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Post by Big Blue on Apr 2, 2023 9:17:18 GMT
The house next door exchanged last September and since then the entire interior of the house has been stripped out, maybe even the floorboards, and rebuilt, including a single storey extension. I mentioned elsewhere that the new owner has a full-fat Range Rover and was surprised to see on one of his very few visits last week that he was in a Volvo XC60. I assume the RR was either stolen or broken.
That’s not the issue though. The Volvo was fully sign written including a mention of being proud sponsors of Reading Football Club. So I looked my neighbour up on the internet and it transpires he’s the CEO of said club. I noted this to the neighbour the other side and we could neither of us work out why he’d bought a house with such a horrible commute to Reading’s ground and training ground.
When my parents moved overseas for work the one thing they always did was make sure they didn’t have a stupid commute - I mean, why would you? Four big moves: no longer than 30 minutes to the office. This guy might make it to the M25 in 30 minutes, if lucky, on a work day!
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Post by Roadrunner on Apr 2, 2023 10:25:47 GMT
In reality, how often is he going to need to to reading? Presumably the daily team stuff is left to the manager and coach?
What are the train options to Reading from your manor?
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Post by Big Blue on Apr 2, 2023 11:09:20 GMT
In reality, how often is he going to need to to reading? Presumably the daily team stuff is left to the manager and coach? What are the train options to Reading from your manor? Yeah there is the option that he needn’t go but the offices are there and I can see he attends matches. Reading from ours - nightmare. Up to Clapham then back out or down to Guildford then across. Cycling would be better. |
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Post by woofwoof on Apr 2, 2023 12:17:48 GMT
Maybe he wanted to be there for other reasons? Family or friends in the area maybe? School nearby or some other attraction?
One thing I used to like was my relatively long commute to Newcastle (it took anything from 45mins to an hour and a half depending on things) as I found it gave me time to either get into work mode on the way there or home mode on the way back. Maybe that's just me.
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Post by Big Blue on Apr 2, 2023 12:54:34 GMT
W2.0 ventured the “local interest or family” stuff. They’re Chinese, and whilst there is a large community here it’s dwarfed by the Korean contingent of Little Seoul (New Malden to you…). The children are the same age as our girls so one will start Secondary in September and we’re in a location where primary stages are epically good but secondary stages require some selection tests. The Chinese and Sub-Continent kids are all good in selection to be fair (T4 got in to a school based on her drama assessment - 10 & 11 year olds having day long assessments!) so I can’t see that as an issue.
Maybe his wife works in Sutton or Kingston 🤷♂️
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Post by ChrisM on Apr 2, 2023 12:57:19 GMT
Maybe he's not planning on living there but renting it out, possibly to a family member?
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Post by Big Blue on Apr 2, 2023 15:49:16 GMT
Maybe he's not planning on living there but renting it out, possibly to a family member? Nope. I’ve spoken with his wife - they’ll be moving in. Probably will be doing as you suggest with their other house that they’re still living in on the other side of the borough. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Apr 2, 2023 17:59:37 GMT
I remember my dad trying to convince my mum they should buy a house in Kensington as he figured he’d always be going against the flow of traffic to and from the office in Thornton Heath. And she’d like the art galleries..
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Post by ChrisM on Apr 2, 2023 20:46:33 GMT
A quick google shows Reading play at the "Select Car Leasing Stadium".. I thought it was the Madejski Stadium (not sure of the spelling) but I know that if I'm going to B&Q at Reading I check to see if there is a football match being played the same day so that I don't get caught in bad traffic.
As you say, knowing roughly where you are (near Worcester Park) that does seem an odd location for a commute to M4 junction 11, and googling their training ground, that's even worse to get to than the stadium
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Post by Tim on Apr 3, 2023 7:55:50 GMT
He'll be the same as everyone else* - location chosen by wife, husband tags along dutifully.... Well, most of the time  |
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Post by Ben on Apr 3, 2023 17:51:31 GMT
Maybe they just like the location? Sometimes people prioritise that over the commute, especially at that level when they need not necessarily go into work every day.
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Post by PG on Apr 4, 2023 16:02:07 GMT
A quick google on the Chinese owner of Reading FC shows he has fingers in a lot of other pies. So maybe the CEO is also CEO of some of his other companies too - based on London probably? I doubt he's going to flog to Reading every day in his liveried Volvo. More likely the train (or drive his full fat RR) to Mayfair.
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Post by Big Blue on Apr 5, 2023 10:32:03 GMT
Looking through his profile on Companies House, nothing other than some small ltd company property businesses in New Southgate and a consultancy at his (current) home address.
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