Looking to buy a flat in an area similar to Belsize Park but cheaper. Thoughts?

[Edhie]

Hello Mumsnet,

I have been lurking here for some time, and you always seem to have good advice regarding property search.

My partner and I are both expats; we are currently renting a flat in Belsize Park but after coming into some family money, we're ready to make a move on a place of our own. Unfortunately, Belsize Park prices are much higher than we can afford.

We are looking for a 2/3 bed flat (or small house), ideally 750+ square feet, and we could probably push our mortgage to 600 000 pounds at a stretch.

What we like about Belsize Park is:

• the villagey feel (relaxed but still lively)
• the poshness (let's not kid ourselves)
• but not overly much of it (we briefly stayed in the Notting Hill Gate area close to Hyde Park and the amount of Aston Martins and Porsche parked in the street gave us the creeps.)

We are really keen on:

• green spaces as close by as possible
• a quick & easy commute to the City
• we fancy period houses quite a bit

So far we have thought of Clapham/Wandsworth, Tufnell/Dartmouth Parks and Greenwich, but being foreigners, we don't know London nearly enough to think of other, less famous places.

That's where I'm hoping you might come in!

• Are there other suitable areas we have completely overlooked?
• In the areas we are already considering, are there some spots we should aim for or avoid?

Fire away.

Thank you in advance for your help!

E.

Highgate, Muswell Hill and Crouch End all fit your description. The overland train goes into Moorgate station and is reasonably quick.

We really liked Greenwich but the severing of the Charing Cross train link eventually convinced us it wasn't for us.

Muswell Hill definite village feel and some lovely houses.

West Hampstead / Kilburn / Willesden borders. Kentish Town. Not too far from where you are now.

If you are used to life north of the river, be very careful about moving south. (and vice versa).

You won't get the poshness of Belsize Park without Belsize Park prices.

I wish there was a more affordable Belsize Park, I'd definitely be looking to move there.

Crouch End or Stoke Newington? Definitely cheaper than Belsize Park and a bit edgier, oh and not on the Tube which does deter some, but a lovely (relatively) affordable area and not too bad getting into the City. Period properties, so a small house might be doable on your budget Stoke Newington has a nice villages feel and Clissold Park for green space. You're handy for Dalston and Shoreditch if you fancy doing hipster stuff.

Wow, thanks, that's a lot of information!

Rubybleu, how far does Muswell Hill extend? Does it go all the way to Alexandra Palace and are the streets there any good (so we could be close enough to the train station for a quick hop to Moorgate)?

So apparently Crouch End and Muswell seem to be in line with what we like - we're going to take a stroll there next week-end.

HeartsTrumpDiamonds, what do you think makes it hard to move south of the river when you live north? What would you say are the things that we're likely to miss there?

To add to the list:

Highbury. Great easy commute (overground train) to Moorgate.

Clapham/Wandsworth - specifically around Northcote Road or Abbeville Road. Northern line to Moorgate - but very crowded.

Queens Park.

Crouch End and Muswell Hill are very nice but do check the commute options - City isn't that easy from there. Highgate may be easier.

Are you planning to have children any time soon? Some of these areas are very family oriented (all are family friendly but some more overwhelmingly so than others).

Personally, I don't think it's hard to move south of the river having lived North - depends where you move from and to. I think a fair few people move from "flat in central and posh area of N London" to "house in further out and not-posh area of S London" and it's the central to further out/posh to not-posh changes they find hard rather than the N to S, iyswim.

Thank you minipie!

Yes, we're definitely considering having the family grow, and that's part of the reason for the move - we want to have enough space to host at least the first kid when the time is right.

I should add that we are French and we might want to make use of the excellent French schools in London at some point, but not before primary anyway, so we have some time to ponder that. Clapham and North London are better for that (there is a primary in Clapham and a primary + high school in Kentish Town) but we think it might be premature to specifically have it as a criteria at this stage.

That does put us in a mixed position though, because we'd like an area from which we can keep enjoying London night life while it lasts (we're huge theatre goers), but also a place where we'd feel comfortable lugging a baby around when it pops :)

Sorry, forgot to ask - where exactly in Highbury do you think we should be considering? Are there some suitable/unsuitable areas to be aware of?

