Moving to London with 4 month old

[SoonToBeDad30]

Hey all,
My wife, our 4 month old dd and I are relocating to London from Gloucestershire for job purposes. I’ll be working in Mayfair and we are looking for a quite a bohemian but family focused area. We are planning another child so need at least 3 beds and local baby groups and decent state primary schools as well as good nurseries. A private garden is preferable and the budget is roughly £500,000 any suggestions or particular areas we should look at?

@sm40

Beckenham. Not sure if it's very bohemian, but does everything else and 20 mins from Victoria.

Yeah ‘bohemian’ wouldn’t be my go-to description for Beckenham, I’d probably go with ‘suburban’ but it’s very lovely, family friendly, great schools, easy commute into Victoria for Mayfair, and you’d just about get something in budget.

Penge/Sydenham also worth a look, you’d want to be within walking distance of Penge East station for trains into Victoria.

There are three beds for around half a million in the Corbett Estate bit of Catford, which look nice. That area has really improved in the last decade. Train to London Bridge, then the Jubilee Line.

I thought about living there with DH and baby DS, but in the end left London instead (intending to go to Stroud! ended up a bit further north).

[quote SoonToBeDad30]@HarkAVagrant To be quite honest that makes me slightly nervous re the crime. Do you know anything about primary schools in the area as ideally we would like to move and stay until dd is at least secondary age.[/quote]
We were always going to move out before the kids reached primary age, not because of the schools but because of the lack of space, so I am not super hot on what the schools are like but DS would have gone to this one if we had stayed and I would have been happy with that - www.gayhurst.hackney.sch.uk/ - its rated Good. There's also Mossbourne Parkside which is Requires Improvement. But anyone who lives there now would have a better knowledge than me

[quote SoonToBeDad30]@HarkAVagrant To be quite honest that makes me slightly nervous re the crime. Do you know anything about primary schools in the area as ideally we would like to move and stay until dd is at least secondary age.[/quote]
If you look on map view on RM, You can see the closest schools. Definitely need to check admissions policies though because London schools can have very small catchments. It looks as if the nearest 2 schools are religious (Muslim, C o E) and only the 3rd in terms of distance is general admission.

@babychange12

500k will at best get you a 2 bed ex council property with a garden in zone 2/3...

This is not quite true. We're hunting at the moment and there are three beds available with gardens for under 500k. Yes, the vast majority are ex-council. You definitely need to be happy with an hour's commute but tbh, unless you're loaded that applies to almost everyone in London regardless of budget. I'd suggest targeting southeast - you get the best bang for your buck, by far. That is because it's not on tube lines but you can be a short walk from a train station with regular trains into central London, just not quite as frequent as the tube so you have to be a bit better at planning your journey. Alternatively look south, close to stations with train lines in to Victoria, which is probably your best bet for Mayfair

That is because it's not on tube lines but you can be a short walk from a train station with regular trains into central London, just not quite as frequent as the tube so you have to be a bit better at planning your journey.

I’m biased because I’ve always lived in SE London, but I much prefer being on a rail line vs the tube. The trade off of having to plan your journey a bit is worth it for journeys that are generally less crowded, hot and stuffy vs the tube.

Ealing/Northfields might be a good idea www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89856250#/

@BiarritzCrackers I may be biased but Stroud is lovely Particularly the town centre (if a bit steep) and Stratford park! My wife and I will have a look at Catford, thanks!

London neighbourhoods are all very, very different so it might be worth renting somewhere you might move eg Dalston and getting a feel of the different areas first. There can be a huge difference of demographics, vibe, safety over a short distance so it would be impossible to recommend a single place that met your needs.

This in Penge fits the brief:

Station Road, Penge, London
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-74505033.html

[quote SoonToBeDad30]We would also be willing to compromise on a two bed if it meant having a garden or being in a safer, nicer area. We were looking at this flat as I would possibly be able to cycle or take the bus to work.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86155759#/[/quote]
OIEO will go way over for that I would imagine.

I wouldn't be looking at a bus or tube commute either.

I'd look at SE London, for Mayfair you want to get into Victoria and walk (often much much quicker than the tube). Look at Bromley direction / Chislehurst / Petts Wood or Crystal Palace / Anerley and surrounds.

I wouldn't consider Dalston / hackney etc at all.

That Fulham flat is absolutely tiny, and about as far from Bohemian as you get.

If a 2 bed is an option, then you have lots of options - whether zone 3 Bohemia or in the sleepy, safer suburbs. Do you have any friends in London who you plan on socialising with? Might make sense to be their side of town. Catford especially is a great shout, and has good links into central, but is terribly connected to the other quarters of London. I never go to visit my friend in Catford...

@MyAnacondaMight We have friends in Chalk Farm and Kentish Town who we will likely see however I’m so unsure on safety in those areas and they are all childless so I would probably need advising from other parents as to whether those areas are suitable. I’m probably quite naive coming from Stroud

OP what sort of square footage are you looking for?

I know prices have dropped but that flat in Fulham seems a very low price. I'd check the lease length on that. Do you need a mortgage?

@AcornAutumn Minimum square footage would probably be around 800 square ft. We definitely need a mortgage. We can probably stretch to £550,000 but ideally we want to spend under £500,000.

Just looked at square footage on the Fulham apartment and I think it’s probably too small. We’ve seen another flat in Camden that looks tempting! www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88612654#/ It’s about an hours walk from my workplace as well which is ideal.

[quote SoonToBeDad30]We would also be willing to compromise on a two bed if it meant having a garden or being in a safer, nicer area. We were looking at this flat as I would possibly be able to cycle or take the bus to work.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86155759#/[/quote]
I live round the corner from this flat. Fulham is lovely but that's a teeny flat. I think you would all drive each other mad. I would look out of London and get more space. A family of 4 can't live in 400 square feet.

@SoonToBeDad30

Just looked at square footage on the Fulham apartment and I think it’s probably too small. We’ve seen another flat in Camden that looks tempting! www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88612654#/ It’s about an hours walk from my workplace as well which is ideal.

That's what I was thinking, I live in appx 500ft and find it hard just for me!

How familiar are you with London outer burbs?

I'm in Zone 5 and had a friend in Bedfordshire whose commute on a train was shorter than mine on the Tube. Everything is different now of course but a lot of this is about how much space you want. Do you expect to work from home at all?

None of those would be my favourite areas to live. Especially with a small child who will need a primary school.
I would look further West/South West and suck up the commute.
45 mins to an hour is standard in London.

This is a 1000 square feet in a relatively nice area of Ealing.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/75613371#/

It’s also 0.2 miles from a really good primary school.

This might be a bit left field but I would look at reading. If Mayfair is 10 mins from Paddington then it’s a good bet, trains from reading take 25 mins. So you could easily have a door to door commute of under an hour. For £500k you can easily get a 3 bed semi with garden in a nice area with good schools.

Plus once cross rail comes in it will be even easier!

@SoonToBeDad30 I live near that option in Fulham op (SW6). It's a brilliant area, great with kids and easy commute to Mayfair on the circle or district - or you could walk.

Elm Park Road, Pinner, HA5
www.rightmove.co.uk/property/77917629

You'd have the check the service charges.

Pinner is not bohemian but it's safe and you are linked well with the met line. Also in catchment for outstanding and good schools.

[quote roarfeckingroarr]@SoonToBeDad30 I live near that option in Fulham op (SW6). It's a brilliant area, great with kids and easy commute to Mayfair on the circle or district - or you could walk.[/quote]
Unless OP is considering private school, then I wouldn't bother with Fulham. Also it's TINY!!!