Any reasonable property prices in the London area??

neverdespairgirl

WalkinX wrote: »

its confusing coz it says some tickets have "not for High Speed Service" on them but not which ones and what constitutes a high speed service.

Almost certainly the Eurostar to St. Pancras.

Yorkie1

You have probably already considered this, but bear in mind whether any property is affordable for the future too.

If you are stretched to the limit buying now, how will you budget for increases in: heating, council tax, travel (petrol, trains, tubes), insurance (car insurance has gone up by a huge amount this year), mortgage interest rates etc. Or for a capital outlay like new boiler? Vets fees have already been mentioned.

Most civil service salaries have been frozen for at least the next two years, pension contributions will in all likelihood go up, so your income won't keep pace with the cost of living. If your GF has more gaps in work then that will also impact.

There are not infrequent posts on these boards where people have stretched themselves and then circumstances have overtaken them, leading to heartbreak as finances crash down despite their best efforts. You need to plan for that as well as for the initial outlay.

Jowo_2

Running_Horse wrote: »

Swanley is a dive. The ASDA dominated concrete shopping centre is one of the most depressing places in Kent. They would be better off saving £30,000 more and looking one or two stops further out at Farningham Road or Longfield. Higham has similar prices and a railway station. Even Gravesend would be better than Swanley.

Your advice echoes my original advice that if the OP can squeeze extra money together, he'd probably like Sutton-at-hone/South Darenth areas near Farningham Road station if not too quiet.

But the OP has a 'dive' budget, made even 'divier' by desiring a house over a flat and a quick commute into London. They've either got to have a longer expensive commute (Rochester) or compromise on the type of property (flat) or increase their budget to avoid high concentrations of Chavs.

pac-man

Hi OP,

I echo the voices of many here when I suggest sit tight and save. You talk about wanting kids in the next 2 years or so. A 1 bed isn't going to suit you for very long before you have to look for something bigger. Your gf may be on a reduced wage whilst on maternity leave and that leaves you looking for somewhere bigger with even less money than you have now.

Your heart says have a place of your own and a dog, think your head should probably say stay where you are and save, save, save. I know people are trying to help with their suggestions, but I don't think you're being realistic. Work out what your mortgage repayments and bills would be if you bought and pay that in to a savings account for a few month, see if you could manage. Interest rates may go up as inflation still isn't under control, so that's worth bearing in mind.

Home ownship isn't all joy. Every problem with the house is up to you to fix, boiler goes, yup, you pay 1000 for a replacment etc etc. House prices only seem to be going one way at the momment and that's down. You should be able to afford more for your mortgage money next year by waiting, let alone the extra money you've saved.

A bit more patience now could pay dividends in the future.

sjcollett

Admittedly it needs some work, but here is a 2 bed with a garden (for your dog) and it's on the market for 95k. might be worth a look?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-27693130.html

DebtWriteOffMaster

I live in South Kensington/Chelsea border and so i can thoroughly recommend it!

The area is stunning, the nighclubs around here like amika and movida are the most exclusive in London and are great for clubbing on the weekends, local transport is perfect and 24/7, supermarket and shops are all close by,
and the property is amongst the best and most sought after in the world.

Running_Horse

sjcollett wrote: »

Admittedly it needs some work, but here is a 2 bed with a garden (for your dog) and it's on the market for 95k. might be worth a look?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-27693130.html

There was a recent discussion about bedroom sizes, and this is the smallest I have ever seen. Did they put a partition across the only bedroom in the flat? You might just squeeze a double bed in, but not much else.

BEDROOM 1 : 6'2" x 9'2" (1.88m x 2.79m) , Window to rear, window to side, radiator.

BEDROOM 2 :9'5" x 6'9" (2.87m x 2.06m) , Double glazed window to rear, Double Radiator.

geoffky

Running_Horse wrote: »

There was a recent discussion about bedroom sizes, and this is the smallest I have ever seen. Did they put a partition across the only bedroom in the flat? You might just squeeze a double bed in, but not much else.

BEDROOM 1 : 6'2" x 9'2" (1.88m x 2.79m) , Window to rear, window to side, radiator.

BEDROOM 2 :9'5" x 6'9" (2.87m x 2.06m) , Double glazed window to rear, Double Radiator.

our downstairs bathroom is bigger than that..more fool anyone for putting up with it...

WalkinX

Thanks guys.

Sigh...what to do, what to do....

Running_Horse

As you can't have what you want now, you might as well keep saving and developing your earning power. In a couple of years you might have enough, and not many are predicting huge price rises. If you want it badly enough you will find a way, and it will have been worth the wait.