Buying in Bexley borough

mouche

Tassotti wrote: »

Avoid North-Heath, Erith, and most parts of Barnehurst.

Bexleyheath is nice, but if you are interested in commuting, look at Dartford.

Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately, only I commute to London. My husband works crazy hours in Bexleyheath so we need something thats either walking distance or a quick bus ride away. We used to live an 90 minute commute away from his work and he used to get home at 1 in the morning and leave again at 5. It played havoc with his health. I realise Dartford isn't that far from Bexleyheath but commuting in the wee hours isn't that easy or safe.

mouche

There's quite a good bargain going on Pickford Road and I'm wondering why the price has been reduced so much. I wonder if anyone knows?

And I just want to thank everyone who's answering my questions with all my heart. It's so stressful buying a reasonably first house and trying not to end up with a turkey. I really, really appreciate all the information you're giving me. Thanks so much.:T

Wicked_witch

The thing that would bother me about granville rd is being so close to the main road and the park- not great at night, and nor is the bottom end of welling high street which you would also be near. I live up at the hill view end of welling as mentioned by another poster and we like it here a lot, especially having the green, wickham open space (or the fanny as the locals call it, after the pub nearby, lol) the woods and the farm- it can be like living in a village at times!

The downside of welling is that there are now no supermarkets and won't be until next year at the earliest- and then just a morrison's. You will be looking at getting in the car or on a bus every time you want to shop. The downside of bexleyheath, where I lived for many years, is the huge number of pubs and bars (which also spill into welling high st) and the fact that anywhere you might want to take your children- bowling alley, playpark by asda etc- has been entirely taken over by 'youths'.

Both places have bad and good areas really! I wouldn't advise barnehurst myself, because I have friends who are trying to get out because of the problems with racist gangs but who can't get a buyer for their (gorgeous) house.

Wicked_witch

Oh and the reason the property in pickford road is discounted is probably because of the pub on the corner, which has gone through half a dozen incarnations and never been anything but trouble. Avoid like the plague if you want your children to sleep at night!!! Having several other bars within 5 minutes walk doesn't help. If you're wondering how I know this- I lived in ethronvi road for 10 years and my parents are still there.

ivyleaf

BUMP! so that the OP can find it.:D

mouche

Wicked_witch wrote: »

The thing that would bother me about granville rd is being so close to the main road and the park- not great at night, and nor is the bottom end of welling high street which you would also be near. I live up at the hill view end of welling as mentioned by another poster and we like it here a lot, especially having the green, wickham open space (or the fanny as the locals call it, after the pub nearby, lol) the woods and the farm- it can be like living in a village at times!

.... Both places have bad and good areas really! I wouldn't advise barnehurst myself, because I have friends who are trying to get out because of the problems with racist gangs but who can't get a buyer for their (gorgeous) house.

Thanks a lot wicked witch. I think the problems with Granville road are something to think about though possibly not a deal breaker for us - we would like to be within walking distance to a bus stop and not far from shops. Then again OH comes home late at night from work so if it's a safety issue, we have to think about it. But on reflection, OH and I think the house may be a tad small for us. It's a 2 bed (1 bedroom is quite small) and since we will want a sprog in the next 2 years, we've decided to keep looking.

We have 4 viewings tomorrow - on King Harold's Way, Merlin Road, Martens Avenue and Parkside Avenue. If we don't like any of them, we'll take a break for a while. A little rightmove research has revealed that our ideal houses are currently somewhat over our budget (budget £200,000; prices £240,000-£280,000). But their prices are coming down steadily and our deposit is building up. So we might wait for 6 months and see how things go. Do you think tha is advisable?

Oh and thanks for the tip about racism being a problem in Barnehurst; being Asian, we'll avoid it like the plague.

mouche

Wicked_witch wrote: »

Oh and the reason the property in pickford road is discounted is probably because of the pub on the corner, which has gone through half a dozen incarnations and never been anything but trouble. Avoid like the plague if you want your children to sleep at night!!! Having several other bars within 5 minutes walk doesn't help. If you're wondering how I know this- I lived in ethronvi road for 10 years and my parents are still there.

Now that makes a lot of sense. Scratch that one of my list then!

Entertainer

I think you really ought to wait until late next year before you buy at the earliest. Prices are tumbling right now and you are in the ideal position of choosing when you buy.

With all the data around on this board you should get a good heads up on when the market may be turning.