Please recommend an area in London for families

[Fabi76]

Hello! I am not very familiar with London and need to move in three months. My husband and I have a baby and are looking for a house where we can stay for at least 10 years, so big enough for a growing family. I am appalled with the house prices, could you suggest an area with relatively good schools, access to public transport (to commute to Central London)and some nice parks nearby? We were thinking about north west or west but it could also be anywhere else as long as it's well connected.

Many thanks for your advice!!

what's your budget?

Prices vary hugely in London so knowing your budget is crucial. £350,000 would buy a tiny one bed flat in some areas (or not even that), or a terraced 3 bed house in others.

Have you thought of looking outside London on a train route in? Eg Kent, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire etc. By the time you get to zone 3 in London you might as well be outside London itself, as the trains will be as quick as the tubes and house prices likely to be far more palatable. We are in Hertfordshire with trains generally every 10 mins (or more often at rush hour) into Euston, taking 20 mins, and house prices are far far lower than comparable parts of London itself.

Can't really advise without knowing your budget and how many bedrooms you need!

Thank you very much for replying. Our budget would be probably up to 900,000 (stretching it a bit) and we would need 3-4 bedrooms. I haven't thought about Hertfordshire, but I'm going to look at it now!

Wigeon: I apologize for my ignorance, but how long does it take if you drive to central london for instance?

With that budget, you are not tied to a good state school. You should be able to afford private school, unless you are going for a big brood.

If you are not constrained by schools, you just need somewhere with good transport links.

Do you and your husband WOHP or just one. If both, I would suggest somewhere fairly central (up to zone 3). If one, you can consider moving out to the shires.

Pinner. You could buy a lovely house for that money, the schools are good and there's loads of green space.

Thank you blueshoes - what's WOHP? We both work, but I find the areas near central London so expensive. You are right that we would need good transport links as we don't have a car. Thanks for replying!

Thanks WillbeanChariot! I had not heard of Pinner, but will look at it.

Nah forget Pinner, Teddington. Just remembered I always recommend NW London for value. If I had your budget i'd move back to Teddington. It's lovely. Not sure about the schools though.

Willbean: How long does it take to commute from Pinner to Central London?

Yes, I have been to Teddington to visit some friends and found it lovely. Can you recommend a particular area/street? Thanks!!

Fabi, WOHP means 'work outside the home parent' ie asking if you and/or your husband goes to work outside the home.

Do you/dh have a job lined up in London? If so, you want ideally to be able to get to work without changing trains/tube because that adds a lot to the travel time. And you ideally want to be within 1 hour of your work door-to-door.

Tell us where your work is and then you can plot via tube/train lines where you should live.

pick where you're working

follow the tube lines out

and check rightmove

900K should be adequate in London

Well, we would like to live somewhere in the NW and have looked at Shepherds Bush, Ealing, Chiswick but also in Clapham, Brixton and Fulham which are some of the areas that I've been to and like. Our jobs are in the city and millbank.

Thanks, I hadn't thought about looking using the tube lines as a guide.

London has loads of village-y areas so you have to decide what sort of vibe you want (sorry, couldn't think of a better word): arty/alternative/traditional/trendy etc etc. #900k should buy you a 3/4 bedroom Victorian place in the places you've mentioned, considerably more in some.

I think lots of parts of South London are cost effective too and you'd probably get more for your money because they're not on the tube line - but they have good rail and bus connectinos

use tfl.gov.uk for public transport within londno

Richmond, Kew or Barnes imho.

Thanks Lala - but how people decide where to live in such a big city? I know there are lots of lovely areas/village-like places, but I feel that without knowing people that live there it's very difficult to choose. We would like a place close to shops and restaurants as we don't drive, do you know any nice places?

Thanks activate - yes, I'm looking also in Greenwich and Brockley. I agree that it seems less expensive.

Thanks Oi!

'Between the Commons' - Clapham and Wandsworth commons, that is, particularly the area off Northcote Road (known as Nappy Valley for the amount of buggies and small children!)

Walking distance to Clapham Junction, two commons to choose from, lovely shops and a cafe society.

Plus highly desirable state schools, esp. Honeywell (tiny catchment area).

I disagree, btw, that your budget necessarily means you should look at private schools; housing anywhere in london costs a lot, and buying a property doesn't necessarily mean you can easily afford private.

SE22 is fab, though can be pricey. Loads of green spaces, very family friendly.

And you could get a REALLY nice house for 900K!