There are quite a few places where you could ask:

Homes On Sale - Property Forum - Powered by vBulletin
Property Watch forums - Powered by vBulletin
House Price Crash forum

and maybe even:

LandlordZONE Property Forums

As for your personal circumstances, David, it really depends on what your aims are. I recently bought my first home, and although I put all options on the table, at the end of the day what was most important was a stable home for a young family.

It's worth remembering that whatever property you buy is inevitably going to be an investment in the long-term.

From what you've mentioned, especially moving out from the old marital home, it seems like settling the family is going to be a first priority rather than overseas investment.

In which case, target the areas you'd like to consider living in.

The fact that you've got a pretty decent disposal income and a property under your belt already means you're well up on the property ladder already, and while you may dread that 25 year repayment mortgage, your circumstances at present suggest that if stable, you should have no problems coping with it.

Something else you may want to consider is looking more closely at your interest-only repayment - an endowment, I presume? This is because there has been so much mis-selling in this area it's worth ensuring that you are genuinely covered, and also that you were sold a plan that genuinely suited your needs. Last thing you want to do is rely too much on an interest repayment plan if it's not going to do what it says on the tin.

2c.