Where to live in/around London?

[Sunnyhunnybee]

Hi, hoping you can provide some advice. We are looking to buy in/around London. Must be within 15 minutes walk to trains and a 30 minute ride into waterloo

Must haves- open views, 800+ sq ft space. A garden. Preferably not a flat.

What do you think about ewell, stoneleigh, strawberryhill areas? Or should we look at Tooting or more urban 'city' areas? Any preference?

Don't have children and close to menopause so no worries about school districts

Depends on budget!

We love Blackheath which has all of the things you are looking for but as everywhere in London, house prices have rocketed.

Meant to say budget is £500k, £600k max

We love Blackheath too, but can't find anything suitable in our budget.

Forgot to add that the house needs to be on a quiet street

Motspur Park and Worcester Park.

Tooting is a complete and utter hell-hole. Steer well clear unless an important box to be checked on your list reads "must have country's biggest Chicken Cottage on high street".

Sevenoaks goes into Waterloo East.

Strawberry hill lovely. River and lots of green spaces nearby as well as easy access to good shopping in Richmond and Kingston (twickenham fine for the essentials).

Twickenham green worth a look too if you are a fast walker - slight trek to station!

I don't think you will get a house in strawberry hill for that money, you might but it will be tricky. Stoneleigh is v suburban and I don't like it much. Ewell village is nice but aiain it is very suburban.

There are really so many options it is hard to narrow down. What do you like doing in your time off?

Thanks all. It is a difficult thing to decide on as I don't have too many 'must haves'

But the things I need beside quick links into London waterloo are:
Open spaces to walk my dog
Not too crowded
Quiet
Lots of sunlight and greenery
Interesting restaurants/ cafés, but not poncy price, mediocre quality stuff that is considered 'trendy'
Preferably two train lines in case one has major works going on
On weekends plan to take on pottery making and perhaps get a kiln in the back garden?

Reading the list back, it does seem that I am more picky than I thought

Is strawberry hill noisy with planes overhead?

Beckenham or chistlehurst. Both suburban but I think much better value than stoneliegh.

Thanks everyone. Have crossed tooting off the list, I thought it was too rough too, but for some reason prices there seem to be on the up!

Any houses that look promising in the recommended spots? I saw a lovely detached bungalow around Ewell (hence my post, as I know very little about the area) but it has a northwest facing garden...

I really like bungalows as they tend to be detached on fairly large plots. And I can put loads of skylights and combine the light and airiness of loft style/penthouse living with the advantages of a house

I like the looks of this one in Beckenham

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42140077.html

But it seems quite expensive!

Have you looked at Kingston? Lots of lovely Victorian houses just like that, and if you could buy near Richmond Park, acres and acres of lovely parkland to walk your dog in. And a fantastic shopping centre. Lovely walks long the river too.

I have looked a bit, hard to find a house that is not overlooked in the front and back

Yes, there is that! But wouldn't the same be true of beckenham?

True, that is why I am finding it so difficult to find a place! Need the right property (not overlooked, quiet, sunny garden) and a nice area (all the lovely areas recommended by mnetters) with links to waterloo.

Am I doomed not to find anything...?

I need to move by July so need to get cracking on narrowing my search!

That particular listing in Beckenham seems like it is not overlooked, as far as I can tell on rightmove. But it seems really overpriced for a small 2up2down regular terrace

Try Berrylands/Surbiton. Fast train to Waterloo from Surbiton. Berrylands is a lovely, green residential area with big gardens.

Have you looked south of Wimbledon? Morden is much cheaper in comparison but you can walk to south Wimbledon tube in 10 mins ( district line), or you can get on tube at morden ( northern line). £500 will get you a house there and as its so close to Wimbledon I see it as an area on the up so a good profit to still be made if you sell up later on

You could try houses at the top of shooters hill, Shrewsbury lane, eglington hill. Lovely houses for less than 500k. Plenty of open space, splendid views across london, 15 minute drive to blackheath, loads of parks including Oxleas woods. There is even a golf course nearby. It's a 15min walk to woolwich where you can get a train to Waterloo in about 35mins or alternatively the dlr. It's one of London's best kept secrets given the affordability of houses here. Moved here a few years ago and never looked back.

Brilliant, thanks. Will look. Any suggested rightmove links are greatly appreciated!