Areas to live in London, £625k 3-4 bed with garden

[Mercurylines]

Looking for some recommendations of areas to look for a house in London. Our budget is 625k to take advantage of the first time buyer stamp duty rates. looking for family friendly areas, ideally on Elizabeth line or central line. We will want to start a family after 2-3 years but want to enjoy being amongst the city life as well. We need some garden as we have a small dog.

We would like to be in the SW but it’s quite pricey. Considering some places in East. Only one of us will need to commute into the City 3 days a week

I have lived in London before in the SW but I was young and single so after totally different things!

grateful for suggestions/experiences of particular areas for long term raising a family and being part of the community

Look at towns on the Elizabeth Line. You'd probably find a 4-bed in Burnham, Berkshire for that price. It's not London though.

Personally I'd go for the biggest house I could in perhaps not the best area. I have no local knowledge of Abbey Wood but this house is less than 2 miles to the station, which is on the Elizabeth Line and I quite like it

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138482174#/?channel=RES_BUY

Have you thought about West Ealing? I know people there who like it.
Here's a place - needs some work so price is possibly negotiable - also near the station. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140403086#/?channel=RES_BUY

Not London but not far away.
5 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Queensway South, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 (rightmove.co.uk)

Thank you!
we are happy to find something to do some work on. Ideally we want to be inside London. Anyone know what west Ealing is like for young families?

No, but I'd imagine it to be fine. I'd live there.

Ealing is very good for families. Lots of parks and good schools.

My kids were born in Ealing Hospital and grew up in Northfields. Full of families and good schools locally.

Locally it's known as 'Scabby Wood'. Although it's got the Elizabeth Line I wouldn't recommend living nearby.

I’d be looking around Stanmore personally

Do not move to Abbey Wood or Plumstead. In over 25 years of living in London these places have never improved.

Fun fact
Sue from Mel and Sue used to live on the next road to that house

I live quite close to where this house is and the area is fine.
I have no idea why that house is so cheap as most houses on that street seem to go for 900k
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/w13/drayton-avenue.html

Manor road or Drayton gardens?

If you're looking east, then maybe cann hall area of Leytonstone? Or forest gate?

@bombastix Thank you that’s good to know!

@SecretAgent008 yes I agree there might be something wrong with it because there is not much in that area in our budget.

May need to speak to dh about budget. We can push our budget ever so slightly up but will get hit with an extra £10k ~ in stamp duty straight away when we could put that into fixing up a cheaper run down house.

@Fiddlesticks25 yes Leytonstone seems like a very good option in budget. We just don’t know the East at all. We need to decide if we will branch out from W London

@JustAMinutePleass thank you I will check out Stanmore

Going out into Essex you will get a three bed in a decent area for that money. Look along the central line/overground out to Loughton/Buckhurst Hill/Chingford etc.
Good for families with the forest on your doorstep and 30 mins ish into central London.

This is such utter rubbish. Plumstead and Abbey Wood have great Victorian houses, lovely green spaces and it’s affordable for London. We moved from Peckham and got a Victorian house on a tree lined street for approx £400k.

If anyone reading this is interested in the area look up Plumstead Common, Winns Common,The Slade cafe, Plumstead Pantry, Bostall Woods, Lesnes Abbey Wood (and farmers market), Woolwich Works, Maya DDs (great Nepalese food), Acosta Dance Centre…