What do you think of this property in North Cheam?

sarm333

Hi everyone,

I just placed a reservation on this property:

rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-53564609[dot]html
(please copy the link and replace [dot] with an actual '.', as I cannot post links as a new user')

Just wanted to get some opinions from you experienced people here on this forum. A few key points I was looking for:

- Was price of the apartment good, based on size, location and that its a new build?
- How is the area of North Cheam? We went down there a few times and from what we saw, seemed to be a decent area. But some view from people who have lived there or know people living there would be nice.
- How is Barnard & Marcus as an estate agent? From what it looks like, they seem quite decent, as all the staff we've come across so far are quite friendly, polite and helpful. Has anyone ever bought a property from them?

Your opinions would be most appreciated!

piggeh

sarm333 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I just placed a reservation on this property:

rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-53564609[dot]html
(please copy the link and replace [dot] with an actual '.', as I cannot post links as a new user')

Just wanted to get some opinions from you experienced people here on this forum. A few key points I was looking for:

- Was price of the apartment good, based on size, location and that its a new build?
- How is the area of North Cheam? We went down there a few times and from what we saw, seemed to be a decent area. But some view from people who have lived there or know people living there would be nice.
- How is Barnard & Marcus as an estate agent? From what it looks like, they seem quite decent, as all the staff we've come across so far are quite friendly, polite and helpful. Has anyone ever bought a property from them?

Your opinions would be most appreciated!

I've been looking at the same development.

Can't say about Barnard & Marcus but I'm sure they're reputable enough.

North Cheam (or as the advertising for the apartment says, "North of Cheam") is okay. It doesn't really have much there in the way of shops apart from the sainsburys. You'll generally be looking to get to other places like Sutton, Wimbledon, etc. The good thing about those apartments are that they're on the 93 bus route which is about every 7 minutes and also operates as a night bus so you can get home regardless of the time you leave the pub. It's a little chavvy sometimes but generally a nice enough area.

The pub next door (The Nelson) is pretty decent, runs a fairly decent quiz on tuesdays,

The big problem with north cheam is train/tube links. You will need to get a 93 into Morden in the morning, or otherwise get to worcester park/sutton/cheam etc to get a train into London. I think if I moved there I'd drive near to Stoneleigh station and head up to London from there.

Price wise they aren't bad although £500 ground rent a year plus the £1400-odd service charges don't help - you're paying for a concierge service so its going to be a bit more than other service charges.

As for the flats themselves I quite like them apart from the lack of storage space.

Personally speaking for the prices quoted on their phase 2 price list I would be inclined to look at older, bigger flats myself first (not much available though!), but I can see the appeal in a new conversion with all new mod cons etc. If they still have some available in a few months and with help to buy, I might start to consider it.

StumpyPumpy

First thing that strikes me is that it is quite unusual these days to have a 2 bed apartment without an en suite. This really cuts down the chances of being able to rent it out to flat sharers if you should ever want to; therefore reducing its saleability as btl's would be less likely to be interested, now or in the future.

SP

Elfbert

If that CGI is indicative of all the apartments, it not only doesn't have en suite, it doesn't even have a bath tub! I'd say that was cutting out both sharers renting and young families who can't afford bigger than a 2 bed.

I think between the price, location and layout you can get better for your money.

Innys1

Where's the kitchen? A very small one in the lounge?

ellie27

Buying a house is a huge decision on what will be the most expensive thing you will buy. I think it is very important to do all your research before putting down a reservation, although I think you can get the fee back.

Can't answer any of your questions, but the nature of your post does sound to me like you are not so sure its the right thing to do....?

Chanes

I have no idea about the location or quality but I just had to say WOW at the price and not in a good way, it's so expensive! I know it might be par for the place but..WOW. Sorry, totally useless reply. Good luck whatever, if you spend that much you deserve something decent!

sarm333

@piggeh - thank you for your insight into my current situation. Yes, working in London, we'd have to use a bus to get to Morden to continue our journey into central London, but thats nothing different to what we currently do now. So we're pretty much used to it! Looking on tfl, our journey time probably increases by 10 mins compared to where we currently live, so not much of a difference! Plus, I think there's two other buses (incl 413) that goes from outside the apartments to the station. As for the area, yes it may not be say Chelsea or Kensington, but its quite close to Wimbledon, so I think it beats say North London anyday. But thanks for the tips regarding travel and whats in the area.

@innys1 - the thick white wall that separates the first bedroom and the lounge/kitchen represents the kitchen units. The thinner walls you see apparently is the thickness of the walls, so the thicker wall indicates the kitchen units being alongside that wall.

@ellie27 - i didnt mean to indicate that I wasn't sure. I just wanted other people's opinion if they've dealt with Barnard & Marcus, lived in North Cheam or are considering on buying in that area. I've already somewhat commited and are in the process of getting a mortgage.

@Chanes - during our househunt, this was actually really cheap compared to the others we've seen. Yes its quite small (that's why we had to go for the biggest), but that was a compromise for say a parking space, concierge, close to parent's home, fairly decent area (being next to wimbledon) and having a closest station be in zone 4. Others we've seen, say in Pinner, Brentford and Harrow were all nearing the £400k mark. London is not a cheap city to live in! But that is our needs.

sarm333

In terms of no en suite, yes, this was a drawback when it comes to renting, but we're currently renting out and sharing bathrooms, so we're pretty much used to the concept. In addition, we're considering on not renting and turning the extra bedroom into a storage/extra lounge. But yes, this was one of the things we had to compromise when choosing this apartment as we put other factors above it.

Broughts

I've bought and sold with Barnard Marcus, they were fine.

Have you thought about looking in Worcester Park. You'd be able to get something for around the same price and you'd be much closer to transport and shops. Although you probably won't get a new build if that's what you want.

fairy_lights

Didn't you post a thread about this exact same property two days ago?