Where is suitable for us? Local area guides (London Borough of Bromley).

YRazor

My Wife and I are FTB looking to purchase a 3 bed house at around £430K.

We currently live in Bromley, London, (Masons Hill, short walk to Bromley South) we have been here 7+ years and we Love it here.

Our daughter goes to nursery in beckenham (the side close to shortlands) and I really dont want to uproot her so I tend to search for areas within 30 mins.

Wife works in Croydon (says she is happy to find work elsewhere), When I start going to the office I will be in maybe 2 days a week up London (By baker street station).

We have been trying to figure out where is nice and where is an absolute dive, as other than Bromley we dont really know the surrounding areas to well.

My Wife worries about racism in areas (we are both Black), she's also a social worker and says the entire borough of Croydon is a complete no no.

Obviously Beckenham would be ideal but if what we want is unlikely in Bromley then its a pipe dream in Beckenham.

So ive always been advised that St Mary Cray is a sh!thole and to avoid it like the plague and if i see the word 'Ramsden' on the map to run for the hills.

Its the same with Eltham/Mottingham and even Swanley I was advised against.

Its a shame because typically the best looking houses tend to show up in those areas.

I tend to simply search the Bromley borough when i go on Right move and all viewings so far have been in Orpington, West Wickham, Petts Wood, Elmstead Woods, Chislehurst and Sidcup which we recently added to our search.

Actually Sidcup (including bordering New Eltham) has actually thrown up some suprises and proved to be quite easy to get to by car and the areas seem quite nice.

I feel like i've typed a lot and havent asked a particular question so:

Does anyone have any knowledge and advice on the local areas from living there.

Are the blanket statements about areas true (i doubt it) or are you able to name any decent parts of said 'bad areas'.

Any advice from non Locals on how to go about finding out about an area ourselves.

Should I stop being a melt about Nursery and maybe broaden my horizon (Bexleyheath comes to mind)?

Anything else I am missing.

Billy_B_North

We live in Chislehurst, and are very happy here. The area between Green lane and White Horse hill isn’t great, but most of the rest of it is.

Are you sure you don’t want to consider changing nursery? Children are very resilient, and change rooms and carers even if they stay in the same one. In a couple of years they’ll be finished anyway, but you’ll likely be in your new house for years to come.

Edited to add, Bickley is very nice.

bouicca21

Beckenham is pretty white, as is Bromley, but there are certainly a number of BAME families.  3 bedrooms in your price bracket will be hard going, even the Elmers End area which is handy for the tram to Croydon, is probably too pricey.  A two bed flat would be achievable.

Parts of Croydon borough are ok - how about Addiscombe?

hazyjo

Orpington? Agree, avoid the Cray areas, but the rest is okay! Seems to be a few choices in your budget.

YRazor

Billy_B_North said:

We live in Chislehurst, and are very happy here. The area between Green lane and White Horse hill isn’t great, but most of the rest of it is.

Are you sure you don’t want to consider changing nursery? Children are very resilient, and change rooms and carers even if they stay in the same one. In a couple of years they’ll be finished anyway, but you’ll likely be in your new house for years to come.

Edited to add, Bickley is very nice.

Thanks Billy

My wife echoes pretty much what you say in regards to the Nursery and i know it does make sense especially as you mention she will only be there two more years which is nothing in comparision to how long we plan to remain in the house we purchase.

I really like the idea of Chislehurst but of course pricing tends to be the issue, we viewed a nice two bed with an outhouse and loft that could be converted but it was just off white Horse Hill and had flats towering over the back of the garden.

bouicca21 said:

Beckenham is pretty white, as is Bromley, but there are certainly a number of BAME families.  3 bedrooms in your price bracket will be hard going, even the Elmers End area which is handy for the tram to Croydon, is probably too pricey.  A two bed flat would be achievable.

Parts of Croydon borough are ok - how about Addiscombe?

Thanks @bouicca21

We havent faced too many issues finding 3 bed properties in some of the areas in our price range but so far nothing we have viewed has been 'the one'. We did infact lower our budget to the current value and increase the deposit to acheive 85% LTV and lower monthly mortgage payments. I think woring in the area and her clients have put my wife off Croydon.

I think Elmers End would be perfect but like you mention too pricey.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Orpington, West Wickham, Petts Wood, Hayes, Chislehurst, around Bromley Common are all pretty nice areas but a 3 bed for £430k might require a compromise, as an example this house looks fine but it's on the main road:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/100734641#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage

I wouldn't live in Croydon if you paid me. 

