To ask if anyone is living in Surbiton/Kingston in a flat with DC?

[HolyParc]

Posting here for more traffic.

We are thinking of buying in the area as we love it but we can only afford a flat or a maisonette. I know there is plenty of young professionals and families living in flats around there but was wondering if it's also common for people with older DC to live in flats and maisonettes or if there is a tendency to move away or upgrade to big houses (for those who can afford it, as it's very £££ over there).
Reason why I am asking is that I feel a lot of "pressure" from society to provide my DC with a house and a garden etc but equally I also want to live in the area as we love it and it's so well connected with work. Would my DC be the "weird" kid growing up in a flat whilst everyone else lives in houses with DC?

Dh and I left the area to have DC. No way live there now ..too small in a two bed flat. If you can afford a house go for it. We vvvv glad we left although missed the easy access to London. We lived Catherine road etc.... I didn't know one who living there with a child as everyone left when they got pregnant but there must be as nursery at end of road....

Berrylands definitely still smells. I was walking round there on a fairly warm day a few weeks ago, and it stank.

@londonrach there is plenty of families with small children in flats everywhere in Surbiton. I personally know many. Was asking about families with teens/older kids

I do not, nor ever intend to, live in these areas. But thanks to this thread, I have just spent quite some time browsing flats in Surbiton!

I don't live in London but in a northern city and we are raising our children in a two bed flat. We actively chose it over the houses we viewed. It's a converted Victorian house. We are in the basement so have our own door straight in, access to the garden and the rooms are pretty big with high ceilings. We also have a huge hallway because what would have been the stairs have been taken out so that's almost another room in itself. And I really like being on one level. Forget the snobs.

Absolutely the norm here in Edinburgh. I sometimes think it'd be more unusual to have a house!

@nonheme i don’t like Epsom and Leatherhead. Guildford is lovely but commute would cost me way too much. I like being close to London and we have a life here already, friends and we like the place and community.
In terms of space, maisonettes I have seen in this area are a similar sq footage to most 2 bed houses we could afford in the areas you mentioned

2 bed flat in a river road. Been here 20+ yrs and my now 18 yr old has never lived anywhere different. Hasn't done her any harm at all. Her access to schools, the river and decent public transport more than makes up for no garden.

Richmond if Surbiton/Kingston is a stretch? Richmond is even more expensive.

@nonheme how is Richmond cheaper than Surbiton!?!? I am pretty sure it’s one of the most expensive places in the UK!

@Mrhwbin i’d love to be on one of the river roads. I always see a lot of flats on sale on Grove Road, they seem to sell every few years so get the feeling people only stay for a short time. But there is so much to love around there.

@HolyParc

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/65303122/

This is a bit of a bargain…

It’s a bargain because it’s horrible, sorry!!!
Here in Surbiton I can get a nice maisonette with private garden with that budget.
Appreciate all your suggestions but I am not really looking for advice on where else to live, we live it here and are bery happy in Surbiton. I know Surrey quite well and there are lots of lovely areas, just not right for us.

@Merryoldgoat sorry the second half of my message is for @nonheme

Yeah I don’t know why you are having leatherhead and Richmond(!) being thrown about as a suggestion - helpful but not useful or relevant..

if there’s anywhere with older children in flats, it would be in Surbiton. The flats won’t be too small, and they will be close to everything you need plus you clearly love Surbiton (as do I living here myself) so go for it

And without being rude - that £500k flat in Kingston isn’t great value..

just goes to show why surbitons so good - such a lovely community feel, activities for kids, good schools, riverside, bars/restaurants, great links to central london - but still somehow better value than Kingston and certainly Richmond

@nonheme a 3 bed flat would cost £1m in Richmond so that would be a non starter

and Hampton takes 1 hour to central London - which is why people much much prefer surbiton

you may not like surbiton for whatever reason (perhaps you haven’t seen all of it eg long ditto , riverside and south borough because if you had what’s not to like) - but I don’t see how Hampton is any better.