Tired of life in the Big Smoke, Vicki and Kit Lett want to move to Brighton. Vicki, 36, is a photographer and Kit, 41, works in the restaurant business; but now their daughter, Kiki, is 18 months old, they no longer feel that Seven Sisters, in north London, has enough to offer.

They hope to sell their three-bed Victorian terraced house for £295,000 with Winkworth (020 8800 5151, www.winkworth.co.uk).

The brief

The Letts want fresh air and a garden. Vicki needs space to work at home, so they would like four bedrooms. Good transport links are vital and period properties are preferred. They are happy to carry out improvements within their budget of £320,000 and are very focused on living within the catchment area of a good school for when Kiki is older.

The issues

Buying a house is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a case of fitting the pieces together as neatly as possible. The three main pieces are budget, space and location. Price is generally fixed and space cannot be compromised as Vicki needs to work from home, so location is the only moveable jigsaw piece. Areas of Brighton offering good-quality four-bed houses near the train station do not easily fall within their budget, while competition is fierce for family houses under £350,000.

This move is all about a change of lifestyle: a sidestep across the property ladder rather than a move up. Also, a word of warning: school catchment areas are not cast in stone and, like the property market itself, a school’s performance can fluctuate. I would also encourage the Letts to consider buying somewhere smaller but closer to transport links that they could extend and add value to in the future when their budget allowed.

Phil Spencer runs Garrington Home Finders (020 7349 7030, www.garrington.co.uk) and presents Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location, and Relocation, Relocation

Spencer’s selection: the likely candidates

Chesham Place, Kemp Town, £294,950

Okay, this is not the perfect family house that the Letts were looking for, but this period flat is in a prime location 50 yards from the sea and just a 10-minute bus or cycle ride from the city centre and the train station. The property takes up the bottom two floors of a Grade II-listed Regency terrace and comes with a share of the freehold. It has three decent-sized bedrooms, room for an office, a utility room and, importantly for Kiki, a 20ft lawned west-facing garden, a rare find in Kemp Town. Buying this would give them a good foothold in the Brighton market, comfortably within budget.

Bonett’s, 01273 677 365, www.bonetts.co.uk

Ashdown Road, Roundhill, £275,000

In a nice, quiet residential area, this restored two-bedroom terraced house near Fiveways has wooden floors in the open-plan living room and a period fireplace. Although the two (double) bedroom house is in a conservation area, it may be possible — subject to the necessary consents — to convert the loft to provide another bedroom and a small office. This would definitely be within the Letts’ budget, and worth exploring. The garden is 20ft long but overgrown, so the Letts will need to get out there with a strimmer and get landscaping.

David Maslen, 01273 677 001, www.maslen.co.uk

Queen’s Park Road, £314,950

Queen’s Park is an ideal location for the Letts: it has good primary schools and is a 10-minute drive from the centre of Brighton. This terraced house is undergoing refurbishment, retaining period features such as open fireplaces and stripped wooden floors. It is in good nick, if something of a blank canvas. The kitchen is very skinny (the only downside), but otherwise it is an ideal house for a young family. Originally a three-bedroom house (one large room was later subdivided to gain a fourth bedroom), it also has a loft, which could be converted subject to consent.

Graves Son & Pilcher, 01273 321 123, www.gsp.uk.com

Southdown Mews, Kemp Town, £325,000

I was very pleased to find this modern townhouse right in the heart of things. Set over three floors, including an integral garage, this newly built three-bedroom house is in Kemp Town, close to all of Brighton’s action. The trade-off is that there is no garden. The property would suit the family now, with one small baby and with Vicki working from home, as the third bedroom is downstairs and could easily be converted into an office. Ultimately, though, the suitability of this house depends on their family planning. If they want a larger family, it isn’t a long term option.

Wyatt & Son, 01273 681 811, www.wyattandson.co.uk

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