South/South East London up to £160K ish

[petitmort]

Hope there are some 'tall order' specialists out there with tips on this one!

We're looking to buy somewhere in London which has access to both Clapham Junction and Whitechapel - so we've identified many of the stations along the new East London Line: Crystal Palace, Sydenham, Anerley, Penge, Norwood Junction, Forest Hill Brockley etc.

We're happy to walk up to a mile (less would be better) to any of these stations and are looking for ideally, a 2 bed top floor flat, ideally not ex-LA from an investment pov, and if there was parking - how brilliant would that be! Oh, and a balcony too! ROFL - you've gotta try!

The thing is, we haven't been to all of these areas. We are vaguely familiar with Crystal Palace and Norwood Junction and have driven/walked around Forest Hill, Brockly and Sydenham. We live down the coast - Whitstable way - so getting up is necessary but sporadic.

We haven't got much of a budget, but when we sell our place - it will be cash/no mortgage.

No kids, so schools are not an issue, we both prefer peace and quiet but like to have a newsagent, supermarket and library not too far away.

Anyone got any tips on nice affordable streets in these areas, any blocks to avoid (we're very personal safety paranoid) - or which websites, in addition to Rightmove, ar egood on this part of London.

try searching around Upper Norwood - that'd give you a wider area than just Crystal Palace and it's still walkable to the CP train station (and to other stations serving Clapham). For example:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38161619.html. No balcony, but area is nice and open, lots of green spaces. CP rocks.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38161619.html

hope that link works properly now.

might be worth looking at Croydon - you won't get a lot for your money in SE London

Sorry I think you will have to pay more than that. Can you put £160k deposit down then get a mortgage on the rest?

We have been looking around clap ham and £250k min for 1/ small 2 bed really

Cheers pinkdelight - that flat looks lovely. I've actually had a few in that block saved to my Rightmove 'favourites' as they are big and really good value.

Do you know the area well? Our only concern with them was the walking distance to CrysPal station - must be a least 30 mins +.

But they are definite possibles - do you know if there are many shops around that road?

Thanks too to Nancy and forevergreek.

We don't want a mortgage so £160 ish is tops - depens what we get for our house in Whitstable.

Croydon would be too far out I think.

We're not looking as far over as swish Clapham though - too rich for us.
I think we can get something - like pinkdelight's example - on our budget - it just has to be on a station where the east and west train lines converge.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38363171.html

That is why that flat is priced the wa it is, distance from commuter links.

Croydon is better served for public transport than C Palace. East and South Croydon are actually not too bad and good vfm.

Hi petitmort. yeah, I live just off Beulah Hill. BH is great for buses. My DH gets an express bus (x68) that runs straight into central London every morn (and back again in the afternoon/eve) without stopping, so only takes 40mins. Or you can easily get a bus a few stops to West norwood then get a train to clapham jcn that takes about 10mins. The walk to Crystal Palace is more like 20mins, just along Church Road then down Anerley Hill. There are lots of shops at Crown Point which is where Beulah intersects with Central Hill/Knights Hill, plus lots in Crystal Palace too. I def wouldn't let the transport issue put you off. As 7to25 says, it is the reason why it's more affordable, but the connections are great and I'm generally back from town in well under an hour. We moved here from Croydon, which just felt too far out for us. It's great to be back 'in London', with the vibrancy of CP, but with more green and community feel than some places.

Ta MrsCobbit - just goes to show - you can still get a decent flat in a London postcode for under £150k!!!

Croydon has good links - it's just that it's a couple of travel zones further out and one change onto the ELL for Whitechapel - not the end of the world but We're starting at our best case of Crystal P. which is no change trains in both directions. Would probably compromise and have 1 bed further in to London than 2 beds further out.

Thanks again pinkdelight - that's good info!

What do you think of these? Do you know these roads/areas at all?:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-33503254.html?premiumA=true

This area - Auuckland Rise and Sylvan Hill seems to have lots of 60s/70s flats - but it looks really, really hilly! Is there an area to live to avoid big up and down walks to the station? Is Church Road, for example, mainly level walking from one end to the other?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22432446.html

Church Road is level, as is the triangle (church rd/westow/westow hill), but pretty much everything off it is downhill (geographically speaking only!). So from the Woodland rd flat you'd have a shortish climb up to the triangle then down the hill to the station. Keeps you fit though ! And it's in a great location for the shops, pubs and station in Gipsy Hill (only one stop from CP if you're feeling lazy) and not far from Dulwich. We looked at some nice houses around there, but had to get somewhere right next to a school so it was trickier for us.

The Sylvan Hill side is slightly less nice I think, just because it's a bit more built-up, but still some lovely streets and you can cut across them to get to the station so it wouldn't be very hilly a walk at all. Looks like you've found a couple of good possibilities there. So much easier being a cash buyer - but do call to check what the leases are like. Sometimes that's why they can look like a bargain, because you might have to pay for a new lease. Sorry if that's obvious - just had my brother caught out when he was flat-hunting around here.

I've never had to weigh up properties on the basis of hilliness before - it's just I know I'll rapidly fall out of love with somewhere if I have to walk home uphill for half an hour in the wet and cold three or four months of the year.

Yep, those tricksy EA descriptions - it's like a game of spotting what's NOT mentioned - because the thing not mentioned is always the PROBLEM thing - ha ha.

There are a couple of flats for sale here: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-33816691.html?premiumA=true

And I couldn't see the flaw until I started looking for radiators in the photos - guess what?

So that's why they're cheap - ahhhhh!

Like you say - if they don't mention the length of the lease as a selling point then it's bound to be a problem - oh no! an anti-selling point Shushhhhh don't tell the buyers....

Those Crown Point flats are v close to shops - right on top of them practically! And close to Streatham common too which is great. but not as great as CP. I know I'm biased but have just been so impressed since we moved here e.g. there was this a few weeks ago:
crystalpalacefestival.org/
More than makes up for the hills.
You might find this useful too:
www.virtualnorwood.com/forum/

Good luck with your hunting...

crystalpalacefestival.org/

and

www.virtualnorwood.com/forum/

Not v technical!

Cheers - virtual norwood"! - ace

Both flats in your 14:21 post are in good locations, but especially the first, Gipsy Hill is lovely!

Thanks Levantine. It's difficult working out the good areas especially as sometimes it can seem to change from street to street so really appreciate the info.

We're very keen on the first one but expect it will be long gone before we get our place sold. But these blocks and streets will go down in the little book of property to keep looking for.