£500k to buy in London. Three kids

[Batteriesallgone]

Where should we go?

Don’t know london at all (went to Natural History Museum once as a child!). Need a three bed. House or flat. Good transport links to central London. Good primary schools.

Is this possible? I know London is crazy prices, and it’s huge, I have no idea where to start looking on rightmove. Love the idea of living as close to central London as possible but don’t know if that’s too idealistic / unaffordable / ridiculous.

OK ekto

Many thanks for your valuable contributions

Wow I’m clearly stressed I’m plopping winky faces everywhere. Sorry all. Completely unnecessary behaviour.

Batteries. I imagine you mean wacky and not w----!

Finchley, watch out for the A1, lots of nice cheap properties along it but it is very very noisy.

I don't know if anyone mentioned this before but saying prices aren't going up in London is not correct across the market. The bottom and middle are still holding their own, plenty still want to get on the ladder, buy a family house. It is the 3 bed plus bit of the market that is stagnating. Great market for upsizing, not so great for getting on the ladder / downsizing.

No, I mean wanky. I think wanky hipsters / wanky cafes is a reasonably well known term.

You know, the kind of place where you’re served a vegan brownie and a ‘clean green’ smoothie (ok I know that’s a Wagamamas thing but it definitely sounds wanky cafe esque) by a young guy with a beard and a top knot who enthuses to you about the interpretive ballet set to steel drums due to take place that afternoon down at the converted church.

I take the piss in a loving way though - generally I find places with an ‘alternative’ vibe are relaxed and less likely to try and engage the kids and generally we are left in peace to our own weird devices. My kids hate nothing more than a traditional tearoom with some friendly server who tries to make eye contact or talk to them about colouring in.

That Finchley Rd (v busy and polluted btw) flat only has a 93 year lease so I'd steer clear of that unless they're willing to increase it but that usually costs £££.

Finchley Road is the A1, six, maybe eight, lanes leading up to a bottleneck traffic light junction where that flat is......

But then half a mile on into London, turn left and you are going past Jonathan Ross's house going into Hampstead.....

Streatham is lovely (where we live) but if you are looking for a 3 bed house you will struggle unless you are ok with the Vale area (which is nice enough, but I prefer where I live which is closer to Streatham Common). Or try Norbury (one stop down on the train). We have great transport links (19 min to Victoria), access to two lovely commons and further afield but very close by public transport is also Crystal Palace (20-30 Min by bus) and Brockwell Park (8 Min on the train), lots of supermarkets and other useful shops, a few nice local events each year (a kite show, dog show, farmers markets etc) and a leisure centre. Oh and some decent pubs too. I'm very happy in the area, it's very family friendly. Plus, on Facebook "Streatham Mums Network" provides a unique form of entertainment! Quite an active group with all sorts of local chat.

Good tip Lette I do love a local fb group.

Our one consists almost entirely of people moaning about parking.

Kensal Rise/Green or Harselden/wilseden green - close to overground but also tube stations
Generally decent schools and wanky coffee shops a plenty!

That’s fortuitous Pippa as DH has just declared he likes the idea of being on/near the Jubilee line and ‘there’s lots of nice houses near Neasdon tube’.

Yes batteries although beware any of the houses on the North Circular Road (there are several listed on rightmove at the mo). They are close to Neasden station and look like nice houses in themselves but that would be a hellish road to live on. Three lanes of continuous noisy traffic, nowhere nice within walking distance (unless you count Ikea!), you get the picture I'm sure. They're cheap for a reason!

Look for houses on inside of the North Circular, close to Gladstone Park if possible. Happy to help if you want to PM me.

This: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56472447.html?utm_content=v2-ealertspropertyimage&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailupdates&utm_campaign=emailupdates7day&utm_term=buying&sc_id=13261375&onetime_FromEmail=true

Is very well priced for the local area

Just to chip in that Kensal rise / green is a world away from Harlesden/Willesden. Neasden is not nice.

You have to be careful near the north circ too, as several houses were compulsory purchased for a road extension that then never happened. They sat empty for about 15 years after the occupants had been forced out.

I would look at sydenham, catfish, lewisham with your budget

I'm a Croydoner born and bred, and I often work in central London (and often work near Heathrow). When it's a bad commute it's very bad but when it's nice it can be done in just over an hour for Heathrow and less than an hour for the West End. Also lots of options if one commuting route is buggered; it's all well and good living somewhere on a direct train route into central that takes 20 mins but when it's the ONLY route in, and it breaks, you are very very stuffed.

I am near enough to lines that go into London Bridge, Cannon Street and Victoria from different directions on three different providers so if one has loads of issues I can just go another way. Also if push comes to absolute shove it's possible to go via tram+tube or overground. Or even get a couple of buses. This applies 24 hours. The only time I've ever been truly stuck is when it snowed so much I got snowed in on my road and the trains and buses weren't running at all!

I haven't read all 13 pages so apologies if this has already been mentioned.
I live in Forest Gate,minutes to stratford,easy to get to Mayfair and under 2 hours to Heathrow,when crossrail opens you will have a direct train there.
My husband's family are from here and I have been here since just before the olympics. It has changed rapidly and there are lots of young families moving in. House prices are going up quickly,lots around the 500+ mark

East Ham which is just down the road also is very much on the up and also one of the primary schools there topped the league tables in England last year.
You can buy a 3 bedroom terrace with a garden for under 500k,a fixer upper for under 400.

Yeah, beware of Neasden and the North Circular. It can be a bit grim. It's not completely impossible though. Avoid Stonebridge Park.

If your DH likes the Jubilee line try looking within half a mile of Canada Water.

Leytonstone seems to be the go to spot for my friends upsizing for family sized properties at the moment. It’s affordable, well connected and has 2 outstanding primary schools. Friends have left Islington/ Camden flats and are really happy. It’s rapidly changing around there, lot’s of skips and builders vans around. Nice pubs and coffee.The roads off Mornington Road seem to be their focus. Excellent transport options and the numerous green spaces on your doorstep You can just about find a house on your budget, maybe a little more. Prices are static and falling at the moment, this could be a great time for you as a buyer !!

Re Neasden also, stay on the Dollis Hill side and it's fine (you'll see Gladstone Park on the map, anything around there is fine, boring and residential, but fine). Also close to Neasden and Dollis Hill tubes, both zone 3 Jubilee.

Anything on the Blackbird Hill side, or veering along the North Circ to Harlesden and it's pretty grotty.

Cricklewood might be an option then.

Two 3 bedroom garden flats here in your range.

1 and 2

Dollis Hill and Forest gate both sound good for perhaps a tad boring but good value and easy reach into more exciting territory.

Streatham and Crystal Palace for being more in the heart of things.

Those are the areas we need to look round in person and decide where we will rent for the start of the new job and whilst finding someone to buy.

I am a bit worried the property market will tank in the next year. Big movements tend to make any decision hard but nothing I can do about that.