To ask which areas of London are still ‘affordable’ for buying property?

I've just moved out of Streatham Vale ( where the house is that you're looking at). Was there for 15 years. Should state I'm a born and bred Londoner and have lived North South and West in my time.

We bought when Streatham Vale was rapidly gentrifying but it's plateaued and then massively tanked in recent years. The amount of buy to let properties in the Vale has sky rocketed as Croydon and Merton have both changed their HMO policies meaning that licenses/ planning is required now in both boroughs. The knock on effect has seen all the affordable housing in the Vale ( mostly 3 bed terraces) being bought by developers and turned into HMOs. We ended up with one on either side of us. Small houses meant for families turned into 6 bedsits. We had 16 people at one point between the two houses keeping different hours,

Now I know people have to live somewhere and I hated the NIMBY it turned me into - but the noise, the rubbish, -because there were never enough bins the rubbish would end up all over the road due to the foxes- We then got rats because of the rubbish, and true to South London, the overwhelming stink of skunk which was constant.

Previously nice family houses that had been cared for now with broken windows patched with cardboard and duvet covers hung up instead of curtains. Constant piles of crap in the front gardens that just sat there because no-one would pay for a bulky waste collection. Fly tipping around the vale is pretty much constant, by the way.

It broke my heart to leave our house because I love Streatham but it's not the area it once was. I felt safe enough while I was there but the stretch around the station is not particularly lovely and Aberfoyle Rd in particular has a halfway house on it with a constant turnover of quite troubled people. The Homebase opposite is closing this year and development starting on a controversial block of flats that will leave the station junction completely overwhelmed. GPs and dentists are hugely oversubscribed.

If I had your budget and wanted to live in Streatham I would head up more towards Streatham Hill, Tooting borders or the roads between the High Road and The Rookery.

DM me if you want any more info.

I've lived all over London. I currently have a small but very nice 2 bed in zone 1 - bottom of Bermondsey Street which I bought for £650k 2 years ago. Walking distance to the Shard/tower bridge. I'm The thinking of selling due to having a baby and the estate agent said it won't have increased much (still under £700k). Bermondsey area is generally affordable and so central and lots of small modern houses. Also Canada Water area has loads of nice affordable houses with parks nearby and good transport link with the jubilee line.

Walworth and Kennington also have houses in that budget but I don't think the areas are as nice. I go to Walworth market but I wouldn't want to live there as it's a bit dodge.

I know Streatham and I think it can be nice but the transport links can be frustrating as it's on a train line which often has issues/doesn't run.

Ah, just saw that @Alabasterbox and @MsFogi beat me to it! 🤗

Not technically London, but just outside, in Kent, and quicker to get into central London than many other places- Bickley/Bromley.
15 min to Victoria from Bromley South or 30 min from Bickley.
I’ve just moved here (from Greenwich), and absolutely love it. Best of both worlds - close to London, loads of shops nearby, but less than 10 min drive to beautiful forests and countryside.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143908529

I put 600k 3 bed with garden into Rightmove with a 5 mile radius of Central London and thousands of things came up, including a beautiful house in Wimbledon - but it is right near the train depot.

There is still a rink there!

Oh hey! I’m in South Tottenham, and 15mins walk from the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines. There are parks nearby and I can also get the bus straight into the City. My kids are also at an outstanding primary but the other schools round here are great! You can easily get a two bed house for less then £550k and turn it into a 4 bed for an extra £100k. Please DM me if you’d like!

Nunhead or Peckham?

Sorry to piggyback on this - where in North London would you suggest @bunnypenny ?

You could get this sort of thing in Bickley/Bromley (in great catchment area for both primary and secondary) and train straight into the City and Victoria - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86691252#/?channel=RES_BUY

There's a new ice rink in the gym there! Also still a big Sainsbury's and joined by a big Tesco's and a M and S food hall!

You could get a nice place in Highams Park or North Chingford with your budget.

This is a good site where you can put in your work destination Victoria and desired length of commute and it gives you areas of London to consider moving to:

www.commutefrom.com

Bromley! Great rail connections to Victoria. A small town in its own right in a way (shopping, restaurants, cinema). Beckenham also nice but not as convenient for travel as Bromley.

DH and I bought a flat in Streatham in a leafy street not far from Tooting Common and lived there in the late 00s and loved it. We still go back every so often to keep an eye on flat and tenants etc and it's still leafy and green!

Haven't been to Streatham High Rd for years though, but it was fine when we lived there. It had a good gym, the Odeon, Lidl, a huge 24-hour pharmacy and there's a big sainsburys down by the Common (imagine it's still there). I liked the area around Streatham Common less than where we lived. Streatham Hill was a bit nicer.

I grew up in a different part of SW London and Streatham used to be considered a place you just went to for the ice skating rink (long gone, sadly) and then left asap! But then again, in those days Balham was also a total no-go area!

Also very easy to commute to Victoria from there, plus you can take any bus to Tooting Bec and get the tube, or it's about 15 mins to walk.

That's a good price, Op. My only concern would be that the recent low traffic neighbourhood scheme means that the traffic is horrendous at times in that area so if driving towards Streatham Hill / getting the bus via Brixton then the journey is a long one.

Streatham is fine. Access to lots of green spaces, great housing stock and well performing schools. Trains from Streatham Hill to Victoria and good links to tube stations.

The house next door to me in Streatham sold for £800000 recently. It's a very normal 3 bedroomed end of terrace house needing modernisation.

Ah, didn't see you work in Victoria, it's an arse to get over there from SE18!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138906539

This is in my area. This house is a 15 minute walk down into Woolwich for mainline trains, DLR and the Lizzy Line. Easy bus into Blackheath and Greenwich. It's a really family friendly area- further up towards Shooters Hills feels more suburban and down towards Woolwich is more urban.

Look at stations on the victoria Orpington line

If west id go to Sudbury town area they're more affordable. Or south east

South Norwood/Selhurst/Norwood Jcn. The latter has v fast transport links and it's all close to the nice shops etc in Crystal Palace. Have a good look around that whole area as it can vary a lot from one street to another but some nice places and affordable houses on your budget.

Walthamstow will be (just) in budget I reckon and if you work in Victoria would be perfect as its on the Vic line!