Where to live in London?

[Lostmarblez]

Hello

Looking for ideas of where to move to in London. Criteria is....
Within 45 min commute to city
Leafy area or near to nice parks/green space
Vibrant high street
3 bed
Prefer period flat but consider newer
Would like small outside space
Stuff for families to do - have toddler and another baby to follow
Good schools - primary def
Have 650k

Did live in crouch end so like that sort of area. Would live there but priced out. Would love somewhere where prices not gone crazy (is there anywhere?) were we can stay for a decent amount of time.

Clapton? Stow? Crystal Palace?

Incidentally why do you prefer a flat with two small kids? Could get a house with reasonable garden for your budget in/around Crystal Palace or down the hill via Penge out into Beckenham. Commutes from this area very good too.

East Dulwich?

this is on a lovely road in Beckenham.

Can't afford 3 bed flat with budget of £650k??

Sorry OP no help but just. And I live in London.

Maybe could afford crouch end still but it is bonkers cash now so thought get more elsewhere.

And yes a house would be lovely rather than a flat!!

I guess what I'm asking really is where are nice areas for families that are similar (ish) to crouch end but not so crazy cash. Don't really want suburb feel.

Parts of Forest Hill and even Honor Oak Park could still offer 3 bed house and certainly flat, fabulous for families and primary schools. Love it here.

Needs work but lovely road near HOP station:
TATNELL ROAD, London, SE23
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46461412.html

That's a fab house in Beckenham. Too far out for you, Lost?

I am open mouthed at the price of the house linked by lulupeg.

That house would cost less than 200k in every other major city in the UK.

I love London but I'd be devastated to have paid £650k to live in a house like that.

No help at all to you OP, sorry.

Enfield. You can get a train straight into the City. Its leafy.

Nice road and walkable to station.

Kingston? Fast train to Waterloo, tube from neighbouring Richmond. Lovely and leafy.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46464511.html

Wanstead is lovely - lots of green space, on both loops of the Central Line (a station at either end of the High Street), conservation area where people really care about their houses, a gorgeous High Street that hasn't been taken over by the multinationals (I suppose it depends what you mean by vibrant? Ilford, where I live, is described as 'vibrant', what it means is that you can buy shisha, halal meat, anything you can imagine a pound shop would sell (there are four of them between our house and the station alone) and more chicken shops than there are people,, but if you want to buy sausages, a washer to put on your tap or find a coffee place that isn't Costa, you're out of luck). It has Leytonstone a few minutes away which is supposedly happening and has a nice (horrendously expensive) gastropub and other amenities, and the schools in the area are ok - both the primary and the secondary had an iffy Ofsted a few years ago but are improving.

This is a lovely road and in your budget: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32928870.html

This has a garage (a big bonus as it's all permit parking): www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49029626.html

A little bit further out but Aldersbrook has a great community feel: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32275578.html

Or this:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49017899.html

Gosh, London's not THAT bad yet, you've got loads of options!

If you like Crouch End then Walthamstow might suit and you could get near to the village for that. This one wants to be over your budget but they do say prices are coming down so I think you might be ok.

Or this one which is also very nice.

That's only village-ish stuff, if you expand then you could probably get something even nicer.

Alternatively, Nunhead is jolly lovely and you could buy this which isn't much from the outside but is nicely done on the inside I think.

Or this in Lausanne Road which is vey very nice.

Or even this which I think makes up for being a flat by being super lovely.

You can get a small (2 bed) house in Crouch End for that price, there's one on Beechwood Road which would put you in catchment for decent primaries.

If you want a bit more space, but want to stay in the general area, then go a bit further North. You might find something around Ally Pally (although maybe a maisonette rather than a house), but you'd get a house in somewhere like Bounds Green, which has good primary and secondary schools.

Just a little bit further North in Southgate, and around Arnos Grove, and Brookfield Park, would be affordable too, but they might be too far out for you.

I guess I'm pretty numb to the London now but that seems to be the standard price for that part of SE23 - in fact I've seen a lot worse, for more... The house next door to us sold for similar six months ago and was in a similar state albeit with an extra bedroom. World gone mad but it's all relative - I'd despair if I was paying this as a FTB but if trading in a flat from
North or SW London then suddenly it seems almost reasonable. We sold our previous SE London house a few years ago to people trading in a tower block flat in North London so I expect they considered it ok value.

No offence meant lulupeg. I absolutely get that the London market is worlds apart from the rest of the country and there's nothing wrong with that house but the price is just eye watering.

Try shooters hill in south east London. I would link if I could on my phone!

Bromley?

This or this or this

No none taken Leviticus :) I agree and while I probably will profit one day when we leave the capital it's not a good state of affairs for those even just a few years younger than me or the country as a whole. I pity FTB and renters in London, life must seem impossible at times....

Chingford. 25 mins to Liverpool St an Epping Forest on doorstep.

Good schools too.

Beckenham is a great choice for that budget. It is zone 4 and take a 20-30 mins on the train, depending on the millions of stations to choose from you would live near.

What do you mean by "suburban" feel? I never understand that....!

Orpington is 15 mins on mainline to London Bridge.

This or this - both in excellent school catchments too.

Dreaming of OP's budget, sigh - near an outstanding primary school too.

Dreaming of OP's budget, sigh - near an outstanding primary school too.