Nice areas in London for first time buyer

jussterr

Hello again everyone.

I've been searching non-stop for a nice home in the SE area, mostly around Greenwich & East Dulwich which seem nicer and affordable. It's nice to have extra space for the same amount of money out in SE but I've also had a good look at more central areas and Islington has caught my eye. The area is nice, transport is great and obviously is pretty central and I could walk straight into Soho or even Tate Britain in under 30 minutes as well as cycle to any 3 of the parks close by (Finsbury, Holland and Hyde) with my dog.

For between £350,000 and £400,000 it's quite possible to get a 2 or 3 bedroom garden flat with a good size living area and kitchen. At first I thought the extra space in a house would be nicer but the more I considered it the more it seems that the 'extra' space is in fact not even worth mentioning as it comes in the form of loft/cellar and I don't need storage or expansion possibilities. It seems a property's value is largely dictated by location and for these reasons Islington wins hands down for me over SE London. It's also much prettier and safer IMO (Even the nice areas in SE seemed a bit dodgy to me.)

Thanks all for your excellent advice, it's been very helpful to me. Just thought I'd update the thread for future reference. Of course if anyone has more advice it's always welcome.

SuzieSue

I've always lived North of the river (but more in the suburbs), so I agree with you, however the Finsbury Park area isn't nice at all.

jussterr

SuzieSue wrote: »

I've always lived North of the river (but more in the suburbs), so I agree with you, however the Finsbury Park area isn't nice at all.

I will keep that in mind, thank you. I've been steering clear of Finsbury as I've heard it's not nice. How is Holloway, Highsbury and Canonbury?

BitterAndTwisted

Actually, there are some really nice properties on the side-streets off Blackstock Road going down towards Highbury. Even off Holloway Road there are some reasonably decent properties in quiet, friendly streets. I have a friend who works on Landseer Road and I wouldn't mind living there myself if I could. Archway tube is a couple of minutes walk from there and dead handy for the Nag's Head market on the weekends

jussterr

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Actually, there are some really nice properties on the side-streets off Blackstock Road going down towards Highbury. Even off Holloway Road there are some reasonably decent properties in quiet, friendly streets. I have a friend who works on Landseer Road and I wouldn't mind living there myself if I could. Archway tube is a couple of minutes walk from there and dead handy for the Nag's Head market on the weekends

Thank you! Will take a little stalking tour with Google maps' street view tool.

SuzieSue

jussterr wrote: »

I will keep that in mind, thank you. I've been steering clear of Finsbury as I've heard it's not nice. How is Holloway, Highsbury and Canonbury?

I'm not too sure as my family moved to the suburbs from Harringey in the 1970s because the area was bad then and I think it is worse now. I only know about Finsbury Park because I once visited someone there. Having lived in the suburbs for the last 40 years, I wouldn't even contemplate living nearer to the city because a house is out of my price range and I wouldn't want to live in a flat, so I don't really want to give you any advice as I don't feel qualified to, however I just wanted to say that I prefer north London to south. Sorry I can't be of more help. Hopefully there will be other people who live around Holloway etc who will be able to advise you.

[Deleted User]

Highbury is lovely, the Upper Street is trendy and has lovely restaurants and boutiques. The Holloway Road is not particularly attractive being an A road, but the sides road are very nice especially towards Tufnell Park. Be warned though, my friend lived there and her car and flat were broken into many times.
If you can afford it and don't mind the bus ride to Highgate tube, look at Muswell Hill (N10) - it's really lovely. West Finchley and East Finchley too.