Where to live in London with a good budget? West, South West, North London?

[ElleElleElle]

I would really appreciate if you talk to me and help with your opinions as my head is exploding already.

We are trying to decide where will be the best place for us to buy house.

I am completely city girl and love London with all my passion. My husband is a country boy, grew up with aches of land, huge country house and horses so a compromise needed :)

We both do not need to commute every day to work as I am a freelancer and hubby either has meetings all over the world or in central London very occasionally. But we both love theaters, museums and just general going out in the center of London. I also have a hobby in central London which I would like no to give up and it involves that I am coming back home on a last train about 1 am.

Originally we were thinking maybe some nice area outside London in the countryside with good and quick connection links to the city. We were considering Cross Rail links and places around Maidenhead, Reading, etc. as husband could have a big country house with land over there and I could get easily into Central London.

Now we decided that would be nice to stay within London but we can not decide absolutely anything about areas.

In North London we like Hadley Wood, Monken Hadley and some places between High Barnet and Stanmore but it seems so far to get to the center from there.

We also went through the stage where husband agreed to buy something right in the center like Westminster, Victoria, Kensington but I do not think he will be happy there as he loves to be near some sort of greenery, live in a house rather then a flat, have a garage and garden.

Then we were considering Ealing as there are some roads with very big houses over there (though many converted into flats) but I read about schools and released (maybe I am wrong) that schools could be much better. And I also think we would have one of the best houses in the area which is not ideal (as a saying goes it is better to have a worst house o the best street rather then a best house in the worst street). Apart from that we love the area.

Now we look at South West London. Start looking for houses in Richmond but around the station (15 mins walk) I can not find pretty much any detached houses.

What would you say, who live maybe close by, about Sheen, St.Margarets, Mortlake,Barnes ect. I am a bit scared about commute from there. The same about Ham. But soooo nice around there everywhere.

And noise from planes also is not very appealing. But neighborhood is very pleasant, affluent, huge park near by where we can walk, cycle, etc. and schools are fantastic!!

Closer to Kingston there are lots of suitable houses but I think it's too far and too villigy for us.

Then I came to Wimbledon. Wimbledon Village seems very nice area with very good transport links but I read village itself is very very small and lots of parts are very noisy. And what about Tooting nearby and some other not very pleasant parts?

Seen some houses not far from Putney as well (not close to the station though)

And again looking at the prices of the houses and what you get for that..... maybe it's better to go back to Cross Rail links...... or maybe not......

Please talk to me. Where would you go and why? Thank you for reading.

To the pp asking about Totteridge - its proper footballer country. Big, beautiful houses with land, feels like the countryside, a few farms, stables etc along the main stretch. Very rural feel, but the tube station is near the end of the Northern line and is 30 minutes to Kings Cross.

In your position is spend £4-5m on a 2 bed flat in a smart portered block right in central London (Westminster probably). £2-3m should get you a reasonable country house somewhere like Oxfordshire or Wiltshire.

Applesauce my husband worked in Grove House, Hampton for about 20 years.
The staff used to play croquet on the lawn in the summer.
We had some fantastic staff / family garden parties there in the summer & a toddler usually always got wet falling in the pond.
I know that house so well. Interesting to see how it's been transformed into a family house. Not sure if I'm keen on all of the transformation.

Totteridge is lovely and on Northern line. I love Highgate & Hampstead too. Big houses, leafy streets, buzzing high streets, close to Heath, Northern line access to city.

In Hampstead I would personally want to be on "the village" side, in between the tube and the Heath or perhaps on the Mount. Houses even in your price range go fast so I would register with all the local agents. Your best bet would be to get something before it comes on the market. If you go North of the Heath you will get a much bigger garden in Highgate. If you have DC then keep in mind you will have heaps more choice of schools in Hampstead than Highgate. Would you consider a house near one of the proposed crossrail stations? If I remember correctly it was only 25 minutes from Iver to Bond Street. You could get a massive house out that way but wouldn't get the high street etc.

Friends live on this street in Putney
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52200458.html

And are very happy; kids go to a local private primary and eldest is currently doing exams for secondary.

We also have friends here.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46696318.html

In Wandsworth which also has good private schools, as well as the common and some lovely shops.

Notoneofyourlittlethings, thank you for your kind suggestion but it had been tried already ;) So we did our share.

ElleDubloo, so you personaly prefer Barnes over Richmond because it is quieter and more central or any other reasons?

Girls, what about any negatives or anything not great about mentioned areas?

Have you said what your budget is, op? If it's 3m, your concerns at "having the best house in Ealing" might be a teensy bit misplaced??

