London neighbourhoods for young ppl as first time buyers?? Lively but relatively affordable.

[ArtichokeDip]

What are the young, fun and maybe every so slightly affordable neighbourhoods in London now?

In Laws have left a little money to by late teen
and early twenty kids and I’m wondering whether we could invest it in a property they could share rather than pay rent. We live in London but not an area they could remotely afford.

It depends on your budget doesn’t it @ArtichokeDip

Firstly we don't know what "relatively affordable" means in your context.

"Where it's at" for trendy young people is probably either parts of Hackney, or Peckham.

My adult kids would happily move to either of those but they wouldn't want anywhere in W or SW London (different kind of trendy; a very different set of people !).

I suspect you'll get better value south of the river and there are some very interesting, more affordable places.

Have you asked your kids where they would like to live? And does it make sense for where YOU live (if you want to visit each other or help them with maintenance). It can be 90mins or more to travel from one side of London to the other.

Really depends on how you define affordable! Also whether you are north/south and whether that matters? (It could be annoying if they get a flat in an upcoming area of south east london and you live Hampstead?).

We know they can’t live near us sadly.

i was hoping somewhere we could get 3 beds for £650k somewhere with a bit of life - cafes, pubs and decent transport links to the centre for work.

the equivalent to what the Hackney and Dalston neighbourhoods were to my generation as first time buyers 20 years ago.

Leytonstone/Leyton - should be able to get a 3 bed Victorian terrace for that price. Good transport and not far from Hackney/Dalston.

I would look at houses and then check out the neighbourhoods when you go and view. I think areas of Plaistow, Manor Park, Leyton (prob not Leytonstone) could be affordable if you go East. I was walking around Peckham area the other day, there are Thames link stations round there, and it also looked very cool, some dodgy bits could be cheaper. With an older house you would need to be careful of the upkeep (roof issues, mould, damp, cellars etc.). To be honest, a more modern flat could be better for young people to maintain.

Why would you voluntarily live in such a dangerous, filthy city???

The service charges and leasehold arrangements on modern flats worry me but the flip side of that is they they seem to be worrying so many people that the bottom is falling out of the market so they are cheaper.

So that we can keep away from people who find London filthy and dangerous @GardeningMummy

Lived here all my adult life - never found it dangerous, never been mugged, never been burgled, raised four kids here who have never felt threatened. Love the ease of making friend here, the smaller town feel of the individual neighbourhoods, the abundance of lovely parks and the array of things to do. I work in an industry that only exists on the UK within London and has afforded me a fascinating career and good income. My in laws live here, were born and bred here, and live near us as extended family. My children love it here and while they have chosen unis elsewhere to experiment with other sites they all see their future back in their home town. Are those enough reasons?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/170543831

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/174206582

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171719558

how about Brockley, East Dulwich, Forest Hill- also Crystal Palace, West Norwood or Streatham?
In a quick search, houses came up for Brockley and West Norwood - freehold so no service charges.

Brockley especially good for direct train to Dalston etc if they like that area. (And to central of course)

Because the amenities, public transport, job opportunities and national + international connections are unrivalled in the UK?

Unlikely you'd find a freehold house in Crystal Palace for that budget now - and whilst it's trendy, it feels more of a 30+ kind of vibe, lots of young families that twenty years earlier would have moved to Clapham or Battersea.

Maybe Walthamstow or Deptford? I would say Hackney but that's really expensive now. You could probably get a flat in Brixton though.

Don't be ridiculous.

It took 7 posts before the London bashing started. Slow off the mark today.

Have you ever lived in London?

I am fortunate to have lived in many lovely places around the world. I have lived in London now for a very long time and it feels really safe. My DD has travelled on public transport all around London by herself since she was 12 and I have never been concerned about her safety.

Not the most affordable area (and quite small bedrooms, although still room for double beds by the look of it), but a lovely safe and lively area with fantastic transport links. Maisonette with roof terrace.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159818810#/?channel=RES_BUY

AS shows that gardeningmummy is against immigration and therefore is one of those on the right buying into the false narrative that London is falling apart and crime-ridden, whereas actual statistics show something completely different to be true.

Catford has been promising to gentrify for the last 30 odd years. Goldsmiths are putting some different hosting there soon so maybe it will this time? Thigh there is a big remodelling planned so it will not be fun for a while I suspect.

For "Hackney/Dalston 20 years ago" - ok, maybe 30 years ago - look at Seven Sisters area. It looks rough and scruffy - it is rough and scruffy - but dig deeper and just like those places back in the day there are lots of creatives in the area because it is still just about cheap enough, and excellent transport links.

With the caveat that people have been saying SS/Tottenham is "next to gentrify" for pretty much all of those 20 years 😂so don't go in expecting it to ever be more than it is today. But it has a lot of advanatges if you can live with what it is.

My DS bought in Haringey (N11). It is a very buzzy place with easy shopping.

Just about every house in his street has a skip outside, indicating that people are investing in their properties. It felt like Clapham 20 odd years ago.

It's not exactly Dalston, but Shepherd's Bush seems to have quite a lot going on at the moment. Every time I've been over there recently I've been impressed by the buzz, although I know my DCs that age would consider it a very uncool location, so yours might feel the same.

https://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/72740555/?search_identifier=e55e536cbcfe283fa979576488b6c903a18dba8b28b6b731e8116e3202f0cf69

https://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/72170898/?search_identifier=e55e536cbcfe283fa979576488b6c903a18dba8b28b6b731e8116e3202f0cf69

While I see the appeal in your situation, the new build flat resale market seems really tough at the moment. Unless there's something spectacularly compelling about what you could get, it wouldn't be my first choice.

@GardeningMummy Don't you have something other than overloading your poor brain with with plight of us sad Londoners on this lovely Sunday? Gardening? Mummying? Bingeing GB news? Peeking out between your curtains for foreigners?