Making the move from North to South London

zagubov

Only ever south London for me as well. South west London. Not bothered by the lack of tube. There are a couple of bottlenecks in the rail system though, and yesterday's Vauxhall problem affected a lot of travellers.

Bladiohead

hazyjo wrote: »

lol I am property-obsessed Spent hours looking at Norfolk properties the other day, as you do. Nearly bought in Tunbridge Wells before which I wish I'd live in, and next move will be Leigh-on-Sea.


Have lived in:


Chigwell, Blackheath SE3, Westcombe Park SE10, Eltham SE9 (twice), Highams Park E4, Brentwood, and Chingford E4. Loved Blackheath the most, Westcombe Park second, Brentwood the least (bad memories).


Know lots of surrounding areas too (especially near Chigwell & Chingford).


Jx

Thanks! Sounds like Blackheath is definitely worth keeping my eye on and I will definitely check out the surrounding areas.

I know what you mean about looking at properties in random areas. I normally find myself looking at cheap areas that have just appeared on a property programme, and dreaming about what I would get for my money!

Jhoney_2

Not North London, but North of the River (s.w6) to South of the River and have never looked back.

SW6 - Home burglaries, car theft, crack dealing (yes, crack!) etc was rife - but under reported.

District line nightmares with no options for miles!!!

Now, i'm not saying this doesn't exist elsewhere but the sensational journalism is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

To add to Bouicca21s list I would also add Brockley (No i don't live there) and remind you that the London overground can be found at many of the places in that post.

Also Nunhead Station goes into Victoria too, but not sure your budget would stretch to that area as I don't follow the property market. :-)

There some lovely leafy areas though within a short walk e.g Telegraph Hill and Peckham Rye is a nice stroll without being in the thick of bustling Peckham.

EDIT: Just had a look and nice period properties 3/4 bed cost a fortune!!!

botchjob

For £600k you could still get a 3 bedder in bits of Walthamstow, Blackhorse Road (both Victoria Line), Forest Gate, Leyton, and the area. Across the marshes but not so bog trotting as the Sarf, and with good transport links.

Jhoney_2

Yep, I agree with the previous poster. You certainly can - but not without good reason. It's certainly not the trans links so what is it I wonder - lots of vendors selling cheaply to help everyone get on/move up the ladder?

I would take south London over East London all day long, but we all have our preferences. You pays your money...

elverson

You'll get a lot for your money in Brockley and Nunhead as well.

westernpromise

Places that are cheap are cheap for a reason.

ElsieMonkey

I'm a born and bred Londoner, but have always moved around all corners of London freely. I was born and grew up in west London, mainly around the Acton and Ealing areas, parents then moved more North, I now live in NW London, but have also lived in SE London in Bermondsey and also around Tulse Hill. Different areas have different vibes, and personally I'd go back to Bermondsey any day. I don't really get the 'fear' of crossing the river, never have.

My fiance and me are actually moving out of London now :eek: (I know, shock horror). It took me along time to get my head around moving out of London, since I feel it's such a part of my identity. But after scouring literally all corners of London for a decent family house/garden within our budget (we're currently in 2 bed flat), I'm 100% up for moving away and never looking back! We ended up looking in Bromley/Beckenham/Crystal Palace areas which I do love, but our budget like you would have been 500-600k and that would require both me and my partner forever working full-time and juggling childcare costs (haven't a child yet, but planning for coming year). Decided we didn't want that lifestyle. For our budget it's not like we had the pick of areas we could afford to live in in London either - our budget literally forced us into SE London (I love SE London but would be nice to have a choice)! So we're moving out of London, where we can afford a house/garden on 1 salary, i can be full time mum when time comes and partner can commute to London for work still in 1 hour. I can't wait.

Anyway, my point is, expand your search in SE London to Bromley, Beckenham, Crystal Palace areas.Tube network doesn't stretch as far in the S/SE of London but there's still public transport - rail / overground line etc. Some areas have the Kent grammar school system too. All these areas seemed very nice and more family friendly/down to earth than a lot of west and north London is you ask me - good luck!

suki1964

ElsieMonkey, we moved out of London 10 years ago and haven't looked back

Taking on a 500k mortgage in our 40's wasn't an option, we didn't want to be working into our late 60's to pay for a roof over our heads. Now we are mortgage free and live quite well on one wage

It did take a year or two getting used to not living there, now I find even visiting very claustrophobic

ElsieMonkey

suki1964 wrote: »

ElsieMonkey, we moved out of London 10 years ago and haven't looked back

Taking on a 500k mortgage in our 40's wasn't an option, we didn't want to be working into our late 60's to pay for a roof over our heads. Now we are mortgage free and live quite well on one wage

It did take a year or two getting used to not living there, now I find even visiting very claustrophobic

That's comforting to hear. When we move we will have what sounds in London terms a tiny mortgage (50k max)...as opposed to a 300k mortgage if we tried to stay in London. It really is the way forward! I don't want us to both work full time up until retirement, struggle with full time childcare costs (literally 1 of us will be working full-time to pay a childminder - madness)! Then be too knackered at the weekend to enjoy playing with my child. Decision made!:T