Kensal Rise and Queens Park - not so much Kilburn. Look around Kensal Rise and Queens Park stations, the streets around Queens Park itself, Chamberlayne Rd and the roads leading off it - especially to the south, rather than to the north towards Willesden as much. It's really nice around there, though there will be limits to how much house you'll get for £600k. this is nice, and this is very well located, though not massive.

Crouch End/Muswell Hill definitely, as others have said.

You could also look at Peckham Rye - the area around Bellenden Rd is lovely, though Peckham High St will be quite a change from Belsize Park, and prices in the nice bit are really quite high now.

Victoria Park Village in Hackney is gorgeous but not the greatest, transport-wise. Might be worth having a look at though as it ticks all your other boxes very nicely.

Ah, sorry, crosspost just saw about the Frenchness.

For the lycees then Peckham/Denmark Hill becomes a better consideration as it's a quick skip across on the overground.

But the Kensal/Queens Park area would also be handy enough for the South Ken lycee too. Out east to Victoria Park probably not as good an idea though.

Hmm yes I see.

Highbury is great for theatre access - Piccadilly line straight to theatre land.

Clapham could work for both the pre baby and the post baby stages (and the school stage) but you'd want to pick your specific area of Clapham quite carefully. Clapham Old Town or Clapham Junction would probably be the best options to span both pre and post baby stages. (There are about a squillion French residents in the Northcote road/Clapham Junction area, too).

Another area you might want to look is around Battersea Park, though commute is a bit trickier.

Thank you grumbleina - we wouldn't be too deterred by not having the lycees very close by at the moment (it's not a very short term worry), so I'll definitely have a look at all the areas you listed.

I did hear good things about Peckham but it seemed to me that the prices were rather high - isn't it one of the newer trendy areas? We might go stroll through the place anyway, if only out of curiosity. Do you have an idea of where is nice and where is not so nice in Peckham?

We definitely need more weekends and less weekdays if we want to see the end of the process before 2016, we seem to have managed to ignore 90% of London so far! :)

you can get larger ex council near belsize park but may not be posh enough - probably...www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/35896092?search_identifier=27574614b2ad41e730f74920a49e0ceb#h54RWgiD3DWsjsVV.97

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/35896092?search_identifier=27574614b2ad41e730f74920a49e0ceb#h54RWgiD3DWsjsVV.97

kentish town big space

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/35234216?search_identifier=b4d11b62ee443494b2d7c7fbfdcaf0df#rYjAg1qT7tMe8rzR.97

leighton road
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/33223487?search_identifier=b4d11b62ee443494b2d7c7fbfdcaf0df#fvAkOet9s67QsUt0.97

close to get to highgate and hamstead and belsize park easy to get to town incl taxi home

Thanks again minipie - yes Highbury does look quite practical. Also it's walking distance from the Almeida, which is an amazing little theatre. Are there any particularly good areas there, or areas to avoid specifically?

Is Clapham Old Town the area close to the Clapham Common station? If so that's one of the areas we had in mind. What we've heard about Clapham is that the area "between the Commons" (Clapham and Wandsworth) is very nice but very expensive, that Wandsworth itself is very quiet and residential and that the Junction area is nice while being a bit lively. Would you say that fits your experience of the place as well?

And thank you for the suggestions, cestlavielife. It's not so much the ex council that bothers me, as the fact that I really love period houses. I realise it might sound one and the same, but I'm not all that fond of very luxurious newly builds either. I guess that comes from being French and never seeing anything built after the 1930s while growing up :p

I do like the last one you posted, but it's above our price range, unfortunately. I'll keep an eye out for similar offers though.

Blackheath/Maze Hill/Westcombe Park.. Have you ever visited? Lovely village feel, rail links into town, beautiful open spaces, excellent schools and for your budget you could get a fantastic flat or small house. We lived there before we had to move further out to afford to buy a house and absolutely loved it. A great place if you are thinking of having a family.

Highbury - well basically you want to be as close to Highbury Fields as possible, but it's not a big area so all of it is fairly close. If you search under N5 postcode that will bring up Highbury. Emirates Stadium is right by Drayton Park station so you may not want to be too close to that.

Yes your descriptions are about right! Between the Commons is expensive and is family house land, not many flats about.

