awful. Basically, you're in prime commuter/tech-belt territory, with the prices that come with it - I'd hope a salary would reflect the location change.
If you are buying, then try to get one that will benefit from this.
If renting and not commuting into London then try to find a place that will be cheaper because it isn't on Crossrail.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
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I'd be surprised if the jazz scene had completely disappeared in the meantime though, it used to have a fairly lively one if you knew where to look.
also steer clear of Whitely, Cemetery Junction / Palmer Park
as a rule of thumb, I'd say that most places east of the B3350 are ok to pretty nice
I'd avoid anything west of that road
Caversham is nice, but getting to Woodley from there every morning may not be too much fun [traffic]
RG5 is Woodley..
I live in Earley, which is quite nice and not far from Woodley..
parts of Woodley are quite nice too..
Sonning is nice but very expensive
There is a jazz club in Reading and there's another in Ascot. The music scene is pretty good.
Re Caversham, I lived there for a while (Heron Island, specifically - 3 friends and I got an insanely good deal on a townhouse with a waterfront garden and its own mooring) - it's a nice area, but getting across the river in the morning added 20 mins to any journey and, as others have said, it's not the cheapest part of town.
Yep - I used to work in the office block opposite it. Was hilarious seeing the "new staff" for the club turn up for their "auditions".