A house in a worse London area or a flat in a better borough? WWYD?

[bangbangprettypretty]

My DH and I have finally scraped, borrowed and begged enough cash for a deposit on our first home.

We have been renting in London for the last five years and are desperate for a place of our own (and are holding off having DC in case it affects our mortgage application as we're currently in a tiny one-bed flat).

Today we went to see two houses - solid two-bed Victorian terraces, one with full planning permission for two extra bedrooms. Both have gardens.

However I have Kirstie Allsop in my ear shrilling 'location, location, location', and the area we can afford to buy a house is not a very nice one. Should we just go for it and hope it gets better? Or would it be better to get a flat in a slightly nicer area? I am so out of my comfort zone with property.

If anyone has any advice/experience to share I'd be so grateful as we might just be about to make a massive mistake!

Is a flat definitely going to be smaller than a house, though? Lots of conversions give as much square footage as a house (especially when stairs and corridors are taken out if the equation) so I would go in to viewings with an open mind. Just be careful re leasehold, and try to go freehold where possible

Oops, I lived in Hounslow 22 years ago, not 29 if it makes any difference. And while it may have gentrified or got nicer since then, it's still at the arse end of the Piccadilly line iirc, so commuting to the city must still be a pain. The flight path thing is an annoyance too. I am biased though, I only lived there for three months and got mugged, before moving to the relative calm of Stockwell. grin

Location always trumps property for me for reasons of better amenities, more chance of better neighbours and schools...better quality of life in general. I've been to Hounslow many times recently and find it quite rough and overcrowded, even by London standards, and obviously noisy because of the planes.

So what do you like doing in your spare time, you and your partner? Are your social lives based in town? I would also be thinking what the longer commutes would have on your quality of lives, especially his working in town.

I would go for the five year option on a two-bedder in the nicer area, then if/when DC2 comes along then go for the house, even if that means moving outside London.

I would buy a small flat somewhere closer, and move later. If you don't have a baby yet you've got time to buy and do up something smaller, have the baby, live there for a while with one (which will be fine and better on maternity leave to be somewhere more central) and then when another one comes along you can think about where to go next (not far from the time you start thinking of schools too).

Osterley Northfields (and outskirts) Hanwell Isleworth - some lovely surburban semis to be had much cheaper than similar in Acton Shepherds Bush and even Ealing. I think parts of Northfields are far preferable to similar more expensive versions in Acton and the cheaper parts of Acton are not nearly as nice as Northfields. All have great communities and good connections (okay Isleworth only has trains and buses ditto Hanwell) I know people with families living in all these places who are extremely happy there - schools shops green spaces connections the works. Isleworth has beautiful Syon Park - the river and it is very near well do to Richmond and Twickenham. Aircraft noise is worse in Osterley and Isleworth but it is not unbearable. Shepherd's Bush is very overpriced for what it is and has become for quite rich people yet seems tatty in a way.

Part of Hounslow do not appeal to me - Feltham Cranford even Brentford seems a bit bisected by motorways.

Think about schools too - what sort of range of schools secondary too? Will you get a dog where will your children play what sort of community is there to tap into? Transport can be train and bus - might even be quicker than an obvious tube stop.

You also have to factor in that if you do move into a bigger property at a later date you have the cost of estate agent's fees and stamp duty AND problem of moving community (if you are cashing in your "location") and then even if on paper you have made a profit you won't actually save any money in the course of the move. I would buy a bigger property with a biggish garden in a less smart area. But an area where you can see families and evidence of peace and tranquillity and enthusiasm.

I agree with Citrus that Heathrow is probably the main reason why Hounslow hasn't yet, and maybe never will, shot up like other areas. Isleworth's OK.

Round Hounslow East seems horrible if that is any use!

That whole area between Boston Manor Road and Northfields Avenue seems delightful.

Area by West Acton Tube (Tudor village) also delightful with some bargains in the more modern 30s houses adjoining it - lovely park and Central Line.

Pitshanger village also glorious. (though no tube) and never will lose its popularity. These are areas with lots of locals rather than just incomers so the properties are going round - people with big houses downsizing and people with small houses upsizing but completely confident in the location ifysim.

The thing is when you live in Shepherd's Bush you don't really know about any of these places. You need to go there and just walk around especially at this time of year. You won't know anything just by looking at comparative properties on a website.

I don't know London, but many inner city areas end up gentrified. As cities get fuller anything close to the inner city will increase faster than outside of the city.

Location just doesn't include trendy areas, it can include areas with potential - good access to transport, solid affordable homes, nearby schools. You can make more money picking the next "good" suburb before it peaks.

Go for a home over a unit any day if you can afford it.

I used to live in Hounslow and some family are originaly from the area. In the last 20 years since I've known it, it doesn't really seem to improve. People newly move in from various countries around the world, then move on somewhere nicer once they are established and have more money. Hence it doesn't really seem to gentrify and generally stays poor and has a transient population. It does feel pretty safe though, I have never felt threatened there. Bits of Hounslow are nicer than others. Whitton borders - near the Hounslow BR station is nice. Areas around the tube stations and especially Hounslow East are not so nice. Have you looked at Isleworth, around Thornbury Avenue, or Brentford? This benefits from being close to Chiswick and Kew Bridge and has lots of new developments and the river.

OP, 5 years is not that long, especially with kids. If you can, go for a house. I would also think carefully about overground commuting - I did it a few years ago, commuting from Birmingham to London when I moved in with DH. It turned out to be faster than when I was living in London!

