Where to buy in London?

Halle71

donfanatico wrote: »

For 500k you might be able to find something in Southfields.

You may get ex LA or a 3 bed flat but 3 bed terraces in Southfields start at about £650k with most at £7-900k. Same with Earlsfield and Wimbledon.

Possibly Colliers Wood.

AndyGuil

cupid_s wrote: »

Thanks everyone. This is really helpful.

I hear such mixed things about Walthamstow, but it would only be a 25 minute commute from Walthamstow central and I know I could get something which is a decent size. It’s definitely somewhere I’ll try to scope out, and spend some time there to see what it’s like.

My aunt used to live in Blackheath and she recommended there, but although it’s only about 45 minutes from the station to my work, unless I am living very close to Blackheath station (which I can’t afford – even if I’m only looking at flats) the commute is nearer to an hour which is just not feasible for me. I think with my work being the North side it just doesn’t make sense to be living in SE.

Commute cost is another problem. I could probably just about afford zone 6 but once my OH moves in with me, we would be spending 7k a year to commute from somewhere like Hemel Hempstead and with commute costs like that, the amount we could afford to take out on mortgage would drop dramatically.

I would love to live somewhere like Wimbledon, but it is well out of budget for me and is much more of a commute than I currently do. My best friend currently lives in Worcester Park actually so I’ve spent a bit of time there and you can get a decent amount for your money and the commute isn’t that expensive. She was trying to convince me to buy there or in Raynes Park but she has recently started work in the building next door to me and her commute is 1hr10 and after doing that for only a month she is looking to move somewhere closer. I'd definitely rather compromise slightly on size and location to have a decent commute.

Andy – any part of Finchley in particular (is East Finchley much better than around Finchley central or West?)

Finchley was very nice when I went through there last. I'm not 100% sure which part is best. Definitely worth a visit. I was also surprised at how nice Barnet was.

Jaybo10

We moved to Leytonstone in the summer. Bought a 3 bed Victorian terrace with a 90 ft garden for under your budget within 6 minute walk to the tube.
It is a bit rough around the edges but green shoots are appearing.

cupid_s wrote: »

What route would you take? I've just typed into citymapper "get me to crofton park" and it reckons the commute is 55 minutes, and my work is pretty close to the tube. Sydenham is also apparently 50 minutes and I'd still have to get from the tube or train station home.

I hadn't even considered leytonstone. I'll have a look at prices there thanks.

strawberries1

I'm interested in this thread; although my budget is £180k for a fixer upper.

[Deleted User]

If you don't mind zone 6, you could try borehamwood. You could spend £400k and get a nice 3 or 4 bed house there. There's also Shenley (nicer, more countryside) but a bit far from the station for my liking.

I'm in bricket wood. It's a little village between watford and St. Albans, where the m1 meets the m25. I can get to Euston from here in 35 minutes, via our little station and Watford junction - or a short drive takes you to Radlett, and into kings cross. With £500k you'd get a lovely 4 bed detached out here. We have lots of countryside too!

FYI - both finchley and barnet are quite nice, as you've said. Mill hill and Edgeware are ok too. The northern line can be hell though

Finst

May I strongly recommend Tooting Bec? In particularly, the Heritage Park development (about 15 years old, so newish but without the newbuild premium).

3 Bedroom houses there (with garage and garden) were going for about 400k recently, but are rising. (The extension of the Clapham effect beyond Balham)

bluedrop

come to Bromley / west wickham/Beckenham. Lovely areas, less than 30 mins to central london, good schools, safe areas.

You can get a really nice 3 bed house with a garage with your budget in West Wickham .... look at houses on "The Avenue" - my neighbour's son bought a nice house there...

PM me if you need more info

qetu1357

cupid_s wrote: »

Hi all,
I am looking for somewhere to buy in London, and really have no idea where to start. The only areas I know well are around SW (Fulham, Hammersmith, Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham) and they are lovely but I can’t afford to live there.

I would like a commute of 40 minutes or less to Euston Square/Warren Street, so somewhere on the Victoria, Northern, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan or Circle lines would be perfect.

I have a budget of 500k, which sounds loads to me having moved from the North, but I absolutely need at least 3 bedrooms and some outside space (communal grounds is fine) and it's not easy finding anything more than a 2-bed flat for that amount.

Can anyone suggest anywhere? I have never lived in the greatest areas so I’m happy to buy in an area that’s a little rough around the edges. Just nowhere that would be classed as unsafe.

Thanks

I suggest Loughton/Buckhurst Hill/Epping/Theydon Bois.

rach_k

We used to live in Raynes Park/West Wimbledon (estate agents would, of course, say West Wimbledon!), about half way between Raynes Park Station and Morden Station. I liked the area and the transport links were decent. Where we were, it was about 10-15 minutes to either station on the bus, then 40 minutes to Central London so not bad. If you lived nearer one of the stations rather than in between them you would cut the commute down to what you're looking for. You could easily buy a nice 4 bedroom house with a garden for £500K around there. I would make sure to get one down a side street or cul-de-sac though rather than on a big road. I'm a Northerner and I found the lack of community in flats/main roads quite shocking when I first moved down here, but the side streets are much friendlier

cupid_s

Finst wrote: »

May I strongly recommend Tooting Bec? In particularly, the Heritage Park development (about 15 years old, so newish but without the newbuild premium).

3 Bedroom houses there (with garage and garden) were going for about 400k recently, but are rising. (The extension of the Clapham effect beyond Balham)

Could you give me any more info on what Tooting is like? In particular any good and bad points. I have a friend who lives there and he really doesn't like it, and more to the point doesn't think I would.

But then I know some people who live there and think it's the best place ever. A girl at work has lived there for 5 years and is gutted that she can't afford to buy in Tooting and is having to move further out.

I'm now building up a not-so-short shortlist, and my friend and I are going to spend an evening in each place I think I might like just to see if I think I'd like it there. I know an evening isn't that long but it was all I needed to know I wouldn't want to live in Acton, and that I actually quite liked Brixton (not that I can afford Brixton unfortunately).

Cornucopia wrote: »

Southgate.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42553534.html

Alternatively rethink the commuting cost vs. budget and buy something near Ebbsfleet in Kent (17 mins St Pancras).

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-43909862.html?premiumA=true

I think we could possibly get somewhere for ~300k if we did live further out, but the mortgage on that would only be £780 a month cheaper than a 500k house closer to my work.

But commuting from there would be an extra 7k a year for us compared to somewhere in zone 3, such as Tooting or Walthamstow, so once you work out accommodation plus transport we’re only £2400 a year better off living further out. That’s not taking into account the fact that about half of the extra £780 we’d be paying each month on the mortgage would be coming off the capital so we'd get it back when we sell.

Also when we eventually want to sell and move the mini cupids out to a bigger house, we only have a house worth ~300k to sell, as opposed to a house that is worth ~500 (probably significantly more seeing as prices are rising much faster in London than outside it).

Then there’s additional issues of how we get home from central London when we’re out later than the trains run. If it’s outside the bus zone I have no idea how we’d get back because we certainly can’t afford taxis twice a week.

So in the decision between house cost and commute cost, there is no decision for us really.