Support for deciding on location & location suggestions west London and outskirts

zpargo

Hi all
I am looking for ways to short cut process of deciding on location without having to look at loads of area guides. Is there an organisation I can call who can consider my needs and quickly give me some good suggestions based on research?
Also much appreciated if anyone can chip in. But I have preference for West London and outskirts, looking at having, 183k Mortgage, £43-48k for the mortgage deposit and 20k as a buffer in the bank. I may be priced out of places like Ealing / Acton but I like those. Green spaces are preferable nearby, also gyms, markets and good transport links. 
Thanks

csgohan4

your budget in west London isn't much I'm afraid, you will need to compromise. Reading?

zpargo

csgohan4 said:

your budget in west London isn't much I'm afraid, you will need to compromise. Reading?

Thanks for honest feedback. East London is cheaper but I have no family / friends in that area. Even for a 1 bed in Ealing / Acton starts around £250k. I'm thinking either wait it out or get on the ladder but increasingly seems like I need to be in outskirts. I can look at Reading but will need to look at commute to Liverpool st. Maidenhead is another one I am thinking. 

AnotherJoe

These are all areas out of your budget AFAICS. I live in Wokingham (near Reading) and you'd not get much here for that. Maidenhead is more expensive than here. Slough might be cheaper (I dont know) but thats for a reason.

I think crossrail will eventually let you go direct to Liverpool St from Reading wont it?

Will your job be office based enough that you cant move out further?

p.s. and why the West of London? Why not East which i believe has cheaper areas?

zpargo

AnotherJoe said:

These are all areas out of your budget AFAICS. I live in Wokingham (near Reading) and you'd not get much here for that. Maidenhead is more expensive than here. Slough might be cheaper (I dont know) but thats for a reason.

I think crossrail will eventually let you go direct to Liverpool St from Reading wont it?

Will your job be office based enough that you cant move out further?

p.s. and why the West of London? Why not East which i believe has cheaper areas?

On cross rail, in the press I've read about the routes but what if I buy in Reading on assumption that cross rail will be fully operational in these parts and reality it could be delayed (have to pay pricey train costs each year on top of mortgage vs £1500 per year taking the tube if I live in London). Or worse yet, it might not complete in Reading and that part of the route scrapped - how can I be comfortable that it will complete - have TFL/national rail released statement stating its legally binding for it to complete, if so where would this be evidenced?
Yeah the job is currently 3 days in office, 2 days at home but if I move to a bank then they like to see 4 days in the office and 1 day at home although post covid I suspect they could be more flexible.
Preference is west London and outskirts as I have family and friends there and makes it easier to see them. Agree on East London being cheaper however I don't like the fact that I'd rarely be able to see friends / family. I have a disability and get fatigued and tired easily and therefore to date going half across London to see people has proved to be undesirable. If of course there is something in east london that is too good to refuse I will consider it, so not shutting the door completely on it. Any suggestions here I'd be grateful for too.
Thanks 

movingyear

How about Hayes, Northolt or Hounslow? 

AnotherJoe

I think the only doubt about crossrail is when not if, far too much work done to cancel out of it. You need to be careful in Reading, there are some very grotty areas and parking for the station can be an issue which crossrail can only exacerbate.

zpargo

Will have a look. Northolt I like that its close to tube station so travel costs roughly capped to £1500 p.a for tube costs. Wonder what the national rail annual costs would be Hounslow and Hayes p.a.

numbercruncher8

TBF it depends how much of a hit you want to take on the living quality.

From what you have said a theoretical maximum is around £241k (£183k mortgage + £48k deposit + £10k of the buffer).
That probably means properties at £250k are within range, and you should also shortlist those up to £275k in case they get reduced.

At this type of price you probably could live somewhere in Acton, but it may not be the nicest. Going east to the extremes on Crossrail you may be able to squeeze out a 2-bed modern flat in somewhere like Romford, that would give an OK journey to Liverpool St but a very long one to West London.

Moving close to family/friends definitely has some intangible value though, so up to you to figure out how valuable that is.

zpargo

numbercruncher8 said:

TBF it depends how much of a hit you want to take on the living quality.

From what you have said a theoretical maximum is around £241k (£183k mortgage + £48k deposit + £10k of the buffer).
That probably means properties at £250k are within range, and you should also shortlist those up to £275k in case they get reduced.

At this type of price you probably could live somewhere in Acton, but it may not be the nicest. Going east to the extremes on Crossrail you may be able to squeeze out a 2-bed modern flat in somewhere like Romford, that would give an OK journey to Liverpool St but a very long one to West London.

Moving close to family/friends definitely has some intangible value though, so up to you to figure out how valuable that is.

Yeah East London can give possibility for the 2 bed. I think that's one of the reasons why I can't rule out East London. 

AskAsk

be careful with living too far from where you work and relying on long commute.  trains are expensive and unreliable.  you may find that an employer will not employ you if you live too far away and have to rely on long commute to get into work.

there are some nice areas in east london.  they are not cheap though, they are just cheaper than the rest of london.

croydon, thornton heath and norbury are cheaper areas outside of london that is still easy enough to commute into london.