North or South London for a 25 year old?

[tramtracks]

We are helping our dd buy a 1 bed flat and she is fixed on North London. Our ds (older) says she should definitely live in Fulham/Wandsworth/Clapham etc but she is concerned that its miles from her friends and the lack of tube stop bothers her.

I've never lived in London and so I'm not sure. I am hoping that this flat could accommodate me too from time to time. Any advice on what areas of north London you could buy a nice 1 bed with a budget of around £550k.

DD (26) is in Notting Hill & loves it

@ConstanceM I think it’s concerning of those who wish to be eternally hip - personally if I could buy in Hampstead/belsize/richmond/primrose hill / Notting Hill/ Fulham etc I think they are pretty safe bets! If you want more value for money yes I would then look at Crouch End/Muswell Hill / Kentish Town and Wimbledon etc - cool wouldn’t come into it for me- one persons ‘cool’ also is another persons ‘bit of a shit pit’ if I’m honest - and yes people move around - so I wouldn’t move somewhere just because of friends and 4 years later they are all off to Guildford or Chippenham or something with 2 toddlers in tow -

Of course the cool factor is important to someone in their early 20s, especially in London. A big draw of London for young people is that it’s a very cool city. To answer your question, you don’t have to sell up and move every few years, you just grow up and care less about living in the very coolest areas. By 30, I had other priorities.

In London, the time frame between fresh graduate and moving to the suburbs with two toddlers in tow is not 4 years. More like 15-20 years.

Stay near friends. Although they may move on at some point if they haven’t bought etc

@Crushed23 maybe yes not my best example, my son is 27 though and has had lots of friends his own age move away, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, overseas etc

Compare council tax of Wandsworth borough to elsewhere.

Thanks for reinforcing my "cool" concerns, how utterly facile when considering to buy bricks and mortar. What are you supposed to do, keep moving house every 4 years to be in the cool area, who decides which area is cool anyway. I've heard about people living near good school catchments but investing tens of thousands of pounds to be cool is bonkers. Who are they trying to impress. Must be an upper middle class, London centric concern.

About 20-30 yrs ago every young person moving to London moved to places like Clapham. The area and demographic has changed somewhat as you would expect.

Why on earth has that comment triggered you! 😆

In London, the time frame between fresh graduate and moving to the suburbs with two toddlers in tow is not 4 years. More like 15-20 years.

Exactly! How old are you @ConstanceM that you think young people in London can afford to move houses every 4 years?

Yep, was 17 years for me so right in the middle of that time frame.

I'm in Holloway (in Islington borough), and have lived here/Kentish Town/Tufnell Park/Camden for years. I'm in walking distance of three tube lines, plus overground stations and I don't know how many bus routes go past my flats, so very easy to get around and get into town (you can walk to King's Cross/St Pancras at a pinch). Lots of young people around (largest age group is 20-29 years, followed by 30-39). She might also want to try the Alexandra Palace or Finsbury Park areas if she wants a park nearby.

Quite -I think that’s her opinion. He says ‘let’s get her safely in Fulham or Parson Green’. She says ‘ I don’t fit with the type of people there and I don’t know anyone there’…

So why are you listening to him about it?

she wants north London so getting advice and researching the best areas in terms of safety/affordability and investment is fine for North London but not entertaining the idea of South if she doesn’t want it

Completely depends on where your people are. London is massive with many pockets suitable for her age.

If she needs to commute to work that’s important. Also Clapham is insane during the rush hour.

It’s true. They’ve kept it low for decades now.

Clapham is just the Northern line isn’t it? I’d avoid that

Choose somewhere with a better commute time, plus it’s v expensive for what it is.

Where is she commuting to?

Yup for 550k you'd be able
To get a 2 bed flat, mine is in one of the areas you've mentioned and is valued at just under that.
You might be able to argue for under or around 500k as all the first time buyers will be capped at 500k if they want to use their help to buy or lifetime ISA

While young I think it’s important to live near friends. I married quite young and was brought to west London by my husband - his family and friends were from round there - I missed east London where all my friends lived. I felt I missed out for about a decade and then everyone had dispersed anyway. But I think it’s a shame not to be near friends when young.

heres A few more heading over to the Islington side that caught my eye - mainly 2 bedders-

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160983875#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/157295408

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159898031#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151637660#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160345328#/?channel=RES_BUY

What about Finsbury Park/Crouch End?

I'm biased as I've lived in North London since I came to London after university apart from the first 6 months in Clapham. I definitely wouldn't pick Clapham to live in unless your dd is a trainee lawyer or accountant. (and I was one of those and it was still too dull for me)

I live in Islington/Holloway and think that would be a good place to buy, possibly Hackney too although seems a bit too far out and with poorer transport links.

I would generally aim for north London, although I do think that Brixton looks like a very fun place to live too.....

In the real world there are not many early 20 year olds who have the luxury of spending £500k from the bank of mum or dad on an apartment/flat etc,.I suppose under those advantageous circumstances maybe the "Cool" aspect is of the uttermost importance.
As BA Baracus once mused; "I Pity The Fool"

I’d go for a bit of future proofing and aim for a 2 bed / 2 bed with a small garden.

In the real world there are not many early 20 year olds who have the luxury of spending £500k from the bank of mum or dad on an apartment/flat etc,.I suppose under those advantageous circumstances maybe the "Cool" aspect is of the uttermost importance. As BA Baracus once mused; "I Pity The Fool"

No one has said the coolness of an area should be the thing a person prioritises but surely the concept of young people buying in certain areas isn't a wild thing to you. How do you think gentrification happens?!