House Buying In London

HER

Hi
Im hoping to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in London in the range of £240-£265 in the following areas:

Hampstead (a mile away)
West Hampstead
Kilburn
East London (e14, e3) -
Canary Wharf,
Bow.

The problem is ive had a look at rightmove.com but I need other suggestions as to what other estate agents / websites I could look at. Please Help im desparate.

Doozergirl

EVERYTHING is on rightmove!

But you could try https://www.findaproperty.com

cattie

If you're in a proceedable position make sure you are registered with all the agents in the area's that you're looking in.

The size & price range of the property you are looking for & the area's are going to be in great demand, so you need to ensure you get the tip off as soon as the vendor has made up their mind to sell.

Most ea's have a list of people who they know are looking for a suitable property & will phone them as soon as something comes up, before it's even had a chance to be listed on any website or any blurb to be printed up.

This is how I'm currently getting to view properties in my chosen area & it's how my own property found a very speedy asking price buyer within 48hrs.

reformedEffortMaker_2

hi
you could also keep your eye out for private sellers

https://www.houseladder.co.uk or https://www.housenetwork.co.uk are good starts

Also try looking at https://www.propertybroker.com and https://www.halfapercent.com these aren't private sellers, but still worth a look. I would also try and get hold of some local papers, as some of the smaller agents wont want to pay fees to rightmove on a property they know will sell quickly, and im old fashioned like that! :-)

Biggie

you may well stuggle to find a 2 bed at that price.

but depends on the type of property you may find some not so affluent flats. i.e Ex Council flats.

I know an area where you can buy a 2 bed for 265 in Camden the block is decent and has a good mix. But centainly not considerd trendy

lmk if you require more info

[Deleted User]

I agree that you will struggle to find a 2 bed flat, especially in Hampstead. In addition to the websites already mentioned, you can try https://www.propertyfinder.com and https://www.primelocation.com

happinessfactory

At that price and in those areas you're almost certainly looking at ex-council. At best, you might get modern but tired (ie pre-1995 builds and renovations). Neither of these are likely to be a great investment in terms of long term capital growth, but could still - just about - be cheaper than renting.

If you need a second bedroom in order to have a flatmate help you pay the mortgage, what about looking at large-ish one bedders, which tend to come in just under the £250k mark, and then spending £1500 on a dividing wall and second window which will enable you to have two smaller bedrooms? I know someone letting out an 8ft x 7ft room for £600+bills a month in Zone 2, and her flatmate thinks it's a bargain. In the future, you or your future buyer can then re-convert very easily back into a 1-bedder or keep it as a 2 bed.

In terms of actually finding something to buy, I would register with every local estate agent you can find (use Yellow Pages and then get to know a name and, especially, a face) in the areas you're looking. Then call them up every Thursday afternoon to ask them to update you on what's new, what's coming in and, if you can get them sufficiently on side and they're a bit loose-lipped, what's gone for how much. (If they still won't tell you, get them to tell you the agreed prices on houses definitely outside your price bracket - and then compare this with the corresponding floorplan on their website. This will at least give you an idea of the price per square foot in the roads you like). Once they get to know you, they'll be the ones calling you.

The other thing you can do is get yourself a subscription to the Land Registry - not only will this give you the most accurate sold price information, it will enable you to access the names of every owner at the addresses you're looking at, and then you can write to them directly requesting first dibs on their property if they decide to sell - if they're remotely thinking of selling, many will be tempted by the opportunity to save their 2% EA fee.

Good luck, I'm trying to get on the next rung up in Zone 2 myself at the moment, so I do feel your pain (though I'm guessing you haven't got biological clock issues!)

Biggie

hmm seems like a large range of area to cover as well.

was just wondering why docklands area and N London they're a million miles apart. I would personally concentrate in a particular area so you get to know the market\area really well. But then I suppose that budget won't leave much choice even though it's an arm and leg to most.

reformedEffortMaker_2

also try the local papers in each area, as sometimes they have properties which you cant find on right move (perhaps because there was a typo in the postcode, or description, or the estate agent has chosen not to advertise with them)

krishna

Rightmove is a great starting place, but not EVERYTHING is on it. The house we've just bought wasn't listed on Rightmove. It was listed in findaproperty, but only about 10 days AFTER our offer had been accepted . I've just checked and there are several houses in neighbouring streets to us that are on findaproperty, but not rightmove.

I also found that some properties appeared on agents' websites before arriving on rightmove.

I agree with the suggestion of calling agents weekly to get updates. Even if they keep saying "nothing new", at least they know you are still interested; in fact are keen and serious. Also if you need a mortgage, get that sorted in principle too.

Makes a lot of sense to be very clear on what you are looking for and where. That will make your job (and the agent's job) much easier. Don't get put off by people saying it will be hard to find anything in you price range in xyz area. We were told the same thing but still managed to get a 3bed house in N10 (Muswell Hill) for under 300k. We were just very clear on exactly where we wanted to be and what we wanted. Agent called us soon after property came on market and we were one of the first to view it (first according to agent, but can't be sure). I had to rush out of work in the middle of the day so we could get in there early, but it paid off.

ahsanjalil

Avoid Falcon Estates in East London on Romford road,very big looter, I have filed claim against him in county court and written to FSA about his fraudulent practice. Property they show for sale actually don't exist!!

Just friendly advice