To think this house is worth it and London won't crash?

[Yazhi]

After searching for a long time we have found a house in an area that both DH and I like. DH thinks we should wait and see if the prices drop in London. Flats seem to have dropped and he's hoping houses follow. Who do you think is right?

@YukoandHiro

I'm trying to sell my London flat and have dropped the price by almost a fifth. Agents tell me houses are also dipping now. This was reassuring to us as we're not moving areas so it was the widening gap that was stressing us out most

Where are you, we are trying to sell a flat too which isn't shifting. We're in SE London. No cladding issue as it's below cladding height regulations.

Once you take out theft of range rovers (which is irrelevant to OP because she doesn’t drive) SW11 has a very low crime rate

Battersea crime rate is double that of my area in the borough of Wandsworth including violent crime.

Richmond Park isn’t flat and it’s huge. Wild deer and bright green parakeets. It merges with Wimbledon Common too. But the best thing about the SW London area is the river because of the towpath runs for miles and miles and there’s something about being near the water that makes everything seem less enclosed. OP, venture this side and come and visit!

Though I do remember Highgate has lovely views. Probably MH is the same. Hampstead is lovely character-wise, but for some reason, it feels more intense to me than say, Putney or Barnes or Fulham because there’s no water..

For that style of house she is looking at, the OP may also like Chiswick.

[quote HaveringWavering]@GappyValley have you never seen kids roll down hills? 😀[/quote]
Have you never had a scooting or cycling preschooler who expects to be pulled or carried up hills?!

When I was pushing a pram long walks around parks, I thought about a lot of things but ‘I wish this was more hilly’ was definitely not one of them!

😂😂 loving all this North South competitiveness. It's true, South has the Thames, but parakeets are all over London. Lots in Ally Pally.

Walking up hills is good for the health.

@TatianaBis

Once you take out theft of range rovers (which is irrelevant to OP because she doesn’t drive) SW11 has a very low crime rate

Battersea crime rate is double that of my area in the borough of Wandsworth including violent crime.

When ‘Battersea’ includes all the estates in SW8..?

The between the commons crime rate isn’t indicative of the drug dealing in the estates several miles away

Our friends in South London have mostly opted for private school at secondary. Where would be the comparable Rhodes Avenue/APS schools? For a similar house I think we priced out of places like Barnes.

I don’t buy into British exceptionalism at all, but I do with London.
What a ridiculous statement.

It's because London is a different world and psychology to the rest of society. You have to have lived outside and inside to understand. Sounds trite but cannot summarise it simpler.

A slightly different tangent... Muswell Hill is awesome and that road is a great spot (I’m just around the corner!). Be careful with ‘catchments’ though, as it’s all on distance and some parts of that road might too far depending which school you’d target (e.g. Muswell Hill Primary was 0.23 miles this year I think). Check out the Haringey website for precise distance of the house to the schools and last ten years admissions distance. The prices in MH are heavily impacted by distance from the schools. Gorgeous house though. Good luck!

Wild deer and bright green parakeets

Croydon has both those 🤣🤣

@Yazhi

Our friends in South London have mostly opted for private school at secondary. Where would be the comparable Rhodes Avenue/APS schools? For a similar house I think we priced out of places like Barnes.

For Barnes, it would be Barnes Primary All saints in Putney East sheen primary in east sheen Beatrix potter for Earlsfiend Honeywell and Belleville for between the commons

You’d be able to get a 4 bed/roughly 1800-2000 sq ft house in all of those areas except Barnes
But those schools all have pretty tiny catchments so I wouldn’t fancy your chances for many in catchment schools being on the market at any one time

Check the catchment but honestly I think that's a great house and not a bad price, I def prefer 1 vs 2.

I used to live nearish and it's a lovely area.

I’m perplexed by the posters trying to get OP to move south of the river.

Very similar to MH, why not leave her to it?

Personally, I like North and South London equally.

The state schools around here in SW London are not particularly good, other than Tiffins which is quite far out. Post primary all the middle class kids are in private school. Round here most primary age are in private too.

@TatianaBis

I’m perplexed by the posters trying to get OP to move south of the river.

Very similar to MH, why not leave her to it?

Personally, I like North and South London equally.

The state schools around here in SW London are not particularly good, other than Tiffins which is quite far out. Post primary all the middle class kids are in private school. Round here most primary age are in private too.

Because she asked if posters had suggestions of other areas which had similar quantities to MH - good schools, green space, nice high street and good transport

Why is it perplexing that some of those areas might be south..?

"Have you never had a scooting or cycling preschooler who expects to be pulled or carried up hills?!"

I did, living there. A bit of an exercise, you can get these pull rope things attached to the scooter. That phase passes quickly and doesn't constitute a reason not to buy a house in a lovely area.

Ps, the house is under offer?

@GappyValley only because posters went on at her to consider other areas.

She’s clearly looked around, she likes MH, why not leave her to it?

OP prices won't ever drop
Same advice I gave friends would they listen no and they are still renting be it a council flat in a very nice area.
The upset they feel is real.
One thing though thoes house have been tastefully made up .
I wish I had that gift of making over a home to this standard.
Get on to the agent very likely you might miss out if you don't show your interest do come back to let us know the outcome.
The first ones really nice and so is the other but the price is what makes it more appealing.
All the best.

@TatianaBis

Oh so sorry!
I clearly missed the memo appointing you as Thread Head Girl who gets to decide which of the OPs questions we are allowed to reply to
My apologies

Head person, I’m non binary.

@califragalistico It's not under offer.

[quote GappyValley]@TatianaBis

Oh so sorry!
I clearly missed the memo appointing you as Thread Head Girl who gets to decide which of the OPs questions we are allowed to reply to
My apologies [/quote]
oooooOOOOOOOOOooooo 👀👜

@Yazhi my right move showed this, the dates are different, so it might be that it was put up, then withdrawn, and re-placed on the market

Lovely house. Please don't wait for the price to fall . It really won't.