A need for more space is one of the key drivers pushing people out of London, and Erin Thomas Wong and Dominic Wong have achieved that ambition for more room in style.
Their entire two up two down in west London would fit into the kitchen of the seaside house they traded it in for.
Moving from Ealing to Bournemouth, Dorset, has also brought the couple a new group of friends, new career opportunities, and the chance to trade long tube commutes for daily dog walks on the beach.
In London, Dominic worked as marketing director at the Harry Potter studio tour.
Erin had given up her career as a TV production manager after having children, set up a series of small businesses, and then set up as a small business mentor.
The couple, both 44, have two boys, Ollie, now 15, and Milo, 11.
They had begun to think about moving house – in London – when the boys were younger because of schools.
“We needed to be in a different catchment area, but we were in a situation where we were going to have to pay an extra £100,000 for a house about two foot larger,” said Dominic.
Erin was fed up with raising a family in a two bedroom house, and also increasingly tired of the reality of parenting in London.
“When we went to the park in London we would have to queue for the swing or slide.”
“When we went to the park we would have to queue for the swing or slide,” she said.
Their eureka moment came as they were making their way down to Boscombe, which is just up the coast from Bournemouth and where Erin’s mother lives, and began wondering what a house down on the south coast would cost.
“I started scrolling Rightmove and it was a pivotal moment,” said Erin.
To their astonishment the couple realised that they could trade in their tiny London house for a large, detached family home in Bournemouth.
“Here we could get the most expensive house at the estate agents.”
“Our jaws hit the ground,” said Dominic.
“In Ealing we were looking at stretching our budget massively to get not much more. Here we could get the most expensive house at the estate agents’.”
They sold their London house in 2016 for £650,000 and in 2017 moved into their £650,000 four bedroom detached house near Boscombe Pier, a seven minute walk from the beach where they take their cocker spaniel Cookie for daily walks.
“The footprint of our house in Ealing could fit into our kitchen,” said Dominic.
“The footprint of our house in Ealing could fit into our kitchen.”
He quit his job, set up his own marketing company, and had the time to rediscover his love of writing.
Last year he set up the Bournemouth Writing festival, which takes place in April.
When they moved to the coast the only person the couple knew was Erin’s mother.
Since then they have worked hard to build up a new network of friends, many of them entrepreneurs they have met through networking groups and events.
To Erin’s amusement many of her friends now are fellow Ealing refugees she had to move out of London to meet.
“They call Bournemouth ‘Silicon Beach’ because there are so many businesses here,” she said.
“It feels just as vibrant and buzzy as London, if not more.”
