Buying a House in London

Thermidor

Pammy wrote: »

You could try North West London, on the Nothern line.

I like the leafy green of North West London and its quick access to the city.

Depends what you mean by North West London! Some of the most expensive property in London comes under the NW postcode - Hampstead for example!

Thermidor

RacyRed wrote: »

If you don't have to, don't saddle yourself with crippling London costs.

Average expenditure on housing is about £1,000pm
Vast majority of homes are leasehold and have very high service charges.
Insurance and other costs are 3 times higher.
Food costs more.
Congestion charge and traffic jams.
Minimum 1 hour commutes, just to go a couple of miles, 3 or 4 hours a day if you want to live somewhere offering "respectable"
Pollution.
Overcrowding (everywhere and on everything! - Central line in the rush hour *shudders*)
Security threats and armed poice all over the place.

If you are young and want a taste of life then go for it but most people thinking of raising a family move OUT of London if they can

Multiply your budget by 3 and you could maybe afford the quality of life I bet you are currently enjoying.

The vast majority of homes in London aren't leasehold! Wherever did you get THAT idea?!

Neither does insurance and other things cost 3 times more!

And I'd like to know where all these armed police are!!!!!:rotfl:

Traffic jams are no more frequent than they are anywhere in the UK! You clearly don't drive. It's utter rubbish to say that travelling just a couple of miles takes 1 hour! What rot! Neither does it take 3 to 4 hours to commute inside London! You clearly don't know London at all.

As for pollution.....err, where exactly?! Those days are gone!

Overcrowding??? Where?!!!!! Yes, the tube gets busy in the rush hour...........but that's different to overcrowding! In fact, London is far from overcrowded!

Thermidor

CarineG wrote: »

I live in South Norwood which is in zone 4 (part of Croydon) and you can easily get a decent 3 bedroom house with a decent size garden for less than £250K.
South Norwood consist of Norwood Junction (where I live) and Crystal Palace.

Norwood Junction is run down but the borough is injecting a lot of money in upgrading the roads/parks as well as creating leisure facilities and building new school (the Harris Academy which opened 2 years ago is highly rated by Ofsted).

It has fast trains to London Bridge and the underground is coming our way in june which will no doubt boost the area.

I do believe that it is an up and coming area and that is why I decided to buy my first place here, the amount of space I could get here was decent comparing to other areas nearer central London. My flat is 10 mins away from South Norwood Lake which is a wonderful place.

That's the first I've heard that S. Norwood's getting a tube line. I've been hearing this rumour for years.

S.Norwood isn't a noted good area at all - lots of crime in those parts I understand.

St00zer

Thermidor

Which part of London do you like ?

Thermidor

Idonex wrote: »

Guess it depends. I live in Zone 2 and it takes anywhere from 1hr to 1.5hrs to get to work in Zone 1. (Hackney to Paddington with no Overground until June )

I guess the answer is the OP needs to at least base his location around where he'll be working, as commute times can differ drastically, even over the same miles travelled.

As for some of the other areas. Peckham & Mitcham, no way, East Dulwich, maybe. Norwood..hmmm. don't really like the area. I grew up in S London and that area (Norwood, Croydon -eugh, and Crystal Palace) has always been a dump. Although with the new East London line taking you straight into the City maybe things will change, i doubt it though as it's still a commute to London and generally people who want to commute want to live in nicer places like Kingston & Richmond

You can't compare Richmond to Norwood or Crystal Palace!

For your information, too - West Croydon is a dump (as is Norbury, Crystal Palace, West Norwood) but South Croydon has some of the most exclusive and expensive properties in the country.

I think the poster was very accurate who said that an area could change from down at heel to exclusive in just one street.

Thermidor

MrsE wrote: »

"Most" residential areas of London are a street or two away from a crap area.
East London & South East London are the pits.
South West London is the best quarter - but possibly the most expensive.

All the billionaires living in Hampstead, St.John's Wood, Highgate etc would disagree with you on that one! North London has amazing properties!

pimento

Thermidor wrote: »

Bethnal Green isn't central London!! It's MILES out! It's East London...........where the Kray twins went around shooting people.

You're joking, right?

The AA route planner says that my old flat in Bethnal Green is 5.6 miles from Bond Street (which I think you'll agree is central London). Is 1.9 miles from The Bank of England and 3.2 miles from Canary Wharf.

Upper Street Islington (where the OP lives) is 3.5 miles from Bond Street, 2 miles from The Bank of England and 4.7 miles from Canary Wharf.

Hardly the boondocks.

MrsE_2

Thermidor wrote: »

All the billionaires living in Hampstead, St.John's Wood, Highgate etc would disagree with you on that one! North London has amazing properties!

I'm generalising.

You've picked a few expensive areas in what is otherwise full of gang problems & street crime.

South West London has more "nicer" residential areas than other parts of London.
It has a few bad pockets rather than other areas of London which have a few decent pockets.

Thermidor

pimento wrote: »

You're joking, right?

The AA route planner says that my old flat in Bethnal Green is 5.6 miles from Bond Street (which I think you'll agree is central London). Is 1.9 miles from The Bank of England and 3.2 miles from Canary Wharf.

Upper Street Islington (where the OP lives) is 3.5 miles from Bond Street, 2 miles from The Bank of England and 4.7 miles from Canary Wharf.

Hardly the boondocks.

5.6 miles from Bond Street is NOT central London!

The AA route planner is notoriously inaccurate anyway - so I wouldn't go by that. But Bethnal Green is very much EAST London - nowhere near the centre!

Thermidor

MrsE wrote: »

I'm generalising.

You've picked a few expensive areas in what is otherwise full of gang problems & street crime.

South West London has more "nicer" residential areas than other parts of London.
It has a few bad pockets rather than other areas of London which have a few decent pockets.

Have to disagree with you there! South London is riddled with pockets of crime ridden areas.............Peckham, Lewisham, New Cross, Norwood, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Brixton, Clapham, Oval, Stockwell, Camberwell, Streatham etc...............drugs, gangs, shootings, robberies, run down shops..............far more than North London! If you want a decent part of South London you have to pay dearly for it, or move out further to the Surrey borders...........South Croydon, Purley etc................but there you're talking big money.