Where should we live in or around London? Come over here please if you like a property search with a good virtual budget!

[Wonderingwhere]

We are looking for a house in or around London and feel a bit stuck in a rut with our searching. We have looked in one or two 'obvious' areas, but think that we need to broaden out. There are probably places that we just don't consider because we don't know they exist...

Top criteria

• 4 + bedrooms
• great transport links to Tower Hill and Angel
• great state primary and secondary schools
• a pleasant, safe area

We would prefer to stay within London, but could also be open to doing a dual location move - country house and flat in town.

We are fortunate to have a good budget. I don't want to say exactly what it is, but we don't need to stick to areas that have traditionally been considered affordable. Our present house is likely to sell for around £800k and we can go a fair bit above that.

All ideas appreciated! Bring on those links!

bump

Is there anywhere that has GREAT transport links to BOTH Tower Hill and Angel?! I'm inclined to say Stoke Newington (N16) if you can both stand getting a bus (67 and 73 respectively - each about 30/40 minutes). Lots of families, reasonable state schools. You can get 4+ beds for that sort of budget.

I wouldn't want to do a commute by bus - leisure trips are fine, but too unreliable and stressful if you need to get to meetings by 9am.

For Tower Hill and Angel, I would consider Angel, you'd have to change tube lines to get to Tower Hill but at least one of you would probably be able to walk to work. There are some good primary schools but you have to be careful about catchment areas. Secondary schools are not so good, but there is an outstanding girls' secondary. The choices are better if you are CofE.

4 bed flat in Angel

4 bed house in Angel, nicer and bigger but further away from decent schools.

Tricky one - it's the great state primaries and secondaries that will really narrow your options so I would start with the Ofsted website and work from there tbh.

Barnet is always recommended for schools and transport looks decent to Angel/Tower Hill.

Well it depends on your priorities and goes to show there are compromises at every budget!

If it were me i would probably prioritise schools and go for Richmond if it had to be london. It has the best state schools in london. But obviously that means long commutes. For other places in the table i think it was info from experian in the evening standard a month or two ago.

Finchley or Highgate might also work? Also south woodford or buckhurst hill but you are getting further out again.

even further afield trains into london bridge or liverpool street open other options but i get the feeling you want to be fairly central and on a tube?

Tower hill and angel are tricky. If you prioritise transport then would you be happy with the schools at that side of town?

Alternatively buy in a cheaper area to the east but spend some of your capital on private education? You then have a great school and a reasonably short commute.

Only good if you have girls, but here is a lovely 5-bed right next to Camden School for Girls www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38396165.html - primaries nearby are alright I think. May be stretching the budget a little? Kentish Town is nice though; you have Primrose hill and the Heath very close by. Tube to Angel 10 minutes; tube to Tower Hill 25 minutes.

I don't think commuting by bus is particularly unreliable or stressful in London - or at least it's very unreliable and stressful but no more so than the tube!

Yes I was going to say Camden/Kentish Town/Dartmouth Park. I'd like that kitchen diner on Bartholomew Road.

web.aspasia.net/pls/olivers/e_agent_site.pac_rep_prpsrch.prc_reg_view?p_cont_id=27745

Another good house in Kentish Town. Check out the estate agent's description - I think he'd had a few when he sat down to write this.

How about Borough of Barnet but look at the lovely (and expensive) houses around the Totteridge area/Woodside Park area. This puts you on the Northern Line with direct links to Angel and you can also interchange at Bank/Monument onto District/Circle line to Tower Hill. Lots of people moan about the Northern Line but I don't think it is that bad - maybe it's the southern end that has problems.

Totteridge/Woodside Park def meets all your criteria

Blimey that's one hell of a lyrical description. drjohn!

:) to that estate agent.

Take a look at Willesden Green. Just inside zone 2, reasonable prices, Gladstone park is nice. Anson Road gets good ofsted even though it is cuterally diverse to say the least.

Thanks for the ideas.

It is definitely helpful to see a few places that we hadn't considered.

To be a bit more explict, the budget would top out at 1.2 for a place with great state schools, but less if we would need to think about educating privately.

Barnet is a good suggestion. Will take a look at Totteridge/Woodside Park.
Which bits of Finchley would be a good bet?

Lol at the Kentish town house - he must have had a couple!

We would prefer to be in zone 2 -3, but would be happy to be a bit further out if links into the City were good. Luurve SW and W London, but we lived there before and the transport just did not work for us.

Anywhere commuting into London Bridge?

North London? N8 or N10 - great schools. North London Line goes into Moorgate?

On that budget and considering state primary and comp schools, I'd look at two North London places on the Northern Line - Muswell Hill on the East Finchley side (N2/N10), catchment of Tetherdown and Fortismere (peerless primary excellent secondary) or I'd look at the Highgate side of Crouch End (Highgate Wood secondary just did well in GCSEs, Coleridge primary is very good)

I would follow my own advice but you are considerably richer than us ;)

are descriptions like this actually allowed on serious property sites! literally am rolling around laughing -'born not out of someone but toil etc' and the rest!
I thought the major minus of Muswell hill is that it wasn't on hte tube?
OP what about Balham, 10min rail to victoria then on to Tower Hill, and Northern line there too. I know it's patchy and not sure you can get a 4-bed there but it may be possible, especially the side towards Wandsworth common is nice.

Whonderingwhere - Arkeley, High Barnet have great schools and excellent transport links via the Northern Line. Hadley Wood is a bit more pricey and would probably mean looking at private schools as an option. My advice to clients is to carefully list the things that are important to them as a family - commute time, proximity to good state schools, accessibility of lifestyle & leisure activities, outside space, etc and then start the search armed with a clear criteria - if in doubt get help!

Have you considered south-east London? East Dulwich has some excellent schools. Aprox. 10 mins into London Bridge. Lots of independent shops and restaurants, and loads of green space.

It also depends if your children are pre-school or already in school - if they need school places straight away, your options are much more limited.

Schools in London are so complicated, I would make a list of likely options and start looking at catchment areas etc.

I like Crouch End and Muswell Hill but TBH, all of NW London feels a bit landlocked and urban sprawl to me - I would prefer SW London and being near the river. Doesn't the old silverlink line go from Richmond to kings cross? Commute from SW to the city is fine, i would walk from waterloo.