Where to buy in London

princeofpounds

you could live somewhere that drops you down into Moorgate in 20-30 mins and then a couple of minutes on the tube to Lpool st

There's no point. It's maybe not even a 5 minute walk, it would slow you down to change.

The point being, a little bit of understanding the geography at street level can help a lot and widen your options.

jee

newbian wrote: »

I'm wondering if you looked at OP's budget...Hampstead?!

Oops missed the budget...sorry. You can get something small in the surrounding areas of Hamptead but not much!
If you need to get to liverpool street them I would say Wapping or Greenwich. However transport links from Greenwich are a bit limited.
Wapping is really close to town and full of young professionals.

sinbad182

bowlhead99 wrote: »

I must have missed the post where you told us where you would buy a 2+ bedroom place in London with a budget of 350k.

So far we've learned that getting 3 bedrooms in nice St Albans doesn't work for you because it's not very exciting and the travel is expensive, and everywhere else mentioned (Stratford, Canning Town, Walthamstow, Kensal, Leyton etc etc) that you deigned to comment on is just plain horrific or a nasty joke.

So while we wouldn't dream of disparaging whereever it is that you actually live, I'm sure we're all on the edge of our seats wondering what gem you'd pick out for a little over a third of a million pounds with good access to Lpool street. And presumably it has to be London Proper rather than cheating and going for a commuter belt place in the home counties. I'm on the edge of my seat. :cool:

Sorry, I must have missed the part where I wasnt allowed to express an opinion on a location unless I could supply a better option?

The sad fact in London is that a lot of places are crap, regardless of how often people try to tell themselves they're 'up and coming' or 'vibrant' or 'melting pots'. If this is all that someone can afford in an area convenient for work, then fair play, its just another step on the ladder. If you need a place of a certain size in a certain location, you should buy what you can afford and good luck to you.

But it makes me laugh and its completely disingenuous to describe some of these places (Walthamstow, Kensal, Stratford et al) as anything other than complete dumps. They're means to an end for those whose budgets wont stretch further. Saying otherwise is just misleading and is setting people in this bracket up for a fall.

I live in Chiswick btw (although am moving soon), so not much around here is going to be convenient or affordable for Liverpool street. Ealing Broadway is probably doable for 2 bedroom flats under 350k, and is on the central line. Not great, but streets ahead of the places mentioned so far.

bowlhead99

I suppose that's fair comment really. The property ladder is pretty tough in London these days and it seems the only chance to get on it is to go somewhere you really wouldn't want to make your long term home. To an extent, that's generally true and accepted elsewhere in the country too - whether you're putting down 40k on a 350k london pad or 5-10k on a 50-80k place Up North, you're not going to find your dream home.

The sheer size of the cheque you have to write in London (despite better salary) is pretty frightening though when it still lands you in a cheap-looking rough part of town if you won't accept a long commute. FWIW at least looking for 2 bed+ at 350k seems better to me than 1 bed at 250-275. There will always be rental demand for 1 bed places but it's hard to see how somewhere can appreciate much in value if its a pure starter-home and already at 10x a young Londoner's salary. I guess you have to go somewhere cheap and cross your fingers for gentrification...

I had a quick look at Ealing and Acton before my last move, out of curiosity - but if you're working in the east it's a pretty heavy commute (40 mins with changes?) to get somewhere which is still pretty grimy - considering you could cover 30+ miles to Chelmsford in the same time. I suppose if you can deal with the travel there are options all over the place - but most of the faraway ones are not really getting you that "london living" lifestyle that brings you here in the first place, and the nearer ones you just have to accept that 'gritty realism' is part and parcel of the movie.

tidesendtown

Consider getting an ex-council flat in a good area. Make sure all or most flats are owned. If it's a low-rise, well built, it might be a much better deal than new builts. Monthly fees will be lower than for new builts. Floor plans & room size better in many cases, etc.

abankerbutnotafatcat

I work in The City and about a quarter of my colleagues travel in from the west - Ealing, Chiswick, Twickenham etc. About half of us live outside London including me. Agreed re Moorgate, you can walk - I walk from London Bridge which is much further. Agreed re ex-council places if you follow the guidelines outlined. If OP decides on outside London I'm hearing Bishops Stortford increasingly mentioned in conversations. I don't know it myself.

hazyjo

tidesendtown wrote: »

Consider getting an ex-council flat in a good area. Make sure all or most flats are owned. If it's a low-rise, well built, it might be a much better deal than new builts. Monthly fees will be lower than for new builts. Floor plans & room size better in many cases, etc.

Private owners can be hit with massive bills for works that need doing in council (local authority) flats. Worth bearing in mind. Would definitely avoid ex-LA if it has a lift.

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

I work in The City and about a quarter of my colleagues travel in from the west - Ealing, Chiswick, Twickenham etc. About half of us live outside London including me. Agreed re Moorgate, you can walk - I walk from London Bridge which is much further. Agreed re ex-council places if you follow the guidelines outlined. If OP decides on outside London I'm hearing Bishops Stortford increasingly mentioned in conversations. I don't know it myself.

I'm in the City too. Most with dosh live nearby in and around Islington or E1/E2. A few others come in from south London/Surrey/Kent (I like Beckenham, Blackheath, Greenwich), three of us come in from E4 (Highams Park/Chingford). Only one comes in from West London (out of around 50). Personally wouldn't like to come in from that side of London.

Avoid changing tubes in the middle of London. Can be a nightmare trying to get on a packed one (and definitely adds to the stress levels of commuting!).

Personally, after doing tubes for 4 years, I have always moved somewhere on overground lines (Blackheath, Westcombe Park, Eltham, Highams Park, Brentwood and Chingford). Obviously I have to use them now and again, but the commute's so much easier/more pleasant (especially in summer when tubes are unbearable!) on the overheads. Worth bearing in mind...

Jx
PS The main reason Bishops Stortford is getting so popular is that the schools are excellent. Lots of people I know moving out that way now.

ottoleng

First of all, thanks to everyone who has replied. Looks like this really started a passionate arguement about the various areas!

I should have mentioned some more details about myself in my origninal post: I'm currently in my late 20s with no children and its unlikely that there would be any around soon. As such school don't matter to me.

I've been doing some reading of more of the threads on this site, and it seems the concensus advice is to not think of the house as an investment but instead as a home where you would like to live. So originally I've been trying to find a new 'up and coming area' which is completely wrong. As such, i should find somewhere i like where my friends are near. As I've spent so much time in South London/the city, this is wehre most of my friends are around this area. This rules out places like Walthamstow (although it does seem a really nice place to live).

I saw a place in Camberwell that seemed quiet nice, does anyone have any extreme negative opinions?

Also, I'm starting to think about getting a 1 bed instead of a two but in a nice area. As I am planning to keep this property as part of my pension (rent it out when I'm ready to move out) is this a better option then buying a two bed a bit further out?

Thanks!
OL

curedham

Have you considered SW London?

This is around Earlsfield: http://tiny url .com/an8qllz

Edit: can't post Tiny URL, you just have to remove the spaces

jee

OP have ever lived in South London?
The transport to Liverpool street I can tell you is not great. You have the overground but it's a tiresome overcrowded journey.
Camberwell- it's ok, bit rough in some areas.