Living in London

[Yesnomaybeok]

I'm considering a move to London. It would be a completely different area from the one I'm used to but I visit several times a year and love it. I love the bustle, the amount to do, the parks, the buildings. I feel like I need somewhere that challenges me more, better job opportunities, potential for a better social life, more to do, evening classes, learn a language etc. However, I'm in my 40s so is this crazy? I'd have a decent deposit for a house so wouldn't have a huge morgage but wouldn't have a huge wage. I'd be moving away from older parents and other family but there are no children of my own to consider and very few friends. Is this a stupid decision? Job wise I think I'd be ok finding one in my sector.

I do just think though, if you're going to move somewhere like Kingston upon Thames, what's the point? Unless you need to move to London for work, or your family/social life etc are in London, why go to the expense of moving to the outskirts of London? It'll still be more expensive than not living in London, but many non-London towns/cities are really not that far by train. If you're not going in to the centre mid week, because you're too far away/have no money to go out regularly, and you're only going in on the weekend anyway, why not just live somewhere cheaper, an hour or so away on the train? In my experience, living on the outskirts is no different to living in the suburbs anywhere else, but it's more expensive. Where do you live now OP? If your current area doesn't excite you, how about a move somewhere entirely different? Will depend on jobs of course, and if you need to live in a big city for work, that would limit you.

I agree with @Hayliebells . Kingston is not London. Families with children move there because it's an excellent place to do family-ing (good schools, more space etc). I don't know why anyone else would actively choose to live there.

Do what to the day? 🤔

Life's not that bad, surely 😂.

I meant to correct but seizeeeeee

Definitely a funnier than average error 😂.

My baby doesn't like sleeping so I often wish I could 'cease' the day.

It would be doable on that budget but you do need to manage your expectations. I bought my one bed in zone 4 for 200k in 2021, leasehold with 160 years on the lease, no tube near me but overground and thameslink into London Bridge in 12 mins. But I’m not joking that my flat is fucking TINY. 35m sq. Even as a sole person it feels cramped sometimes (and my partner’s just moved in but that’s another story…)

Mortgage is 795 a month but that was on a fixed rate of 3% which as we know, doesn’t exist right now. My overall outgoings including council tax and bills are just over 1000. Flats under 300k or even under 250k do absolutely exist but they’re likely to be incredibly small, in zone 4, not near a tube station and in less desirable areas. Personally all this works for me as I love London and want to live here more than I want lots of space. Id suggest putting your budget into rightmove and seeing what comes up, and visiting some of the areas you could afford to buy in.

@Hayliebells the big difference though may be cost- if you want to go into central London 'a lot' - then living still in zones in places like kingston or Bromley or Barnet makes it more affordable- places an hour out won't be in zones- and the cost archers up a fair old bit- so yep she could get better value in reading, Swindon, Bedford etc but spend a lot of money commuting in- but as I've said if the oP wants far more central and with her budget she would be better looking at shared ownership in somewhere like Wandsworth

@Goldbar I totally disagree , we loved that area when just a couple - it really depends what you like- and I liked shops , cafes, Richmond park and river walks and relatively cheap into central London when I wanted it- - I'm really not bothered about galleries or shows or museums etc.

The difference between Kingston and somewhere an hour out of London is that you can be in the West End every night and be home in half an hour, and the trains run regularly until late.

I think you’d be absolutely fine in zone 3 - totally not the same as living an hour out of london, which we did because we thought it would be more sensible in terms of ££££, regretted and moved back pretty quickly.

The best thing you could do for your budget and to really get to know the city is to get a bike. An electric one if you’re a bit further out. Will save you hundreds every month in transport and london has better cycling infrastructure than any other uk city. (My route to work takes my past Buckingham palace and through Hyde park every morning on a great bike route). It also means you don’t need to live near a tube station so gives you better flexibility on where to buy - probs south east with your budget.

Oh my downstairs neighbour lived there in the 80s! Said it was a great place to live.

You can get a nice one bed flat in zone 2/3 for £350k OP, don't let people put you off!

You know London is fucked when someone says they have a 'decent deposit' and you think they mean £500k+.

Anyway you should definitely move to London, it's awesome. You can make it work if you're prepared to get a decent mortgage.

Or why not rent for a year or two? You might hate it and then at least you're not tied.

I lived there when I was young, it was a laugh but honestly apart from the museums and the art galleries you can do everything else elsewhere I can get decent cuisine from loads of countries in my home area now, I go to classes I and I belong to a couple of hiking groups and a quiz team.

I used to have to work occasionally at the House of Commons so I guess that was unique. The Royal Parks are nice and I loved Notting Hill Carnival but there are lovely parks where I live and smaller but still fun carnivals in the city 5 miles from where I live.

My friends DD pays 2k per month for a flat in central London. London solo is doable if you are living in a shared house.

@Almahart My friend was the first to buy we were all about 21 and she bought a flat in Clapham for 24k this was about 1989 and we thought she was crackers as it was so expensive.

There are places available for your budget. Depends how much you want to go i guess?

Wood Green is quite rough in parts but my friend got a starter house there as it was good value. She said the areas near Alexandra Palace are fine so not sure if this would be suitable

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131586872#/?channel=RES_BUY

If you could push your budget, another friend lives in this actual building! The location is brilliant and I would wholeheartedly recommend.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134270195#/?channel=RES_BUY

My cornflakes box 2 bedder in zone 3 is £350k (according to Zoopla). It's not that roomy or nice.

In Zone 1 you are looking at £350k+ for a 1 bedder, at least. £200k won't get you anything.

I know people who cycle into parts of central London from Bromley and Kingston.

Though they are precious about their bikes and don't just lock them in the street when they arrive at places. Secure bike parking is a must.

This looks like great value but Quite a short lease - not sure how that impacts the value so would be worth liking into that.

Be careful with the service charge on blocks of flats, this is 3300pa so almost 300 quid a month. Seems like a lot for a cheap flat! Agree it’s a great location though

I love london, I’ve lived there for years. Currently not living there and desperate to return! However, I wonder if with your budget you might be better off in a different city? How about Manchester? Still loads to do and a big city vibe but your money would go further.

There’s this in New Cross.
Close to the Overground at New Cross and New Cross Gate. It needs refurbishment and they say “it might suit a cash buyer”, so maybe that means you could get a mortgage with a large deposit.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/139661315#/?channel=RES_BUY

Goldsmiths is close, and Lewisham College. Central London it ain’t, but Deptford is lively and Brockley has a good vibe and a farmers market and a nice community feel and you can get to central London easily and back home late at night.

I'm quite surprised you got so far ahead in your thinking and planning about this without having a 10 minute browse through Right Move to see what sort of property is available on your budget.

Seize the day!