Awful London house prices

[crazyhead]

Am I the only one to be depressed looking at houses to buy in London this Spring? Asking prices are way higher than ever before. It is so grim knowing that you are basically going to be funding a glamourous retirement for anyone in their mid 40s plus, while you are harnessed to really frightening debts.

All my friends work really hard/are really well qualified and the only ones who aren't screwed by it either have minted families or had the 'foresight' to go into a job in private equity straight after university.

I'm mid thirties - not even young! - so I dread to think how rubbish it is for younger Mumsnetters

And although of course it is better outside London, it isn't so easy to leave family, friends, and of course work behind.

Anyway, rant over, but wondered if anyone else feels my pain...

Come to Essex, good value for money, lovley countryside, excellent schools - easy commute to london (depends where you work) We are vaire posh kind of

bibbity if you like 1960s/70s houses, there is a small development in Beckenham I would actually move to myself if I was in a position to move (and I doubt I would otherwise move to Beckenham). It is at the very end of Beckenham Place Park, a very exclusive road with multi million pound houses, too exclusive to be on street view, but don't let that put you off. At the very end of the road is an unmade section, I have a thing for unmade roads, and opposite is a wood! It is an amazing little spot considering how close you are to London, it just wouldn't feel like it. There is one house there for sale at the moment, there are slightly better ones facing onto Beckenham Place Park on the other side of the development, they are better because they have their parking space underneath. On the main picture of the front of this house you can see the side of one of the better ones to the left in the background. The pictures here do not do it justice at all.

Beckenham Place Park House

When we were looking at moving house about 18 months ago one of the better ones was on at an asking price of £399k and sold for asking, so prices have gone up. It was sold before we viewed so our viewing was cancelled.

Hooray for south London!
There are some lovely Span houses in Blackheath too, although not sure how much they cost at the mo.
Blu I love your links, those houses seem very appealing after living in an early Victorian house which always seems to need work. But I agree with everyone saying having a property in London doesn't mean it was handed to you on a plate. We brought in Peckham where nobody wanted to live c.15 years ago, simply because it was affordable and there were some beautiful properties, but our first house was a small 2 bedroom with tiny garden and slap bang underneath a very noisy railway line. Plus it was seen as a very undesirable area at the time, not the poncified 'village' it has become, in local estate agent speak.
I wish I could retire mortgage free in my mid 40's, but not looking likely!

I am totally with everyone on South London - we currently live just south of the river and I go all the time into Camberwell which is a really nice area in parts. My issue has really been that because family are north london and keen to help with childcare etc, it is such a difference being there or an hour away. AND all of my friends live up there too.

But north london is just really pricey - it is a tough thing to balance up really.

fapIthats just around the corner from me!

How can you get out of paying those fees-doesn't sound legal (but very much like an ad!)?

Tooting is still reasonable and it is getting a Starbucks dontchaknow

This

or this

A thread after my own heart because after looking at 45+ houses/flats we've just bought a house (first house rather than flat!) in SE London. Would love to have been central greenwich but with a budget of 'just' £430k were looking at small flats or tiny two bed cottages. Am really chuffed to have found the St John's area of Deptford. Does anyone know anything about this?

On the plus side it's a conservation area and the houses are lovely and it's also great for transport with an overland and DLR as well as being nearish to Deptford, New Cross and Lewisham. Greenwich is about 20 mins walk away for coffee shops etc. local pubs/cafes seem a bit thin on the ground but hopefully that will change at some point.

Charlton also has some really lovely houses but I've been living there (part time Charlton/part time the lovely Brighton) for 5 years and it just feels too far away from things. Having a baby has meant we've has to give up our two flats lifestyle for a house! Hoping St Johns will be a good compromise. We've bought a 3 bed Victorian terrace, nice garden, it under budget!

What about perivale, house prices pretty low compared to the rest of London and on central line.

St Johns is great freelancegirl - I lived very close to there 15 years ago before the DLR went in; I was in the Brockley conservation area but used St John's overground every day into Charing Cross. It was great, only 15 mins on the train. A still relatively undiscovered corner in zone 2 I think, and v quick to walk to Greenwich and Hilly Fields. Hope all goes well with the house!

Thanks Ogre! That's very good to hear. I've posted on the local pages to see if I can find out more about it (we went ahead and bought anyway) but it was all v quiet. I am really pleased to have discovered it and surprised I haven't really heard that much about it before. Ok prices have definitely risen since the arrival of the DLR but they are still within an ok budget for London. And great conservation area houses there and Brockley conservation area too. And yes, not too far to walk to Greenwich.

OP, if childcare help from family is important then you really need to stick to North London. Don't get derailed by the wonder of South of the River. There are reasonable places to live in N.London. What is your budget?

And where do your family live?

Hi, we are moving from Oxford to London this year. We have two children, 7 and 4. We love the look of west Charlton for the affordable Victorian properties, green spaces and rail and bus links. We like to be somewhere quiet, with a strong sense of community, and to travel to the hubbub when we feel like it. My mother thinks I am being entirely irresponsible and fears that we will be regularly mugged, and that when they are teens, the children will not be safe. My brother, who lives in Putney, tells me that the has a bad reputation for a reason and we should not move there. I have spent a few days walking around Charlton and felt very happy. Any advice please?

Awful London prices? There are plenty of affordable places. My 2 bed lovely Victorian house in a quiet cul-de-sac in South London is just around 200k mark, and my lifestyle ticks all boxes of being "decent".

And those overpriced on-the-trend places... I am not sure if it reflects being a real (I mean, diverse) Londoner.

My friend lives in Charlton (Charlton Church Road) - it's really nice and feels perfectly safe. There are some lovely open spaces and Charlton Village parade is getting a bit smarter. I do think schooling, especially at secondary level, is a bit hit and miss there though - at least that's the impression she gives me.

We have lived in the Crystal Palace area for over 10 years and have loved it! We moved from Gipsy Hill with its beautiful views to the green of South Norwood Lakes in search of a house with a garden, a bit more in the sticks but nevertheless a great family area to be in, at the bottom of our road the hidden gem of the lake surrounded by field and woodland walk..It hasn't been an easy decision to make but we have taken the plunge and decided to put our house on the market and move with our 3 1/2 year old - the 5 1/2 hour drive up to Manchester to see family is proving too much and I really want the countryside.. A bit mad really, seeing as we are right opposite Cypress Road school, one of the better schools in the area.. We will miss the Palace and all our lovely friends, but where we are moving to has a very nice looking pub called the Paxton (he who designed the Crystal Palace) so we reckon of course, it must be fate...