Floggingmolly, more like £7m for the right house

Girls is really patronising. Can you stop saying it?

How on Earth is it patronising?

Seriously?

Seriously, the world's gone mad if people take offence to something like that!

Teddington

Hampstead

or near Turnham Green area, loved living there (between Chiswick and Ravenscourt Park)

if the OP genuinely was interested in opinions of areas to live, they wouldn't have felt the need to share the details of their immense wealth.

if they genuinely had such immense wealth, i would hope they would also possess the discretion and tact not to share (even if asked).

this isn't about jealousy or envy (although lets face it, who wouldn't want the budget you have!), its about your post coming across as either a completely insensitive boast/brag, or alternatively a complete lie.

your budget will buy you any variety of detached house anywhere in the country, including pretty much all london postcodes; decide where you want to live, do a search, do some viewings and buy. internet searches will show up dozens of houses within your budget in all of the areas you mention as your target areas.

short of that, use a buying agent - they will gladly take your money from you, and provide you with the advice you apparently need, although for a couple who have lived for an extensive period of time in or around london, i'm surprised you need any.

I think OP is not British? Thats why she can talk about money (grin).

OP if i had your budget (in my dreams) i would go to Hamstead Heath. Lots of green but very close to Central london. You asked which part of Hamstead. Between the heath and tube is the best part i think aswell as around Belsize Park (which is also posh). The south part (towards Gospel oak) is less posh.

Op may not be British; but she appears to have spent at least two years living here. Long enough to be able to spend 7 million on property without resorting to asking randoms on the Internet for their advice.

I don't believe she came out and gave the budget at all until asked, certainly not in the OP.

This bit: "your budget will buy you any variety of detached house anywhere in the country, including pretty much all london postcodes; decide where you want to live"

She was specifically asking for areas hence the original post, the question wasn't "where can I buy a detached house for 7m" in which case your statement may hold some weight.

Saying "this isn't about jealousy or envy"

Doesn't make it true, your post screams it.

I know flogging
but we like shopping for 7m property, it is fun. I would never do this in real so i am happy to help a stranger on the internet and feel the buzz for 2 seconds (grin)

She did voice concerns about buying in Ealing, as her budget would buy the biggest in the borough and it still wouldn't have been big enough
Who can take this sort of guff seriously?

I totally agree with kronenborg, I was going to reply with some helpful suggestions but then as I slowly read through the thread I began to think the same.

We don't talk like that.

@holly - i said i would love to have the OP's budget...if you think that screams jealousy, sobeit - i'll still somehow manage to sleep well at night

anyone who comes on a message board to start asking about what they should buy with their £7 million budget is either a liar, or devoid of tact and decency - it matters not to me which it is.

luckily for them there are folks out there such as yourself who are prepared to suspend belief enough to provide them with free help, although i would maintain they are far from deserving of it, not because of the size of their bank balance, but their way of conducting themselves.

Thank you all again for helpful suggestions and in general for talking to me.

To be honest I was very surprised that 3 pages of comments were without any accusations, fighting and suspition. It was all great and thank you for that.

In original post (people who stat these accusations or get upset) I never mentioned the budget but then people who tried to help start asking about budget many times as areas I mentioned very pricey. Should I have said it is a secret? How would it better to handle? How can you look for house or ask somebody to help you, esp. in London without budget? Please tell me.

I am sorry if I offend anybody (really worried now and thinking what exactly I said wrong and how should I have said it).

We are normal people in real life who have normal life. I am very descreet in real and yes I can not discuss it that open and voice my concerns to people around me or in a circle where I am known. That's why I came to a popular forum where nobody knows me to talk to people who lived in the areas I am interested and can talk to me about it and have some suggestions. Otherwise I would not be here.

I never judge the lives of others. You do not define them, you define only yourself. I guess it's human nature to judge others. Believe me you do not want our life in a million years!

I've got friends from most deprived areas in London where I worked and helped lots of people and it does not matter how much you have got. It does not make you better or worse person.

Yes I tried few companies/agent who search for specific properties, I mentioned above, but had a bad experience. They try to tell you how wonderful they are but in reality many of them just do Internet search for you as they think rich and busy people do not have time for that or cant be bothered. Well, I can do a search myself. I need somebody to help me at the moment to decide about areas where to look and somebody who will have an access to properties which are not advertised and I can not find myself.

We both lived abroad a lot and then we lived outside of London in UK. Hence again was very interested in people's opinions who have experience and lived in mentioned areas.

And again thank you all for helpful suggestions and answers.