First time buyers in London

pickledpink

Shakethedisease wrote: »

Don't we all luv !!!! No matter where we live, and if we're 'young professionals' or not.

Or is it only Londoner's that get to do this before moving elsewhere into a 'boring' life somewhere..

I was brought up in a Scottish council estate in one of the most deprived areas of the Uk.. and I can tell you, life is what you make it ANYWHERE. It's not confined to zone 1/2 or whatever the latest 'trendy' area is.

And if investment is what they're after, something to sell that 'may' go up in value ( or not ) then why not start buying antiques, shares or something ?

Sorry, but the notion that only young professional's in London have the 'right' to be where the 'action and buzz' and 'make an investment' ( most of us normal people outside the M25 would call it a home probably )..before then going off to 'be boring' later on is really narrow minded.

OP, you probably just want to be saving up a bit more for that deposit. Not only that, but also factor in that if you want kids in the future that you may only be servicing the mortgage off one of your wages. Make sure that, above all, is do-able unless you intend/choose to remain childless. Childcare is not cheap if both of you go back to work full-time.

But I agree with most here. Lots of 'nice areas' of London aren't cheap.. and it may be best to widen your net's a little and think a little more long term.

It isn't just about investment.........it's about living.

Your comment :

[/QUOTE]And if investment is what they're after, something to sell that 'may' go up in value ( or not ) then why not start buying antiques, shares or something ? [/QUOTE]

You can't live inside an antique or a share, can you!;)

Buying property as an investment is a win win situation. You have a home - AND an investment for the future. :money:

It's true that London properties are more expensive than the rest of the UK, but equally those people buying make more money from their investment when they eventually sell.

And I'm sorry, but you can't possibly compare London with places such as Birmingham and Leeds! There is no comparison whatsoever!

googler

cheekymonkeb0y wrote: »

A lot of us would consider places outside of London, I particularly like the big towns of the Midlands and North West but sadly there is not the range of jobs available up there.

OK, I'll bite.

What do you currently do for a living, and what are your skills/qualifications?

puddy

i bought a 2 bed flat in south east london when i was 25. before then i had room shared in order to save the deposit.

we moved out of london last year to the south coast, theres no way we could have afforded a house in london (and we didnt want to), whereas now we have a little 3 bed semi

the choices are the OPs, if they are saying they cant afford to save more (because of the nasty tax man), move into shared accommodation for a year, dont go out, dont buy new clothes, dont go on holiday

if you cant face doing those things, then stay put. you cant have it all.

i have never understood the thing about needing to live in zone 2 or even 3. i was in zone 4 and it was fine. i still went out in both central and outer london. for those who moan that the trains stop at 11pm, well there are such things as night buses, most even run out as far as the wilds of zone 6.

sooz

honeypopper wrote: »

Fulham is actually SOUTH West London, just next to Putney (south of the river) which has SERIOUSLY beautiful properties! Sky high prices of course - but still south of the river!

I suggest you check a map. The big blue wobbly line is the river. Fulham is north of it. Putney is below the wobbly line, & is south.

Person_one

pickledpink wrote: »

And I'm sorry, but you can't possibly compare London with places such as Birmingham and Leeds! There is no comparison whatsoever!

I've lived in London and Manchester so I can compare them all I want!

There are things I miss about London, such as the public transport system and the arts scene, but I wouldn't go back if you paid me to. Yes it rains a bit more here but I love the fact that I can walk from one end of the city centre to the other in half an hour, we have plenty of museums, galleries and theatres here contrary to popular belief, the music scene is far more exciting than in London and I know its a cliche but people really are friendlier and you won't be smirked at for a regional accent or last season's clothes!

Its quite pretty as well, with all the canals, restored old buildings and the amount of regeneration that's gone on since the bomb.

morg_monster

We rented in Balham which suited us great but when we decided to buy we decided to add commuting time rather than subtract space and a garden.

In Balham it took me 40 minutes door to door to get to work.
We now live in Hersham, surrey, and it takes me 50 minutes door to door to get to work. We bought a 3 bed semi with a good size garden, 4 mins away from the train station into waterloo, for 250k. Season ticket costs £1750. For culture Kingston isn't far away, but to be honest we often just stay out late in london and catch the last train home (11:45 i think so not TOO bad on a weeknight).

Personally I think Hersham is a bit of a "best kept secret" ok yes it is residential and not that exciting but only a mile to a good sized pretty posh town (Walton-on-thames) and not that much further in the other direction to Kingston. Nice people living around us, lots of families. Prices do seem to be rocketing again though, how long will it last, I don't know. Anyway, we absolutely love it here and are not missing Zone 2 SW London as much as we thought we would! (it only takes 20 minutes to get to clapham junction anyway if we need a fix...)

pickledpink

sooz wrote: »

I suggest you check a map. The big blue wobbly line is the river. Fulham is north of it. Putney is below the wobbly line, & is south.

Ha ha ha!:rotfl:

FULHAM is SOUTH London, sweetheart! SW6.

Didn't you know the river twists and turns????:rotfl: Although Fulham is situated north of the river - it is still SOUTH London! Ha ha ha! The Thames flows through the south of London! I bet you've never even visited London!:p

That's made my day!:D

pickledpink

Person_one wrote: »

I've lived in London and Manchester so I can compare them all I want!

There are things I miss about London, such as the public transport system and the arts scene, but I wouldn't go back if you paid me to. Yes it rains a bit more here but I love the fact that I can walk from one end of the city centre to the other in half an hour, we have plenty of museums, galleries and theatres here contrary to popular belief, the music scene is far more exciting than in London and I know its a cliche but people really are friendlier and you won't be smirked at for a regional accent or last season's clothes!

Its quite pretty as well, with all the canals, restored old buildings and the amount of regeneration that's gone on since the bomb.

Don't forget the Mancunians themselves.:D

pickledpink

morg_monster wrote: »

We rented in Balham which suited us great but when we decided to buy we decided to add commuting time rather than subtract space and a garden.

In Balham it took me 40 minutes door to door to get to work.
We now live in Hersham, surrey, and it takes me 50 minutes door to door to get to work. We bought a 3 bed semi with a good size garden, 4 mins away from the train station into waterloo, for 250k. Season ticket costs £1750. For culture Kingston isn't far away, but to be honest we often just stay out late in london and catch the last train home (11:45 i think so not TOO bad on a weeknight).

Personally I think Hersham is a bit of a "best kept secret" ok yes it is residential and not that exciting but only a mile to a good sized pretty posh town (Walton-on-thames) and not that much further in the other direction to Kingston. Nice people living around us, lots of families. Prices do seem to be rocketing again though, how long will it last, I don't know. Anyway, we absolutely love it here and are not missing Zone 2 SW London as much as we thought we would! (it only takes 20 minutes to get to clapham junction anyway if we need a fix...)

Ooooooooooooh, you've let the secret out now!:j

Sounds very nice there...................

By the way, Balham iz Zone 3. Not Zone 2.

cheekymonkeb0y

Hersham sounds very pleasant. Still think I would prefer to be a bit more central, but I guess needs change when families come along. Aso I guess work location is a key factor to deciding to live somewhere on the train line in.

Used to live in Balham myself.... live in North London now (which I resisted for quite a while), have to say I actually prefer it (but lets not start a north vs. south debate!)