Advise me on nice cheap London areas!

[MissHonkover]

Have only ever rented in London, and haven't lived there for years. Trying to weigh up 'travelable to London' with 'edge of London'. Also would now want to buy (for about 50p).

Here are my criteria:
Nothing urban and edgy - Hackney definitely isn't for me.
Green bits
Somewhere with decentish transport links
Naice shops

Does this even exist?

[QuintessentialyHollow]

Dont come www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/1394284-Property-porn-Does-this-property-make-sense the house prices are more absurd than the properties on offer.

However, if you go a little bit further east, to Wandsworth, where council tax is cheap, links to Waterloo (or district line) decent, I can offer you a reasonable little pocket (close to the green spaces of Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park), that is the Dover House conservation area

[charitygirl]

Hmm, not much is affordable and naice! Saw a few decent shops last time I was driving through Hither Green (se13) and it's cheap round there. Very suburban and near blackheath and Greenwich but very much not posh! Wouldn't call it urban, but not affluent. Same goes for Ladywell nearby.

I know there are bits on the Essex edge of n London which might meet yr criteria, but that's not my manor.

[QuintessentialyHollow]

From Dover House road area, you can go to nearby Barnes (by the river, with lovely pond and great quaint shops and boutiques, restaurants and cafes), East Sheen (slightly more urban, but with excellent shops, and Waitrose), and Putney, where you have a highstreet with everything you need, including Wagamamas and Halfords, Waitrose and Sainsburies, Benetton, poundshops, Jigsaw, TkMaxx, and the Putney Exchange shopping centre.

[MissHonkover]

Hhm. I know Hither Green and East Sheen. East Sheen would be WAY out of our price range. Maybe we need to go much much further out. Should I be thinking about places like Whetstone? Barnet? Harrow? No idea if any of those places are cheap!

Lived in zone 2 last time, so those places would have been like living on the moon!

This is how two friends of mine ended up in Exeter, they looked further and further west to keep it cheap...

[QuintessentialyHollow]

No, you need to go to Dover House road. All I am saying is, if you live there, you have East Sheen, Barnes and Putney in easy reach, but house prices are much cheaper.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

What is your budget and what are you looking for?

[MissHonkover]

Just looked at the rightmove link, and the cheapest house is three times what ours is worth!

[goingtoofast]

How about moving to Herts, rail links to London are very good. Harpenden, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City are nice places.

[MissHonkover]

bibbity, I think we could be screwed. We may need to move to London(ish) for work, but don't know yet. Our current house is worth about 125K, although we could probably get a mortgage for a bit more than that.

We'd need somewhere with either 3 beds, or 2 bed, 2 reception.

Please don't laugh.

[QuintessentialyHollow]

How many beds do you need? Must it be a house, or can it be a flat?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

I promise I am not laughing but I think it will be impossible to find what you are looking for within London itself.

[goingtoofast]

I think you will need at least 220K even in Herts.

[QuintessentialyHollow]

Will you be interested in shared ownership? Will you or your dp be able to renovate and buy a doer upper?

[notcitrus]

Can't see you getting anything over 1-bed for £150k anywhere in London, sadly.
On the other hand, if you will need to be in London, the larger salary should cover something bigger.

I'd look at Streatham, which is cheaper than Surrey, has green spaces, excellent transport links and while not many 'nice' shops has a few good places plus said transport gets you to Balham's Waitrose etc and Dulwich very easily (and Croydon in 10 min by train, for your large dept stores). A bit south is Norbury and Thornton Heath, which have green spaces and not bad transport but are generally run-down suburbs. But cheaper...

[MissHonkover]

Thank ladies, this is kind of what I thought. Just wanted to make sure I hadn't overlooked anywhere.

Pah.

[DrownedGirl]

Try Leyton/Leytonstone

[jasminerice]

We're in kingston. Your budget would buy you a studio flat. But all your other criteria are covered.

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

Plumstead (zone 4) is cheap and green but doesn't have marvellous transport links.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Camberwell? No tube, which keeps prices low-ish, but bus and overground train links are excellent, and it is zone 2 which means cheaper transport costs. Lots of parks, and gardens are relatively large considering proximity to the centre. I would consider it 'mixed' rather than 'edgy' or 'nice', but it has some good restaurants and Dulwich is nearby for nice shopping. Nunhead and Peckham also worth considering, again quite mixed but there are some pleasant enough streets.

You probably would need to increase your budget though.

[MissHonkover]

Cheers for the ideas.

I think a studio flat would result in carnage.

No, it doesn't have to be London, would be happy with a reasonable commute. I've been away from London for nearly a decade, and I have a very slow paced life now with village shops and a beach, not sure I could cope with Camberwell!

[MissHonkover]

Have wondered about where is within commuting, suggestions so far are Hove, Hastings, Leigh on Sea, Whitstable, Lewes. Other ideas very welcome!

[cece]

misshonke 3beds in West Byfleet for £190,00

[cece]

a whole house but needs doing up in Ashford

[MissHonkover]

Thanks cece, wonder if that man is included in the price for the Ashford house.