for londoners:where would you buy a house if you were a foreigner?

Morglin

Chislehurst, Bickley, Petts Wood, Farnborough Common etc., are all very nice, very green, and easy commutes to London, but it is very expensive to buy or rent a place round here - I have not seen anything at all for £170k.

Keston, Biggin Hill, West Kingsdown, and Tatsfield are nice, but also tend to be expensive.

Parts of Blackheath, Eltham and Mottingham (not all) are nice and green, and the prices are mixed - you may find something in your budget.

I would avoid places like Woolwich, Plumstead, New Cross, Peckham etc., - cheap places, but I wouldn't live there.

Croydon is mainly a dump, (I think), with a nightmare road system, and some awful looking shopping estates, but if you go a bit further out to somewhere like Sutton, it's better (although, again, more expensive).

Lin

beccad

The trouble with living in a desirable location such as you describe, that is within reach of London (even up to 60 minutes away by train) you get high prices. You could try Guildford, Kent or Essex. I would be tempted to go east of the capital, though. You're more likely to get what you're after there rather than West of the capital. I don't mean the east-end of London, I mean Kent/Essex. Whitsable perhaps? By the sea..

goldbyron

The issue is your price range alongside your wish list - especially greater London (2 bedrooms) and letting desirability (yet not on the tube). There are very little villages in G.London and if there are they will be very expensive. If you went out further into commuter land you may be more successful. I would look around (from an East Londoners perspective) North West Essex and Hertfordshire borders (such as Bishops Stortford). This is also near to Stanstead as well. This fits your criteria but is not really G.London as such (that stops outside Zone 4 for me). And as for Croydon...I wouldn't move there.

hethmar

Even outside greater London for £170k you are talking perhaps 2 bed ex council flat.

"Chislehurst. A bit further out in the South East, but a really pleasant spacious area and cheap too." :eek:

Chislehurst is HORRENDOUSLY expensive - even the council estates would be out of the OPs reach. ( I just checked, the only property for £170k is a one bedroom ex council flat).

Woolwich is actually very up and coming now, overspilling from its trendy Greenwich neighbour - check it out, even has the DLR BUT again, £170k will get you a 2 bed place needing renovation.

I think this wont work OP - the posters are now bringing up towns so far from London that it would take hours and be very expensive travelling - we have the most expensive public transport system in Europe remember.

Morglin

Woolwich 'up and coming'?????:eek::rotfl:

Only in estate agent speak - I grew up in Woolwich, when it was a nice area, with a decent shopping centre.:rolleyes:

Now, it is a tip and a housing dumping ground (thanks, Greenwich Council.......:mad:), and I spend hours trying to talk my elderly parents into moving away from it.:rolleyes:

What with the crime, the ethnic gang wars and all the rest of it, it's a nightmare trying to keep them safe and secure.

Greenwich 'town' itself is only nice in the bit by the park (and the prices reflect that) - the rest of it is dirty, noisy and full of council slums that haven't been upgraded.:rolleyes:

I wouldn't touch Woolwich or Plumstead if they paid me.

Lin :rolleyes:

LandyAndy

Assuming this is a genuine post.

There are plenty of places in Britain where you will get all the things you are looking for on your budget, except being close to London.

If you are planning on using this as a holiday home I assume you are not short of money.

Buy somewhere else in the country and spend some of your holidays in a hotel in London. There is a lot more to Britain than London.

chewmylegoff

you seem to know very little about the place you've decided to buy a property in.

as you can't actually afford to buy what you want anyway, you'd be better off just renting a short term holiday let whenever you come over here. that way you can try out different areas and then in the future, if your budget happens to double in relative terms, then you could buy...

hethmar

Greenwich is beautiful! Woolwich is undergoing massive regeneration at the moment - in time for the olympics. New stations, new town squares, shops, the arsenal has some lovely flats, fountains, coffee shops and delis. May be you view it with jaded eyes. Think how hackney, shoreditch and all the other places Londoners wouldnt touch with a bargepole cost now!

princeofpounds

"Chislehurst. A bit further out in the South East, but a really pleasant spacious area and cheap too." :eek:

Chislehurst is HORRENDOUSLY expensive - even the council estates would be out of the OPs reach. ( I just checked, the only property for £170k is a one bedroom ex council flat).

It's all a matter of relative experience I suppose! I live much closer into town and for the price of the two bed flat I could probably afford I could get a three bedroom house in Chislehurst, maybe even a slightly deficient four-bedder.

South-East London generally is much cheaper than pretty much any compass point direction out of London. Even Chislehurst is much better value than anywhere of a similar standard and commute.

Of course, relative to pretty much anywhere else except London, Chislehurst is still expensive, so I'm not arguing with you!

You'll notice i compiled that list before I saw the price specification!

Unfortunately the distances required to get to those prices are too far outside my area of knowledge.