I can't comment about the London housing market, but I found a lot of tips and tricks from MSE useful when we bought a property earlier on this year. Take a look:www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/finding-property-for-sale

I found the crime mapping, flood risk and schools links the most useful. Also, if you are planning a baby in the near future, it's worth checking out the local nurseries/childminders. Whilst it was not a deal breaker for us, being able to easily drop DS off in the morning makes everything a little less stressful.

Isn't there a middle ground here? Smaller house in slightly less "nice" area? In your shoes I'd probably most check out your local primary schools, anyway. But there are lots of great options all over London now, so no, I don't think you "have" to get a flat over a house, unless you are choosing Chelsea and Westminster!

I opted for a house in an umglamorous area over a smaller flat in a naicer place and feel I made the right decision. The area is surrounded by upmarket neighbourhoods so I'm hoping some of the glitter will rub off on my humble street.

I like Hounslow, and I'd much prefer to live in a house in Hounslow over a flat in Shepherd's Bush, especially with DC. I have a close friend who was born and bred in Hounslow, and because she was smart she got into Tiffin Girls' (a good grammar school in Kingston). Parts of it are rough, but there are also parts that are quiet and residential.

I lived and worked in Isleworth for a year recently, and liked it - there's Syon Park and Osterley Park and the river nearby. Kew Gardens is also close. Pleasant walk to Richmond along the Thames path.

I've also worked in Acton a lot, and wouldn't want to live there. It's only expensive before it's relatively central. It's not a nice place to live - dusty, noisy, terrible traffic congestion, high crime, small plain houses and ugly apartment blocks.

I've worked in Tooting for 2 months (moved around a lot... lol... on hospital rotations) and have a similar impression of it to Acton. Traffic congestion is TERRIBLE and I had a few stressful journeys while heavily pregnant, running late for appointments despite leaving an hour early, because the bus was in stand-still traffic.

Most of Ealing is gorgeous but unfortunately it's impossible to buy even a small house for 330K (otherwise I'd love to live there too :))

That should read "it's only expensive because it's relatively central"

We are in a flat with two boys (4 and 2) in probably the most expensive location outside London. I am a complete postcode snob , but I am facing up to the reality of saying goodbye to the beautiful place where we live, because of the lack of space and all the stress that brings.

Living in a flat with kids is SO hard. No garden, no balcony, people above and below you - storage and the complete lack of it! No shed, no loft, no garage, no utility room, we have to store all our stuff (Xmas Decs etc) at in-laws. I have crockery under my bed in boxes, it drives me mad!

My kids' bikes/scooters/buggies are kept in the car ALL the time as I have nowhere to put them in the flat. The boys are getting more boisterous; running, jumping off beds, chasing each other and I am finding that I a becoming a shouty mother always telling them to 'be quiet and calm down'.

It's the lack of escapism too - even in a small house, you have upstairs to escape too (for bathroom etc) and garden/small courtyard for children to play/eat outside/put shed in for storage. We feel completely on top of each other. If one of the boys is ill - the whole flat wakes up and we are all knackered as one of us can't escape to downstairs to comfort crying child. If boys come in our bed, husband has to sleep on sofa and is exhausted for work.

Don't get me started on the politics of management companies - very expensive service charge and we have no say in how OUR money is spent. Take this into consideration too and all the crap and hassle of say a roof goes - who pays etc.

Parking, recycling issues - bla bla. The worst though is washing - oh, how I dream of a washing line. We dry everything on hangers from the door frames, bedding, shirts, tops trousers. Pants, socks on radiators as an airer takes up too much space.

HOWEVER, my kids have gone to a wonderful pre school in a very expensive, 'naice' area. Have lovely friends in a beautiful part of the world and have just got into a wonderful school. It is also lovely walking into a beautiful high street full of independent shops, restaurants and everything you could wish for.

It's not enough though as we feel as the boys get bigger they really need their own rooms, we dream of having bbq's in the summer, we can never invite people over as we don't have enough room to cater for them. I avoid playdates at ours as 4 kids is flat is just manic, so we will be moving. We've done our sums and will be moving to a village (rather sweet, but dull) and have accepted we will be taxi service for primary years. We are planning to move back to our present location in about a decade as a 3 bed house in village will appreciate as much as our flat will in 10 years inc service charge.

I don't know anything about London boroughs, so can't advise there, but I would try your hardest to get a house you can be comfortable in, in the nicest area you can afford, rather than a huge house in a very poor area.

Not all flats are like Obssessed describes. We moved from a flat in a large large mansion block in lovely area of zone 1 with horrendous service charges and issues to the flat we live in now in Willesden Green. The floor space is larger than lots of houses, we have a driveway and a garden (with multiple sheds!) and no management company or service charge issues as it is a conversion with only one other flat. In this area, it is mostly conversions.

Personally I love living in a flat all on one level. I don't miss a house at all (our first bought home was a detached house in Essex).

I know it's a bit further out but have you considered Staines or Ashford? We live in North London but have family in Staines. It's got a fairly nondescript town centre but by the river is pleasant. According to my aged auntie lots of people come from miles around (Hounslow!) for the shops...she complains it's a tad chavy at the weekend. But connections are quite good - had a quick gander on Zoopla and there was a detached house in Ashford not too far from station that was on for 340k. According to TFL journey to Hammersmith would be about 35 mins, frequent overground to Waterloo for DH. Don't know what schools are like. So all in all, a bit further out, not stylish, but you might get more for your dosh.