Clapham Junction and the areas to its east and west (St John's Hill to the west and Clapham Common Northside to the east) are still close to Between the Commons but a bit cheaper, and have more flats and more bars etc aimed at younger couples.

Wandsworth in my mind has two parts: west of Wandsworth Common has large houses and is quieter and more suburban feeling (driveways etc), or there's Wandsworth Town which is quite busy/trafficky and not so much in the way of quiet residential streets or smart shops.

Yes Old Town is the area to the north of Clapham Common. It's younger and a bit more trendy than Between the Commons. It's close to Clapham High St which is party central for 20 somethings, but not too close... Architechure there is more Georgian/early Victorian which I thought might appeal if you like Belsize Park.

"I did hear good things about Peckham but it seemed to me that the prices were rather high - isn't it one of the newer trendy areas? We might go stroll through the place anyway, if only out of curiosity. Do you have an idea of where is nice and where is not so nice in Peckham? "

Prices in Peckham have SHOT up in the past few years to a point where I have my doubts about how worth it it is. That said, Bellenden Rd, I think around where it crosses with Chadwick and Choumert is really lovely. There is an insanely gorgeous mews called Choumert Square - this is for sale at the moment, but I know some of them are 2 bed. They are quite tiny, but so cute - the photos on that one don't really do the mews itself justice.

Further down the road in Nunhead, Kitto, Pepys, Jerningham roads and around those is also lovely, and probably a touch more affordable.

I hate to say it, but if £650k is slightly high then you won't find a period 850 sq ft 2 bed flat in either Highbury or Clapham Old Town. You should be in budget for Lower Holloway or Clapham South.

Tufnell Park is a good alternative to Highbury though.

Thank you so much everyone, you input is really helping me make sense of some things!

minipie, Clapham Junction/Old Town does indeed sound like something we'd enjoy. I've been there a couple times but I think a longer, more pointed stroll is in order - it's climbed up to first potential choice on the new home list!

grumbleina, that's a great, very precise description - and the mews look absolutely adorable... Another area to visit, then!

rubybleu: well, we're not looking for something that large, to be honest. We'll consider flats above 700 sq feet and would love something at 750 or above, but after that it's a matter of trade-off with the building/area/flat finishings, etc. The max we could afford is 600 000 - I'm afraid that's indeed a tad low for Highbury, at first glance, but I've seen a couple flats in the "right" Clapham areas that would seem to tick the boxes.
Also, we are kind of hoping for a flat that needs to be refreshed - we'd be happy to spend a couple weekends painting walls and stripping down old carpets if it shaves some precious pounds off the bill.

Well, I think I am starting to have a better grasp of the situation.

I was just wondering, apart from af2000's input (thank you, I'll definitely go see what Blackheath looks like!), do any of you have anything good or bad to say about the general Greenwich area? It's leafy and the DLR is a close hike to Bank, so I thought me might consider that as well...

Also, I've heard Dulwich is a pleasant area. Is that in fact the case?

Greenwich is great. I know the area very well and it's improved a lot in the last few years - there's even a waitrose there.

Property isn't cheap though, particularly west of the park. You're likely to find something in your budget East of the park, or a smaller 3 bed west.

I thought about suggesting Dulwich. Dulwich Village is very naice, very villagey and very trad - I'd say a bit old for you! Also expensive and transport to the City not so quick.

East Dulwich (Lordship Lane area) is worth a look though. It's quite mummy centric but there are also plenty of people in the pre baby stage I think. Cheaper than Clapham (cheaper than the expensive bits anyway) and loads of green space near. plenth of delis and posh cafes.

you could also consider Richmond, Wimbledon or Putney - would all fit your bill - but you're looking at an hour plus to Moorgate I reckon, and they're a bit further away from centre of town for theatre etc. They're more their own self contained areas.

As a rule of thumb you will get more for your money in a nice area of S london than a comparably nice area of n London. With a few exceptions.

afaik Peckham is the grittier edge of Dulwich - up and coming but def not posh yet. I may be out of date though.

Don't know Greenwich or Blackheath well but they do have lovely Georgian housing and villagey feel afaik.

It's true directly round Highbury Fields may be too expensive but if you looked at the roads a few blocks North or East of the fields you might find something. Not sure whether things are going above or below asking prices at present.