London buyers: how did you know where you wanted to settle?

Strapped

Go further south if you want more for your money and weekends in Brighton

mileslondoner

I had a similar problem to yours. I have been living in East London for quite a while and thought I could find something better.

For a year I was going all over London to all these nice and less nice places thinking maybe here or maybe there. All had their pros and cons and after a while I just realised it would take me too much time to get to know them as well as I know my own area. So I decided to get the best I could get in the area I know well.

I bought a place near Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets side - could not afford Hackney side). There are lots of green spaces: Victoria Park, Mile End Park, Wennington Green. Regents Canal is just a stone's throw away.

The transport links are not too bad - 20 min cycle journey to Central London, Mile End station walking distance (the only station on the network you can get from to any station with no more than one interchange), Bethnal Green 5 min on the bus, Hackney Central on Overground perhaps 10 min.

You mentioned Eurostar - took me about 25 min on bus 205 the other day to St Pancras (before rush hour though).

Westfield Stratford - a bit of a long walk but doable. Bus - 10 min.

All in all, my advice is perhaps to stay where you are but just find a nicer side of it. East London is changing.

sterl1ng

I think cause i've been in east london so long and really don't like some of the areas plus lots of trouble where I live as in anti social behaviour so its very easy to want to move out. Other places of east london I wouldn't be able to afford either. I looked at Bethnal green and some of the areas you mention but really out my price range of 150k

breadlinebetty

suestew wrote: »

North West London (Kilburn, Queens Park, West Hampstead) is a nice place to live. Good transport links, easy to get to Brighton, Kings cross and central London. Westfield Shepherds Bush is quick and easy to get too. But it is pretty expensive to buy there. Best to visit different parts and hang out a bit to get a feel of the place.

Since when has it been easy to get to Brighton from North West London????????????:cool: It's a nightmare!!

breadlinebetty

demontfort wrote: »

My opinion is that London is an overpriced, overrated, crowded dump. I wouldn't live here if I didn't have a well paid job, if I got my P45 I'd give my landlord my notice and be on the next train from Euston which is the beauty of renting.

So I think if the OP hasn't settled on an area and still wants flexibility to shop around they should carry on renting until they're certain where they want to live. Afterall there's no hurry to buy, prices in Croydon and 90% of London are at worst stagnating and at best dropping.

Miaow!:D

You're talking a load of rubbish. Jealous much?

breadlinebetty

sterl1ng wrote: »

Whilst i'm still saving every penny and rent in east london for 10yrs+ I really am itching to buy somewhere but want to maximise on what I buy BUT thing is, i'm not 100% sure where I want to buy. Whilst i've been looking in se london, croydon mostly i'm not sooooo sure either. What I love about croydon is the transport links as I can go to brighton, easily get to victoria, go catch eurostar from kings cross plus there is a bit of greenery in comparison to where I am now. AND the added bonus of new westfield being built which is for much needed regeneration. Plus bfs family are over there too.

There is a BUT though. What if, once I have my deposit and the wheels go in motion I don't feel ready? What if that area isn't for me BUT its well priced. Its all very scary I have to say BUT at same time i'm sick of where I live.

So my question is, how did you know the area you wanted to buy in?

Croydon covers a vast area and different parts of it are like chalk and cheese.

West Croydon is not a good area, and really should be avoided.

Some parts of East Croydon are quite nice, but the loveliest part is South Croydon leading onto Purley. Round that way it's very, very green, has some incredibly beautiful houses and streets (quite a few famous people live that way - Francis Rossi of Status Quo for one...) the crime rate in that pocket is very low and it is a really beautiful area.

Probably one of the best parts of living there is its location.

Just 20 minutes by train to London Bridge/Victoria
On top of the bus routes that go directly to Central London
15 minutes to Gatwick Airport
40 minutes to Brighton (by road)
10 minutes from the M25
15/20 minutes to the Blackwall Tunnell and North Circular
20 minutes to the South Circular

So getting into Central London is a breeze, and when you fancy a spin down to the coast you're there in less than 40 mins!:)

You're also on top of some of the most beautiful parts of Surrey and Kent. A few minutes drtive from South Croydon/Purley and you're on top of the green belt Warlingham, Woldingham (Katie Price has a mansion there) Oxted (Mohamed Al Fayed - Harrods) Banstead, Kingswood (nicknamed Beverly Hills....) Epsom......all beautiful, classy areas with lovely village shops and cosy old-fashioned pubs....

There's great restaurants too, and you can buy everything you need fro the Whitgift Centre in Croydon. Oh, and you also have the tram that takes you into Wimbledon.....plus the new underground line going into the City of London from West Croydon station.

The other handy part is being close to the Purley Way....it's got just about every superstore you can think of down there.

I'd go for it if I were you. My friends live round that way and I could kick myself for not buying there myself

sterl1ng

I was thinking south croydon too though it is a bit expensive plus more houses rather than garden maisonettes.

I guess when the time is right it will all fall into place