To ask about 4 beds in London? Don't know what I'm doing!

[zooweemama1]

We need to move to London by this time next year. We are currently based in Chester but DH has has a job oppurtunity. He wants to pursue it. We have DS 5 and DD 3. Also have my chronically ill DM residing with us. She is 63, okay in her head but suffers chronic pain and needs physical support. We are happy to have her living with us for however long, she's still healthy despite pain so she is part of the long term plan. We ideally would want a 4 bed but we would absolutely settle for a 3 bed (DC would need to share, as they do in Chester) if it suited us in every other way. DH wants to be in the M25. Our 3 bed in Chester is up for 350k. Have people very interested in it. Will be able to scrape together another 50k, so 400k.

Neither of us know London and don't know where to start. We are just in the looking stages atm. Does anybody know what the Waddon, CR0 area is like? This has take my fancy:

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/49758413?search_identifier=23049078ba96d469aaf65ad50bc72431

Still very early stages obviously, just browsing but would love opinions from people who know better. Really like the house, it's more than what I expected for a 400k 4 bed in London. TIA for input

Where in London will DH be commuting to? Does he have a commuting budget? Sometimes moving further out can be quicker due to overground speeds and get you more for your money and good schools.

I’m in Buckinghamshire but lots of Londoners here will be able to advise.

I don't know London, but I would look closely at schools. By then you would need 2 school places. This may effect where you buy.

Tbh Waddon is not great but handy for the Purley Way stores, it is part of central Croydon. Where in London is his office based? What is your budget?

Waddon is pretty grim, tbh, from what I have seen. It's on the A23 near all the Purley Way horror. V polluted, though they have spent some money jazzing it up.

Coulsdon is nicer

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68100634.html

Where do you live in Chester? We are in Chester too but looking to up-size...

Where will your dh be commuting to? You might be best in an outer commuter town like Bishops Stortford or Saffron Walden or possibly Surrey or Kent.

Start with:

1. Where is your DH commuting to? It can easily take an hour to get from one side of central London to the other, so you need to know the exact location of his work and all the transport options.
2. How long a commute is he willing to do? Generally the longer the commute the lower the house prices, but obviously you also have to budget for ticket costs.
3. Will he have late nights/early morning starts? If so that limits his transport options.
4. Work our where you could live based on those criteria. Eg look at the railway lines that lead to the station or underground line he needs, and keep working out until you hit an area you can afford! Www.commutefrom.com can help with that.
5. Look at schools: a lot of good London schools have tiny catchment areas so you need to choose a house carefully.
6. Look at local facilities - for family life you want a decent park, library etc. You can search for Facebook groups for areas you’re interested in and get local info that way.

Good luck!

Where will he based in London?

Take a look at SE - Lee is a nice enough area, near some really nice areas but you should get a 3-4 bed for 350-400k there.

I'd vote for LB Croydon over Surrey County Council for services for your mum. Surrey is a bit shit in comparison.

£400K isn’t going to get you much I’m afraid. We’re just on the outskirts of London in (not an amazing part of) Hertfordshire with an hour commute time and you’d be lucky to get a 3 bed for £400K.

First thing to look at is what station your DH will be commuting into and take it from there.

Schools need to be one of your main criteria and yes again the cost of the commute, the overground can be mega money but underground not to bad if you come in from the end of lines say the met line but you won’t get a 3/4 bed house for 400k

You’ll struggle to get 3 or 4 bed house for that budget I'm sorry to say.

The commuting time to your husbands job is key to deciding where you need to be based. You’ll have to balance the price of your mortgage with the cost of transport each day.

Waddon is kinda grim, as some have mentioned Lee is okay. If you really want to buy I'd focus on the south east of the city and maybe far east, so past East Ham. Maybe look at places that you could renovate or do a bit of work on, you might get them cheaper. Look at places that are near the Overground or on the District line. It can be quite expensive and unreliable to be dependant on Thameslink or Southern Rail each day.

If your DH really wants to take up this job and you can't find a decent house he could consider renting 4 nights a week and then commuting back to Chester at the weekends. Lots of jobs have flexible working too so you don't need to be in the office every day. I know a few people that make a set up like that work. Would be one way to keep the family settled and let him pursue the job...

Sorry to be a bit negative. On the plus side things arn't selling as quick as they were in any part of the city so there's that on your side. Good luck!

YOu might just manage something in West Norwood - much better area

Hi. I live in London and know Waddon well. Not a great area. To be honest you wont get anything great in London for £400k. Also, bear in mind the further you live out of central London (zone 1), the more travel costs you will pay. Waddon is in zone 5 and a weekly travelcard into zone 1 will cost £60 per week.

Good luck with your search.

Not a chance in West Norwood. My 2 bed mid terrace sold in South Norwood for what the OP is selling her house for. And West is so much nicer than the South!

I second trying the Coulsdon area. There are plenty of three beds there in you price range and the odd 4 bed.

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/49442353?utmsource=v1:5bWFDybfWx7C7AGpeagt7mP3PgcqjuqJ&utmm_medium=api

Abbey Wood, should get better once crossrail is running