FTBuyer: where to buy in East London or South East London

manuce

Hello,

Can someone please tell me about better /upcoming areas to buy in East London or South East London which are minimal on crime stats and with good schools and transport link . I have been knocked out to buy in West London so its a bit of a compromise.

I have short-listed Bromley,Crystal Palace which seems to have average crime rate so any more suggestion would be welcome.

Redbridge is touching the roof in crime rate so does New Ham.

Important bit is my budget which is upto £150 for £160 for 2bed flat/massionate.

or

£200k for 2 bed terraces house.

preferably I need an area which is safer and has good school if I am closer to rail link or tube I would count that as bonus but don't mind putting few extra minutes to get to station.

Any suggestion would be welcome.

Thanks for the help.

jayss

You won't get more than 1 bed in crystal palace for £160k.

BitterAndTwisted

Not a chance in hell

Wolfgang

Likewise, you wont get much (anything) in Bromley either.

manuce

so what would you suggest based on that kind of budget?considering less crime ridden areas in NE,SE or East london.

BitterAndTwisted

Walthamstow, Leytonstone.

There's crime everywhere but that doesn't mean that certain areas are impossible to live in peacefully. Some types of crime can be restricted to a couple of streets in a neighbourhood.

The school thing is the Holy Grail of buying in London and any places within the catchment-area of half-decent secondary schools carry a huge premium

bouicca21

The school thing is a bit of a red herring unless we know how old the children are - or what their strengths and weaknesses are. Schools have lives - what is a decent school this year, may be rubbish a few years down the line. And vice versa - a change of head can make an enormous difference. Furthermore it takes time for a school's reputation to catch up.

manuce

my child is 2 year old.I will take a look and explore more about Walthamstow Leytonstone. Thanks for the suggestion.

MB_moneysaver

You can try Abbey Wood and Belvedere (SE2 & DA17) as I'm sure that your budget will stretch to a small house. I've been living in the borders between the 2 for the last 11 years and never had any problems or witness crime / anti social behaviour. I believe it’s an area that will experience rapid growth due to Crossrail. I’m currently commuting from Abbey wood station which has frequent trains to central London and it’s zone 4. I’m not a parent so can’t advise on schools, however a friend who lives in Charlton (SE7) has her child enrolled in an “outstanding” primary school and I believe you can still get a flat in that area for your budget.


Best of luck!

verulamium

A friend of mine lives in Hither Green in Lewisham. Very nice area, plenty of nice cafes and restaurants are opening up there. I know of people who are priced out of East Dulwich, Peckham, Brockley etc. who are thinking of moving there thanks to its abundance of Victorian housing stock. But I doubt £200k can get you a 2 bed flat conversion, even there, though closer to Catford and you may find something.

You can get a house in Bromley for around £210k, but it wouldn't be close to any station.

Crime is part and parcel of living in London but don't let that put you off. I recently moved to Brockley/Ladywell from outside London, and was initially afraid of walking alone at night, but I've since relaxed a bit. Just have to be aware of your surroundings.

Check police.uk for local crime stats if you are worried of an area.

I wouldn't think too much about schools. A friend of mine is an assistant head and he pretty much admitted that Ofsted reports are worthless as they get out dated immediately. His school was rated outstanding but hasn't been assessed again for the past five years.

manuce

Yes keeping Abbey wood on the radar due to cross rail good to hear some insight stats from you Thanks guys for wonderful help and suggestions.