You might consider Uppingham, a market town, famed for the well-known private school. The honey-coloured buildings help to give the town the sought after English charm and it is easy to imagine putting down roots here later in life. The average house price in the town is £392,294.
Alternatively, Kettering, about half an hour up the road, has an average house price of £245,442. With good links to London, and a recently regenerated high street, it can compete with the commuter towns of Surrey or Kent, but at a fraction of the cost.
While these are all good options, and there is certainly value in hunting around, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.
A grandfather I once met, Brian, lived a bus journey away from his family and travelled every day to do the gardening and help in the house.
The family realised it made sense to provide him something more permanent as an option to stay over if needed, so they built an annex in the garden that was just for him.
To begin with, he used the annex from time to time, but then eventually moved in when it made sense to do so.
Downsizing and then using the money to extend an existing property can be a very efficient use of your money – I have always said it is cheaper to build than buy.