To ask where is best to buy in London?

[Londonwondron]

I’m starting a new very long-term career in London. I’ll be working in and around SW1/W1 and have c£360000 to buy somewhere. I’m from the North so no idea.
What would you do? I evidently can’t afford anywhere very central but where should I look with this budget? Or is it not feasible and I should give up and rent. I’d love to get on to the housing ladder if I can. Thanks.

Look at the combined rail and tube map and examine areas which enable you to commute easily enough into the area where your work place is based

Impossible to provide any ideas without knowing a little more on where are you will be based

Obviously the further you go out the cheaper it is, plus the ever present location versus size trade off

I would rent for a year or so to check that both the career and London are for you and to give you time to scope out locations.

In terms of locations to check out - what do you need? Flat or house? How many bedrooms? Do schools matter? How long are you happy to spend committing and to where?

If you are happy to have a bit of a commute and to live in a flat you’ll have some options on £360k. If you are looking for a house there will be very few places where this is possible.

I moved from Yorkshire to London in my late twenties to join the Civil Service. Back then, i was able to rent in a few different places to get a feel of where i liked before we bought. I ended up in south london because it was easy commute by bus to Whitehall and i had friends there at the time. Do you know anyone in London? I'm not suggesting moving next door to them but if there is an area they would recommend and its got a good connection for work, it might be a good starting point for your search.

Presumably for that budget you are looking to buy a flat? As an example, in SW, you can get a 1 bed flat in Balham / Tooting (tube link) / Streatham (oveground into Victoria) for that, a 2 bed in Mitcham / Carshalton / Sutton (overground into Victoria).

I would rent to start with, you dont want to buy somewhere and end up not liking the area. If you need SW1 and W1 then somewhere that arrives at Victoria station mught suit. Bromley, Beckenham are nice and easy commutes, you would just need a studio to rent to begin with.

Am assuming you need to work near Victoria - so you are looking at trains and tubes which take you into Victoria - looking at rail lines which terminate in Victoria or Waterloo, Northern or Victoria line tubes, or combination of the above

Places suggested by guiding spirit are a great start

How many days a week are you in the office? If only 2-3 you could stomach a longer commute. Defo worth going and testing out the journey at the time when you are planning to travel to work to get a feel for it. Stating the obvious but London is enormous and every little Borough is different - and visiting different places takes time

Two questions - what size of place do you need? 1/2/3 bedrooms? Also, what kind of vibe do you like? All the London boroughs have their own different character and 'feel'.

Best to go for somewhere with direct commuting links to where you'll be working. If you're on a direct train/tube line for Waterloo/Victoria, it will hugely cut your commute time even if you live quite far out.

I know SW London best - there are a few possible options there:

Wimbledon/Morden are options (1-bed in Wimbledon/2-bed in Morden. They're not particularly central but leafy, family areas. Wimbledon has direct train to Waterloo and District line (Northern line from South Wimbledon) and Morden is at the end of the Northern line. The Northern line is quick but a particularly horrible commute ime!

In Tooting (Northern line, more urban feel), your budget could buy a 2-bed near the tube. Balham nearby has the Northern line but also has National Rail to Victoria but it's more expensive.

Finally, if you wanted to be able to walk to work, there are a few options that wouldn't be out of your budget (Vauxhall/Kennington/Oval etc.). These locations have their downsides but I have friends who used to live in this area and loved being so central (they now have DC and have moved further out for more space):

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/60765406/?search_identifier=6e3c71840d201164a2f25c552de01288

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/55316158/?search_identifier=6e3c71840d201164a2f25c552de01288

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/59326324/?search_identifier=978b5a764eb045804d660902079c12b0

Surbiton?