L_T_88

I wouldn't discount the entirety of Croydon. Addiscombe, Shirley, South Croydon, Selsdon, Sanderstead, Kenley, and Purley are all nice areas in their own right. Some of them may not be as culturally diverse as some other parts of Croydon but imagine they are much more so than comparable areas in Bromley Borough.

cattie

Despite what you've been told, Eltham is a very nice family centred area. Yes as with all areas there are places not so good, as with the Middle Park Estate which is a council estate & despite many houses now being in private ownership, the area doesn't exactly have curb appeal.  The Progress conservation area is extremely nice, with a very countryside feel & you can almost believe you're living in a cottage somewhere in Devon. You might just find something at the top of your price range there. Also the Eltham Park area is very desireable, I lived there myself for some years & only moved to downsize, but don't think you'd be able to afford to buy there. For some reason, since the Steven Lawrence trial, Eltham was wrongly considered racist.  I found it a very friendly area, no matter your race.

New Eltham is nice, but boring I feel as there is nothing there, just houses, a station & a few local shops & again I think you could struggle to buy for your price. Sidcup has a lot of retirement flats & different styles of housing. It once had a decent high st, but sadly so many of the businesses have long gone.

If you can afford to buy what you want in Bromley, I think I'd just stick to the area you're familar with. I've always thought Bromley a pretty decent place to live. A great shopping centre with good travel links from the 2 stations.

hazyjo

100% agree with all Cattie said. There are lovely parts in Eltham. I lived there twice and know it well. Lived in a cottage on the Progress Estate, and in Earlshall Road (Eltham Park end). Always felt safe. There are some decent shops and restaurants on that high street.

YRazor

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Orpington, West Wickham, Petts Wood, Hayes, Chislehurst, around Bromley Common are all pretty nice areas but a 3 bed for £430k might require a compromise, as an example this house looks fine but it's on the main road:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/100734641#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage

I wouldn't live in Croydon if you paid me. 

Thanks, we have actually looked at that particular property but the Wife wrote it off due to not having a bathtub. Agreed, any properties that match our requirements and budget in those areas will likely be missing something which why I wanted to try and be savvy finding decent parts of maybe less desirable local areas. This was a front runner until the Wife did a street view and saw it was directy opposite the entrance to a graveyard. https://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/56440455/ I am infact suprised to see it did eventually sell.

L_T_88 said:

I wouldn't discount the entirety of Croydon. Addiscombe, Shirley, South Croydon, Selsdon, Sanderstead, Kenley, and Purley are all nice areas in their own right. Some of them may not be as culturally diverse as some other parts of Croydon but imagine they are much more so than comparable areas in Bromley Borough.

I tell a lie, she did say that Shirley would be fine, by the border where the Boroughs of Croydon and Bromley meet.

cattie said:

Despite what you've been told, Eltham is a very nice family centred area. Yes as with all areas there are places not so good, as with the Middle Park Estate which is a council estate & despite many houses now being in private ownership, the area doesn't exactly have curb appeal.  The Progress conservation area is extremely nice, with a very countryside feel & you can almost believe you're living in a cottage somewhere in Devon. You might just find something at the top of your price range there. Also the Eltham Park area is very desireable, I lived there myself for some years & only moved to downsize, but don't think you'd be able to afford to buy there. For some reason, since the Steven Lawrence trial, Eltham was wrongly considered racist.  I found it a very friendly area, no matter your race.

New Eltham is nice, but boring I feel as there is nothing there, just houses, a station & a few local shops & again I think you could struggle to buy for your price. Sidcup has a lot of retirement flats & different styles of housing. It once had a decent high st, but sadly so many of the businesses have long gone.

If you can afford to buy what you want in Bromley, I think I'd just stick to the area you're familar with. I've always thought Bromley a pretty decent place to live. A great shopping centre with good travel links from the 2 stations.

Thank you @cattie and @hazyjo

I really appreciate the advice, its exactly the type I was hoping for. It's so easy for people to paint an area as bad or racist and with Eltham in particular Steven Lawerence is always the first thing mentioned when I ask about it but I assumed there must be decent parts. The fact that I offten find so much in Eltham well under budget did make me think that there may be some truth about the area. I think you are right, if we can stay in Bromley then we will, I'm just opening my mind to other local areas where we might be able to get a little more for our money e.g. Orpington where I usually see a new house listed everyday at the 425K mark.

hazyjo

Perhaps wait until a bit of normality and head to Eltham for a walk/ shop. Treat it like you live there, not just a wander. Do a shop in Sainsbury's maybe. Have lunch/dinner out. Can recommend Eltham Grill for a lovely old fashioned fish and chip/ burger lunch!