Eversfield Place

[Jenniffer]

Hello,

I've been looking to relocate from Brighton to Hastings for a while - I'm going to sell my flat here soon but will only have about £140K to spend. I've been looking on Rightmove - and quite a few reasonably priced flats keep turning up in Eversfield Place. Surely by looking at a map it seems a nice location - not too far from St Leonards, which I like, and opposite the seafront. But I'm wondering why it seems so reasonably priced and why there are always so many properties for sale there? Is there a downside that I'm maybe not aware of, not being a local? I'd be grateful for any views, thanks very much.

[Lizzie]

Hi Jennifer, Eversfield Place is the A259, the main road going through Hastings to Bexhill, Eastbourne, etc.. So it is very busy but if you don't mind traffic noise then it is a nice road.

[Jenniffer]

Oh I see, I never thought about that. It's the same in Brighton with the A259 going along the seafront, but for whatever reason the seafront properties are so very much more expensive. I couldn't understand what seemed such a different pricing structure. I thought it might also be cause many of the seafront flats are rented as opposed to owner occupied? I know that worries some people because you can potentially end up with a difficult neighbour from time to time, wheras if it's all owner-occupied then you know from day one (more or less) what you're buying into. I suspect seafront flats are purchased by a lot of buy-to-let investors? This is all assumption of course!

[Lizzie]

Brighton is a lot more expensive than here. Some big houses in St Leonards/Hastings are buy to let but some have been split into flats to sell. I'm not sure about Eversfield Place. You might get an idea if you search on one of the online property sites.

The houses are very solid so side neighbours shouldn't be a problem, noise-wise. If it is noise that worries you try to get a top floor flat, you're less likely to hear the people below you.

[Geoff]

I think like Lizzie mentioned, many locals don't find the A259's continuous stream of traffic to be very appealing. Also bear in mind you're going to get the brunt of the weather being right on the seafront, great in summer but not so good come winter.
A word of advice if you buy along the seafront, make sure the windows are good, you're going to freeze if they don't seal properly. Also, building maintenance on a seafront property is going to be much more than something in-land a bit.

[Jenniffer]

Thanks for the advice. I'm now thinking that the noise and costly maintenance might not be ideal. I can't be in a flat above the ground floor, as I need a garden or patio of some kind. I've got a cat and a dog, and they need to have some sort of outside space! No garden wouldn't work with them. Ground floor flats seem a bit pricey, so I was looking at some basement/lower ground floor flats. But then, if you're going to be opposite the seafront perhaps the main advantage is a view, which you're not going to get in the basement! I'm in a basement flat now in Brighton, mainly because of the animals. Ground or even 1st would much nicer, but more expensive by comparison. Maybe I could find something in that budget for around £140K in Hastings/St Leonards. Even if it's just a one-bed! Don't mind that, as long as it's not too tiny. I guess I'll just keep looking, I can't move for another six months. Hopefully prices won't go up too much in that time. As I said I just couldn't understand why seafront flats seemed so reasonably priced there as opposed to more inland, as I said in Brighton seafront flats always have a premium price! A 2-bed flat on the seafront in Brighton could set you back close to half a million, ridiculous! It's just become way too expensive to have any sort of life here anymore.

[Technique]

For the money you have or slightly more, you can get a small house if you shop wisely. Get a feel for areas, people on here are very knowledgeable and will give opinions for sure.

The problem with most of the seafront is that they have very little outside space. If you can compromise a little with the proximity to the front, you will definitely find something that suits you and your furries.

[Gerry Glyde]

Visit for a weekend to get a real idea of the areas morning noon and evening.

[Jenniffer]

Thanks again for the advice. The reason I was actually drawn to Eversfield Place is I was seeing plenty of flats that actually had outside space, basement flats mostly. I don't need to be on the seafront, I just don't want to go too far North as it almost defeats the purpose of living in a seaside town - plus I don't drive and want to be within walking distance of shops and stuff. I've been there a couple of times and had a wander around - I'll have to have more visits I think.

[Richard]

In Hastings, generally, the sea-front is typically very windy and channels up streets nearby.
The wind is salt-laden and quite corrosive, probably quite healthy for the lungs but buildings require special paint and more frequent external decoration.
As far as I can make out the sea-front in Brighton is much grander with the road being wider and the extra width of the promenade creates a more 'Continental' look and feel.
Perhaps the properties are better cared for and on a much bigger scale in Brighton's sea-front.
Certainly don't rule out properties away from the immediate coastline in Hastings as the climate will be more sheltering and has a micro-climate of its own.
You can walk down to the front (or shops) in no time and may not always want to be buffetted by wind and traffic.