Hi all,
My DH, baby, dog and I recently moved to Clapham Common/Wandsworth. Although I love the area and would love to buy here, after seeing a few properties, to my dismay, I realise that £1m for a 4/5 bed house in the area really doesn't get you much at all (narrow Victorian houses in real need of modernisation with mostly tiny gardens). The £1m budget is really the cap so if we buy something at that price we will not have any budget for renovations.
I have briefly looked at other areas around South London but am starting to get the feeling that if I want to live in a desirable area, prices are going to be pretty much the same. I have looked at Balham, Wimbledon, Putney, Dulwich and liked them all ; have also looked around New Cross and Tooting Bec but would not like to move there (did not look very nice or felt particularly safe).
Both DH and work (he in Canary Wharf and I in the City (Bank or Cannon Street are my closest tube stations)) and given our current commute is roughly 50 mins (if all goes smoothly), we wouldn't mind adding another 10-20 mins to it, so we are starting to consider moving out of London to get more for our money and hopefully be in an area with good state schools.
Have done a quick search in Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Well (which I'm getting the feeling are the equivalent areas to those we'd like in London), and again, I am surprised to see that though you get a bit more for your money, it's really not that much more. Am I missing something? Are there any other areas I should consider? Is Surrey a workable option given where we need to get in the City/Canary Wharf?
Also, when I mention moving out to the country to my London friends who have kids, I am invariably told that yes, it's great if you're a SAHM, but if both parents work full time (which we do), it's really not workable. Is that right? Frankly, given that at the moment, no matter how I slice it (tube or cab), I'm still a good 40-50mins from home, I don't see how another 10-20 mins would make much a difference.
Would appreciate any feedback and thank you in advance.