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Original poster

Not stealth boast I promise but FFS 700k and cant find what we want

66 replies

RetroBeeyatch · 18/10/2011 10:36

Disclaimer: I know £700k is a fortune to spend on a house outside of London, but this is our budget and we are struggling to find what we want in London.

We want London north of the river or suburbs of London (because of where we both work), either a natural 4 bedder (not loft converted) or a 3 bed we can do a loft conversion on, but would need to then be more like 600k in that case. I want a garden. I want at least 3 of the bedrooms to be doubles. I want good space downstairs (I really want a utility room, or space to add one).

Am I being unrealistic? The sort of house in the sort of area we want seems to be more like 850k and we cannot stretch to that. Am willing to look at areas outside if London but close. North or West of the city preferably.

OP posts:
PinkFondantFancy · 21/10/2011 07:29

Not read whole thread but how about Welwyn Garden City in Herts? Lovely town, beautiful houses and easy commute to London

greenlegs · 22/10/2011 00:10

Clapton is fine these days I'm sure, i think it's really changing. You'd be no more likely to catch a bullet around here than anywhere else in London. it's only a short walk to stoke newington and you get more parks (No I'm not selling my house!)

Decorhate · 22/10/2011 13:48

I also second Southgate/Palmers Green. But tbh I would prefer to live outside London in an actual town than live in many of the outer suburbs. There are parts that have miles & miles of houses & hardly any shops, etc.

Plus, commuting is often quicker by teain from outside London than a long tube or bus journey from an outer zone...

mummy2munchkin · 22/10/2011 19:59

@madamecas - your bathrooms are gorgeous!! great taste.

DandyLioness · 22/10/2011 20:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Matsikula · 22/10/2011 20:15

I think you may be asking a bit much. In some areas there's very little available between a not huge 3 bed, and a grand Victorian villa. It's the way the developers built street upon street of the same thing. And if you are looking in reasonably popular areas, everyone will have done the loft.

so you might find you have to either hang round for a wreck and most likelu attempt to compete with a developer for it, or compromise on the no converted lofts rule. Sometimes what you are looking for just really doesn't exist - when we bought we found there was nothing in our preferred area between £400 and £600 thousand. We looked for months and there really wasn't.

miserablemum · 25/10/2011 15:06

madam your house is fabulous!! And absolutley love the Acton one.

I'm in the North West, feeling pants so indulging in some property porn Grin

befuzzled · 25/10/2011 15:22

I agree with the other posters - we have just spent near what you are looking at out of london a bit but still within M25 and have a 20 min journey to the city, detached, big garden, 6 bedrooms. I know it is hard to get your head round moving out of London but it's not that bad (I had to be dragged kicking and creaming out of Clapham 7 years ago) - I still go out in London and it takes me less time to get home that when I lived in Clapham!

melatc · 13/03/2012 09:00

Archway is a wonderful place to live. I know it doesn't look like much when you come out of the tube but living here is great. The transport is amazing with zone 2 tube and loads of buses to all over London as well as the overland at Upper Holloway. There are also great places to eat and drink, like the St Johns pub, 500 (Italians travel from around London to this restaurant), Spaghi, Harman, Del Parc and Bread and Bean cafe. Easy shopping too with Co-op, Sainsburys and Budgens - and a fab beauty salon called Beautiful! It's a 20 minute walk to Swains Lane and the Parliament Hill side of the Heath and a walk away from Highgate, or if you prefer 2 minutes on the bus. There is also Whittington Park just down the road which has a great kids playground and there is Waterlow Park about 10 minutes walk away which is beautiful. For the kiddies there is the Archway Childrens Centre on Vorley Road which is superb. Activities for babies and toddlers every day, most of which are free. We go to baby yoga and stay and play as often as we can. Not only do the babies love it but it's full of lovely mummies and there is a cafe there for a drink or lunch also. I grew up in Hampstead, and moved to Archway to live with my boyfriend now husband - I never thought we would stay here but we've been here 6 years now and love it. We never want to leave, and have just bought a house in Whitehall Park on the hill between Archway and Highgate. Islington Council has put a large pot of money aside to invest in Archway regeneration and there is a strong agenda to turn the roudabout into a two way system with pedestrian areas to improve public space so Archway is really on the up. There is a wonderful sense of community and people say hello to each other on the street. I couldn't recommend it more.

hifi · 13/03/2012 09:30

what about schools? you will have to be really cAREful where you buy if you want a decent school.i would steer clear of stroud green/archway/finsbury park as the schools arnt great.

SoupDragon · 13/03/2012 12:25

zombie thread

October 2011.

secondthought · 13/03/2012 14:16

We bought a house in Dollis Hill for a lot less than that. Was a wreck mind you but even with the work we've done we wouldn't have spent that much (although if I had my way with the soft furnishings it would put it somewhere in that category...) Fingers crossed you find what you want.

secondthought · 13/03/2012 16:32

Just seen this is a zombie thread. Oops.

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