Welcome to the Forum. Delighted to read your last sentence - you have obviously been learning from other folks' mistakes. That's a really good start if you intend to move to another land!

I'm not really into the housing situation and with the children, you'll also be considering them when you decide of the exact destination, so I can't help much there.
Glad to have someone from the south of England again though. Sometimes I think Yorkshire is gaining the overhand here!