Where can i find a flat for my daughter in London?

[MrsFrancisUnderwear]

I'm hoping some wise London mumsnetters can point me in the right direction as I don't know the area well myself.

My daughter has finished her studies and will be working in the centre of London. She and we are very fortunate in that we can help her buy a small flat. So, where do we start?

She seems to prefer South West London (had a flat share in Norbiton, Kingston) but we've looked there and it's much too expensive. I'm worried that she will choose an area that she doesn't know.

Where can we start looking? Our budget is £200k.

SW is a dead end, you could get a garage for that price

Try South East London or the stations on the end of the DLR (Beckton etc). Also could try Croydon too.

The problem is that the further out you go, the more expensive the train travel costs are

I know you said you don't want to, but I'd definitely invest in property outside of London and let her rent, then buy when she has a better salary.

Living in a tiny place in a grotty area of London, as she will be, will be a miserable experience for her as a first job when all her friends will be living in million pound properties in Clapham. Which they will be, as they'll be house sharing and renting.

I would suggest looking east or south east, south west is such an established market you are like to get more for your money if there's an E in the post code and it is likely to be a good investment as lots of areas are on the up. Have a look at Crystal palace, it's on the new tube line, Walthamstow has got some nice bits to it and is also on tube line, would be very easy to rent out if you daughter wanted or needed too at a later date.

What about this studio flat in West Hampstead for £210K?

Crystal palace is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of the OP's budget bunny

Croydon, maybe, but only in a really crappy part

Walthamstow also completely out of OP's budget. sorry.

Or this studio flat in Streatham for £210K?

That studio flat was listed in November last year.

If you are going to buy something for that money I'm afraid you're going to have to skip the online listings and go on the high street in every estate agent and buy then and there. I estimate that more than half the stuff online either doesn't exist or was sold six months ago.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but most of the nice bits of SE London are out now too.

We rent a small two bedroom house in SE London and are moving out of London as our landlord is selling it for £560k!

Ex local authority flat on an estate might be affordable.

Sutton is SW London, a grotty place but not dodgy. Technically Surrey wth great train links so don't know if your budget will stretch.

Woolwich in SE London or has that leapt in price since Crossrail was announced?

Or this one bedroomed flat for £210K is near White Hart Lane.

You could look at somewhere like Brentwood - commuting in to Liverpool Street for around £3500 a year. You should be able to get a flat for less than £200K.

One bedroomed ground floor flat in Wembley Park.

Woolwich is now pretty pricey too!

Meant to add - areas further afield such as Brentwood would open the possibility of getting a 2 bed place and then having a lodger to help cover costs.

queenbean makes an excellent point actually. If she is living/working in London let her rent in a fun nice area and then help her buy in future when she is ready to settle down (or moves outside London!). I would have hated the grotty suburbs as a young-free-and-singleton but now with a family I put up with it as it's more space for our money and we don't have nights out anyway!

Walthamstow not necessarily out of reach. This flat: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34854312.html is on an absolutely lovely road, really near Wood St station and also Epping Forest. This is more of a studio: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34573365.html?premiumA=true but a bit cheaper and in a nice development.

How depressing it all is.

Wincher - thanks. that one in Walthamstow looks interesting. I assume that something like that wouldn't have the huge services charges would it? Perhaps we should focus on small developments.

Woolwich is a total shithole IMO (apologies to anyone who lives there!!!). My ex boyfriend lived there a few years ago and it's the only place I've ever been in London I genuinely felt unsafe walking around. And I grew up in a pretty grotty part of East London.

Maybe it's changed since, I don't know.

Does anyone know what this area in Sutton is like? www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35647698.html or which areas we should avoid there?

maybe I wasn't denying that it's a shithole, but I was hoping that would make it affordable but upthread someone says it's probably unaffordable for OP

bitta how depressing that even woolwich is unaffordable now...it's mad.

spent my whole life in London but am being shoved out to the 'burbs now due to mental house prices.

It's not as if we're poor either - DP is on 85k and I'm on 35k.

Sutton is okay, just very dull and grotty. I assume your DD is early twenties? Not sure why she wouldn't want to rent and live in Zone 2 while she can.

Have a look at Forest Gate - up and coming and plenty there in your price range.

I grew up in Forest Gate :)

My mum bought our modest-sized three bedroom victorian terrace for 250k 10 years ago....it's now worth 550k. Bonkers.