To ask for your thoughts on this flat

[MarikaPepper]

Before I post a link, can someone tell me whether this would be a good idea?!

Beautiful flat, great area. But the flats Oleanna posted are as nice but with more potential. I lived in a small flat with 5 of us (52sqm no garden) and you just get used to it but there was no noise from neighbours and very cheap to heat. Noise would be a big downside for me. Best to check that out. A friend lived in a similar house in that area and they got notes from 2 floors below asking about elephants in their flat!!

There are other flats in the area with gardens. Also it needs no work doing so how much of an investment is it when you can't improve it at all? I don't know the area as I lived in south London.

I lived in a very similar flat but ground floor. Loved it, loved living it. We did have a garden though and that was essential to me for the kids, it was tiny but enough to be useable.

Yes, we could hear our neighbours above & also those in the adjoining property which was also a conversion but we were lucky to have considerate neighbours & noise was never intrusive - or when it was (i.e drunken late night karaoke ) it was rare, so we didn't mind. And it was give & take as we made more noise occasionally too. But if general daily noise isn't a problem then I think the flat is great.

It's a nice flat. I live in a 2 bed flat with no garden - 2 adults and 2 children and it's fine. You just don't buy loads of stuff because there's nowhere to put anything. Simple living is great.

You're at the mercy of neighbours' noise and London prices are ridiculous. You could buy this for less:

property.cornwalllive.com/details/11532910#property-details

Ouch! I live on edge of zone 3 (crystal palace actually) so we have the ginger line (overground) which counts as a tube and trains into Victoria and London Bridge taking just under 30 mins each.

You could get a 3 bed 1920/30s semi here for around that price, neighbours next door paid a lot more for their Victorian semi and terrace but still affordable and more rooms but that was 3 years ago for one house and prices have shot up in past year or so so maybe £500k is on the cheap side again... Even without that we have tons of green spaces (parks etc) I think more than North London and our villagey areas are gorgeous. The neighbours we had who moved here with 1 and 2 DC respectively both lived in flats like yours and cited similar problems to yours when it came to moving, but they had DC by then and wanted/needed a garden, more space etc.

Still it's your money.

I'd definitely prefer and go for Oleanna's second option if I were you...

Also what others have said really important to think of parking near you, how close to tube station and for me personally a bit of outside space or even a balcony.

I'm staying with a friend soon to look after her cat and flat (my lodger will look after my place and cat) as she's been let down re cat sitting and the flat my friend has has a balcony. My DP also has a flat which has a nice balcony. DB and SIL have a gorgeous flat but no balcony but 5 mins walk from a large nice park. SIL's DB and his DW have a nice flat but small balcony overlooking a large nice park. (All properties are near or not far from tubes/DLR etc with connecting buses etc).

A current BTL flat I own with DB and DM (investment) has a balcony and is 10 mins from tube, it was a doer upper though but we factored that time in and DB previously did minor building work (can tile, plaster etc) and we did it up etc before letting it out, so it was cheaper.

A lot of their kitchen furniture looks free standing so I'd expect them to take that away with them, same as with all the shelving in the living room. Very expensive but a nice area. I'd want a bath too though.

It's beautiful. Ignore posts about cheaper areas- if you want to be in that location what does it matter what you could buy else where?

That said, I think it's slightly overpriced, probably because it's so breathtaking presentation wise. But I think I'd be researching recent sales with the hope of getting it for around £500k

There are garden flats not on the same road for similar prices. I used to live in a Victorian flat and they are lovely but also cold and noisy.

Not on the main road, I meant.

I love it!
It's just got a nice feel from looking at those pictures.
Far more importantly - several of the posters that lived around that area are fabulous so it must be a nice place
I know the rest of us splutter at London prices but they are what they are. No point showing her an 18 bedroom mansion in John O Groats if she wants London.

I'd definitely go with some of the loitering suggestions, also definitely knock at the upstairs neighbours to suss them out. You can make an excuse up about finding out about parking, but if they look or sound partyfaced - run a mile.

