Buying in Upminster - areas to focus on / avoid

ZaraB

Hi 
We have decided to try and buy a house in Upminster after months of looking at a range of areas. We've done as much "internet trawling" and walking around as we possibly can, we've looked at the primary and secondary school Ofsted reports...but what we are hoping for now is honest opinions from local people about the best bits/streets and areas to avoid. 
We aren't from the area and don't know anyone who lives there, I've seen/heard mentions of "estates" in online forums (such as the Upminster Park estate or the Racecourse estate) and have no idea which parts they are!
Obviously everyone has budget constraints so we can't just pick and choose like a millionaire, but does anyone know the area well and feel brave enough to say "north of Road X is a bit rougher than south of road Y" for example.
Thanks!

hazyjo

This will give you some idea of the 'more desirable streets'.

https://vis.oobrien.com/booth/

You can't zoom in that close, but it may help.

Great place to buy IMO.

bellabella

I live  in that area i suggest you join the FB pages it will give lots of local info x It is all very subjective  and you may be bothered by things that i am not for instance we have a pub at the bottom of our road in 50 years it has never been a problem but some may not like this .You also need to be aware the lower Thames Crossing will be affecting some parts of the area , this has now gone for approval . You can pm me a few road names or rough area and i can tell you what i think or if i know of any particular issues 

ZaraB

hazyjo said:

This will give you some idea of the 'more desirable streets'.
You can't zoom in that close, but it may help.
Great place to buy IMO.

Thanks so much for this - I didn't even know this map was a thing! Really interesting, not just for house buying!

bellabella said:

I live  in that area i suggest you join the FB pages it will give lots of local info x It is all very subjective  and you may be bothered by things that i am not for instance we have a pub at the bottom of our road in 50 years it has never been a problem but some may not like this .You also need to be aware the lower Thames Crossing will be affecting some parts of the area , this has now gone for approval . You can pm me a few road names or rough area and i can tell you what i think or if i know of any particular issues 

Thank you for these tips, really good ideas. Would you mind letting me know the name of the Facebook groups you mention, I've searched but can't find any :S 
A pub at the bottom of the road sounds perfect for my husband haha! I have just been on Rightmove to see what is available within a mile of the station and will take you up on your offer of your views, thank you so much

macman

If you are going to be commuting into L/Pl St, then you might consider going slightly further north so as to be in reach of one of the stations on the Crossrail line. Harold Wood would be the nearest one to Upminster. Those District line stations going East always seemed interminable to me
Who knows, by the time you move, the line might even be open!

MysteryMe

Upminster has C2C trains going in to London (I think that's the operator) which is quicker than the District Line. I would think prices would be at quite a premium now for properties close to Crossrail stations- if it ever opens!

ZaraB

Thanks for the suggestions guys but we have looked at heaps of areas across a few train lines and Upminster is our winner for a long list of boring reasons It's now just to work out if there are any parts of Upminster that are less desirable...although looking at Rightmove we may have that decided for us by the stock available!

hazyjo

Agree with MysteryMe. You'll want C2C into Fen St. It's on my line. Forget other lines or the tube. Fen St is a very easy walk from Liv St (if that's where you're heading).

Can't remember who first linked to that map, but I agree it's very interesting. I've not found much I disagree with on it yet.

bex2012

I dont think there are any really dodgy areas in upminster to be honest. Cranham has the bulk of the council houses, but they arent rough council houses, when I was last there they seemed to be fairly well kept. Upminster is a nice area, with a good high street with a good selection of independent shops.