To think affordable AND pleasant areas do not exist in outer London area?

[CJ2010]

I currently live on the SE London / Kent border and have had enough of it. Area is rapidly declining and the train service into London isn't great. We have a DD (1 year) and another DC on the way, so we plan to do our move in the next year or so, before we have to start worrying about schools etc.

Where we currently live, it feels like you are in the minority if you actually go to work, lots of layabouts round here & it's just generally declining. I want to live amongst respectable working people. Where is this place???!!!

Things to consider:

1. We can afford to go up to 250k for a property.

1. Need a good train service into London - DP uses London Bridge station. Plus, no more than 1 hour commute each way.

1. Good schools

1. Pleasant environment, nice people, good selection of shops and cafes, parks & green space.

1. Hospital with A & e nearby, plus a number of good doctors sugeries and dentists.

I would be really grateful for suggestions, then I can begin to work on my escape plan!

Before anyone suggests St Albans or Richmond - we can't afford them!!!

What sort of property do you want? I live in Honor Oak and our tiny three bed terrace is worth close to £400k. I wouldn't say that the Brockley area is affordable at all anymore.

since when is brighton outer london :S

Emsy agree re eltham - far more community feel there than
Most place . Friend in new eltham likes it- some good nurseries and schools there

There are currently 25 4 bedroom detached houses for sale in Ashford between £240k & £260k so whilst it might not be the most exciting place to live, it certainly ticks all the boxes. If you want slightly more appealing surroundings you'll need to venture outside the town into one of the lovely villages. And thinking ahead to secondary schooling, Kent is one of the few counties to still have grammar schools within a couple in Ashford itself.

Having lived in SE london/Kent borders (Brockley then Beckenham) I wouldn't want to raise a family unless I funds for (a) a decent part of town (b) private schooling and given we didn't have either we moved further into Kent (near TWells)
LCN

Come to Selhurst in SE25

My children go to an Ofsted rated 'outstanding' schools (ok, my dd hates her but....)

Hospital one mile away

Sainsburys and Tesco walking distance

25 minutes to Victoria

Crystal Palace 10 minutes in the car

............

You'll love it - as long as you don't mind crack-houses, fly-tipping and people in tracksuits dragging bull-terriers around on very short chains

But very cheap property.

Look what you can get for 250K!

loverly!

It's just round the corner from me.

(always trying to persuade nice people to move into the area.....)

here

Oh, and this is in a very nice road, just opposite a park and in the catchment area for a very popular primary with a nice, fairly middle-class intake.

look at east mids rail line on express trains - leicestershire villages less than 1 hr into st pancras, defo get a nice place fpr 250k
market harborough particuaraly

Where does OP say outer London? Brighton is less than an hour from London Bridge (45mins if you get an express). HH is only 15mins away, as someone else suggested.

Oop, just realised is in title. Am on blackberry and have longest scroll down ever to get to body of thread, so can't see title!

Sutton, Cheam, Worcester Park, Carshalton. £250K won't buy a lot there but should stretch to a 3 bed terrace or EOT with a decent garden. Schools generally pretty good and decent train links.

pinner...

Welling, 25 mins into London Bridge, can get an ok 3 bed for £250k at the moment, Bexley Grammar School catchment. Easy to jump on train to Blackheath for nice bars, baby groups, and one stop from Bexleyheath for shopping. We just moved...seems ok so far!

I live in Upminster Essex some reasonable priced properties, good schools lots of green spaces Commuting to London Bridge easy C2C train to West ham and then Jubliee Line. Lakeside shopping centre nearby plus others. It is a nice place to live.

Walthamstow

1. Cheap

1. 2/3 tube stations and 2/3 overground stations - 20 mins to central London or Liverpool St

1. A few good schools

1. Good cultural mix, Epping Forest on your doorstep

1. Whipps Cross hospital

The bottom line is that the sort of places where you can get a property for £250k in or near London are not going to be nice....anywhere decent costs a lot more.

Most of the borough of Sutton, but 250K will be a stretch. Also there is a grammar school system in the borough. That sounds great but is actually dire - the level of intensive tutoring is something else.

Argh not Welling/Eltham/Sidcup

We lived in Enfield before moving out of London, OK the wrong side for London Bridge but well served by trains. 250k... well it depends how big a place you need. We sold our house for that, it was a 3-bed ex-LA terrace in a very good location for everything except primary schools (a key reason for us moving).

Epsom has everything you are looking for. Houses in your price range would be fairly small but perfectly fine.

Nancy66's comment may sound harsh but it is broadly fair. I hate to sound like the dreaded Kirstie and the lovely Phil but you'll need to compromise on some of that at least to get a house big enough for 4 people for £250K. I've moved around the areas South of London quite a bit so here are some thoughts, no doubt others will have views on the Northern home counties which I'm afraid I don't know at all.

Added to my comments about the Sutton area (which is, in my view about as close as South London gets to having an affordable, decent, suburb, I would suggest considering moving further out but obviously you will compromise on the commuting time. The Medway town train lines are quick into London Bridge but tbh I don't think the areas are any better than the one you say you are already living in. The other option is to look South West but further out, so down the M3 corridor. I would say Fleet is about as good a compromise as you will get in that area - good schools, train service of less than an hour into Waterloo. It doesn't have a villagy feel but avoids the "chav town" status of Farnborough or Bracknell. In Fleet or Church Crookham you can still get a decent 3 bed house for £250K

Walthamstow?! Walthamstow?!?!

FarSide, where do you live in Walthamstow that is nice? Please tell me because I grew up there and it is a shithole!

I'm really interested to know now!

I lived in St Albans for 10 years and now live just a little north. If you want 3 bedrooms then herts is do-able (though not St Albans itself) and on the Thameslink line into London Bridge. there are a lot of villages around the area that are a bit cheaper or places like Welwyn Garden City. Its a lovely place to bring up kids, most of the schools are excellent. we are trying to get a bigger house now and having to look more toward £300,000 but that for 4 beds.

I live in Kent and Medway is definitely better than the area that you are currently living in. There are some very lovely, not so expensive places in Kent and most of them are on a mainline to London.

I echo FarSide - Walthamstow. It is a really friendly place to live, great community spirit, 20 mins to Liverpool St on the train but also tube to West End. You can get a 3 bed terrace for £250k, no probs. Full of young families.

Bullet - there are lots of nice areas in Walthamstow. The Village is lovely, v pricey. Round Lloyd Park is nice. Wood Street area is good too. Not sure where isn't nice tbh. The high street is a bit of a pit but you don't have to shop there unless you want cheap fruit and veg from the market.

You could buy this house on the Southend Victoria/Liverpool Street line.

35 mins to Liverpool Street.

I just can't believe that Walthamstow is considered a nice area, I seriously can't. I'm glad I got out of there to be honest.