We had the most beautiful garden flat in a big mansion house, the upstairs neighbours would come home at midnight in heels and have parties until 3/4 am.
They were actually lovely the rest of the time but had no idea of the impact on us until I dragged one of them downstairs when I was pregnant to listen

It's beautiful but being honest, my concerns would be whether it's freehold or leasehold and the lack of any outdoor space at all. We're also looking in north London at the moment and I understand the outdoor space isn't always possible but even having a little courtyard or something could really be justified for that price. In the longer term, my concerns would be rising damp with a building like that. We have had issues in a very similar building before and being one apartment of many, with not everyone wanting to act on the problem, resulted in us moving out. I would also check that the windows can be replaced without much faffing around as I know a lot of these buildings have restrictions on what repairs and replacements can be carried out.

I think it's lovely. And great that you can buy a castle in Wales for that and all, but you know, that's cos it's London. I'm not sure property is shifting like it was in London (I sold two years ago to move out and keep an eye on it), so I'd try a cheeky offer, especially if first time buyer with no chain.

We looked in that area, when you could get a (admittedly pokey) townhouse for not much more than that, not that long ago really, and like the pp, we went for a nicer bigger house in Crystal Palace instead. Priory Park is lovely but it's nothing like having your own garden, and parking, and less school catchment stress, and no neighbours above and below. My friend who had a family of four in a two-bed flat around there had a garden and a great school and still sold up and moved to the country as it just got too cramped and paying that much to live that way no longer made sense.

It is beautiful, but living in a flat with no outside space at all really got to me. Having even a tiny balcony made all the difference. But that might have partly been because we were on a really busy road and the noise was awful with the windows open.

Cant comment on location or price as am hundreds of miles away. But that flat is spectacular. I could see myself and all my stuff fitting in spot on.

Bloody hell I live in Northern Ireland and there's a 6 bed detached with lough views and land for sale down the road for that!
I love the kitchen but would struggle with no outside space but again I'm used to rural life, the layout is lovely though.

It's nice but I would have concerns about the two separate roof terraces belonging to neighbouring properties. Might have a penchant for parties right outside your bedroom window. The kitchen is small, too. Have you looked at other less immaculate properties locally? I suspect if you'd be prepared to buy something a bit more tatty you'd get a quieter road and a garden.

It's a lovely flat, but it is truly an astronomical price.

I agree with this:

That road is busy throughout the day and can be noisy. You're next to the fire station, so that can be noisy.
Park behind is lovely with a cafe but it's not the same as a garden.
Tube is miles. You need to get the W3 and that gets really busy at rush hour.
When we were there there was a spate of burglaries.
Do you need schools? You should get into Campsbourne.
I also agree I wouldn't want people above and below. Too much scope for noise.

It's a nice flat.
I personally would really want a garden. But then again, we have pets and are a young family (DC2 on the way...). So, our priorities may be really different. But it is a really nice flat.

It also gorgeous but I'd be buying an equestrian property with 4-5 acres with that money! So yes, the price will be a shock to most who don't live in London!

Well, it's beautiful. I have no idea of London prices though.

I love!! And that area is gorgeous. Good luck!

I have to say I would t expect a house with a garden in London so a flat doesn't phase me at all.
The fact there is a park nearby is great, again esp in London. This will give you the opportunity to go have a bit of greenery around you, always hard to find in the middle of a huge city.
The rooms are very well balanced, you have two sitting rooms and space which is great for a flat.

Price wise I can't comment as I have no idea of price in London.

What I do know is that it's always better investment wise to buy something grotty but with potential and to do it up. Whether there is such a gem around there is a different matter!! (I live up North and we didn't find our gem, a house that we could extend for example).
You need to see what is the driving force behind buying i.e.

• can yu afford the mortgage at that price? If you or your partner (I assume) is loosing his job, can you still cope?
• are you buying just as investment or do you first want something you love to live in?
• re noise.... if you live in the area, you will have an idea of how noisy the roads are etc... you could go and ask to visit the flat at peak time for traffic and when neigbourghs are in, again to check how the noise carries from their flat to yours.