Leaving London: ‘We bought a five-bedroom Victorian home for the price of a London flat’

Having a child can change your life. Mia Nisbett and Ed Nisbett, both 39, were living in Tooting Bec while Mia was on maternity leave. However, Mia began to worry about her work-life balance. Mia says that although we had considered buying a flat in the neighborhood, we couldn’t afford one. “I also calculated that my commute was approximately an hour each direction, so I would have to drop Gus off at nursery at 7am, and pick him up at 6:30pm. That didn’t seem fair. I couldn’t afford not to work, but I felt there had to be a better way. “Fate intervened in 2019 when Nisbett received a fantastic job offer at an Oxfordshire school. They decided to leave London to cut down on commute time and buy a home. Mia says, “We didn’t know how expensive Oxfordshire was.” They settled on Banbury as a convenient commuter location that was less glamorous and more affordable than Kingham and Chadlington. Their five-bedroom Victorian home cost GBP480,000. Mia says that the house is roughly the same price as a London flat and is only five minutes from her work. “It allows me to get home in time for supper and bath time. “READ MORELeaving London: “We traded a rented two bed in Bounds green for a house near the sea in Devon. We made GBP200k. The family now has a dog named Stoffee, a cross between a boxer mastiff and a cat as their pet. They are very happy in their new home. Mia says that Ed and I were raised in very remote areas and both remember being bored as kids. Banbury was charming and we wanted to be near a town. Its architecture is beautiful and it is easy to live here. There are many cafes, restaurants, and a cinema. We are also close to a park. The people are friendly and the social life is fantastic. We didn’t leave London to escape the city we loved. We couldn’t afford the lifestyle that we now enjoy.