House buying tips in London for young couple

tkmk

Hi guys,

My wife and I are starting to look for property in London. With a budget of £275 - £300k, you can imagine that it's not easy. As we're expecting a baby next year (yay!), we ideally would like a house (currently live in a new flat in Hackney). We were advised to try Hainault, but having done a quick bit of research, it seems to have had some race related issues (we're a black and white couple), despite the houses appearing to (surprisingly) be within our budget. This made us think that perhaps there is some hope, which is why we're reaching out to the MSE community.

If you have any advice on areas in and around London, that are within our budget, have good schools and decent-ish transport links into central london, or just any tips/tricks/general advice, then we would be truly grateful!

Thank you!

hethmar

Woolwich and Plumstead are up and coming areas - check out all the regeneration going on there, the town centre is undergoing drastic changes new town square, new theatre, two new hotels, new department stores and there are some beautiful buildings which have been converted as residential - see the Royal Arsenal development google for it. Very yuppie!

You are just across the river from the east end if you work there and there is a DLR, 2 main stations, the ferries, river taxis and a cross river link being built right now. There doesnt seem to be any big problem with race issues at all as far as Ive seen.

You are very near the trendy and very very expensive Greenwich with all its culteral benefits.
http://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/property-developers/berkeley/developments/royal-arsenal-riverside/video

http://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/property-developers/berkeley/developments/royal-arsenal-riverside

hethmar

Example:
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/26763109?search_identifier=7d89b7c939345d74e2b0f9793880c9ca

cattie

I certainly wouldn't want to buy in Woolwich or Plumstead I have to say, although with the DLR in Woolwich now & it's many bus routes, the transport links are pretty good. It's not a place I've ever felt safe in and know I'm certainly not alone there.

Are you certain Hainault deserves it's reputation? I only ask because Eltham most certainly doesn't deserve the reputation it earned after the Stephen Lawrence case. You will find that most of the of people who live there will confirm that it is in actual fact a nice, safe & friendly place to live.

Sometimes one single negative crime can result in a very biased and unfair view, thanks to media input.

I don't know the areas myself, but have seen many people on these boards recommending Walthamstow and some areas of Leytonstone and Wanstead when other posters have asked about areas with good transport links, schools etc. Going east would probably give you the best value as well as the sheer ease of travel into central London.

ultrarunner

Forest Hill and Hither Green are cheapish areas, with decent transport links and relatively safe.

Also in the East / SE Corridor you seem to be preferring

t0rt0ise

Parts of Walthamstow are pretty grim. As is Leystonstone. I'd suggest that finding a decent area in the price range given is going to be very difficult. You might want to go further out into bits of Kent, Surrey or Essex.

katejo

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Parts of Walthamstow are pretty grim. As is Leystonstone. I'd suggest that finding a decent area in the price range given is going to be very difficult. You might want to go further out into bits of Kent, Surrey or Essex.

But other parts of Walthamstow are ok. I have been living in the area for nearly 20 years. There is a decent stock of terraced houses within the 275-300 K bracket. I wouldn't go for Leyton or Leytonstone. Transport into Central London is better from E17.

AlexMac

SE London has open space, much improved and still improving transport, cheaper houses (many in Zone 3 without having to go right out to the outer reaches such as Plumstead or Eltham), and a positive multicultural feel. Zoopla SE3,4,7,6,10,13,23 and you'll see houses in your price-range and if you then tour the areas, cross tabulate school-rankings etc you may be pleasntly surprised

hethmar

cattie wrote: »

I certainly wouldn't want to buy in Woolwich or Plumstead I have to say, although with the DLR in Woolwich now & it's many bus routes, the transport links are pretty good. It's not a place I've ever felt safe in and know I'm certainly not alone there.

Are you certain Hainault deserves it's reputation? I only ask because Eltham most certainly doesn't deserve the reputation it earned after the Stephen Lawrence case. You will find that most of the of people who live there will confirm that it is in actual fact a nice, safe & friendly place to live.

Sometimes one single negative crime can result in a very biased and unfair view, thanks to media input.

I don't know the areas myself, but have seen many people on these boards recommending Walthamstow and some areas of Leytonstone and Wanstead when other posters have asked about areas with good transport links, schools etc. Going east would probably give you the best value as well as the sheer ease of travel into central London.

Seems strange you slam Woowich which is really an improving area and hugely better than some of the others you have mentioned above and then say people shouldnt be biased?

Have you checked it out lately? I certainly walked around the new shopping areas and the old market a few weeks ago and thought it was buzzing, then had lunch at the gorgeous Dial House which is as trendy as any place in outer London and the views are brilliant along the river. How can you compare it with some of those other places you mention which have very high crime rates and no where near such lovely old buildings or thames views? Oh and the cavalry and the horses now based there and look fantastic.

BigAunty

I also vote for Walthamstow above more challenging areas in south-east London. A lot of the housing in the centre and village areas are simply dozens of streets of terraced 2 and 3 bedroom houses without a tower block in sight. I have friends there that are very content with it.

It was okay when I lived there (I still prefer it above inner south east London) and when I popped back last year after a 10 year plus absence, it seemed a bit better - new restaurants in the village, the bus station had been revamped and the dingy path between tube and high street had been widened and lightened.

What I didn't like about it was the lack of a central gym, lack of a cinema or park close to where I lived, the amount of greasy spoons in the high street (less now), the grubby pubs (again, I expect some have had a revamp) and the happy clappy mega churches (but still some areas I've lived in the south east of London had a higher density with almost weekly door stopping by evangelicals).

The market probably still sells a lot of tat but there were always a couple of decent fruit/veg stalls that sold quality products that didn't rot the moment after getting them home.

Unlike some other cheaper southern destinations that are largely bus or overground train services, there are two tube stations, one in central Walthamstow and one in the tattier Blackhorse Road area, both on the Victoria Line - you can get to Oxford Street in 20 minutes.

Ivana_Tinkle

Try Forest Hill, Sydenham, West Dulwich (the latter might have to be ex-council if you're set on a house, but there's lots of perfectly respectable small estates round there).