Calling all Londoners - Greenwich or East Dulwich

[moneyistootighttomention]

Really need some advice, insight or direction!

DP and I are looking to buy in either area. We have visited both socially a number of times, but can't decide which area is more suited to us.

We have a budget of 800k and would like a 3 bed house. We work in the City and Canary Wharf so both are good for our commutes. Friends and family are all over London.

We are mid 30's probably looking to have children in 5 years or so.

Can anyone living in either area tell me why they love/dislike the area? Just want to hear other opinions.

Thank you

We looked at St Johns but got ruled out as DP didn't like the environs. He is someone that is really affected by his surroundings. He says he likes Greenwich because it always has an 'upbeat' feel to it. Even at night when it's empty, there is a green light that fires across the sky from the royal observatory and the area can look really beautiful. DP loves that.

That is a gorgeous flat Ubik. MY almost ideal would be the whole house, but clearly can't afford that :-(

We viewed this a while ago, but our offer wasn't accepted...

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-51602759.html

I'd put New Cross between Blackheath and HOP. It's zone 2 and although the high St is grim it's still desirable because of BTL for student market.

Well from what you are saying, Greenwich seems to be the place. It's a lovely area I grew up round there.

Oh no, with your cemetery phobia, you wouldn't like our house, we are opposite said cemetery! It's a conservation area and a v beautiful place. We go blackberry picking and when you are in the middle of the cemetery it's so peaceful you can't hear any noise from the surrounding streets. The trees are massive and when I'm sitting on the bed all I can see are trees. We really love it here and I feel it's very well located. We can walk to HOP, Ladywell, Brockley, Crofton Park and. Central Lewisham. We are also a short bus ride from Greenwich and blackheath. Good luck with your search.

Hither Green is a good option, don't discount it too soon. The Station is a big junction so lots of trains go through, very frequent service and you are one stop into London Bridge from there and Lewisham down the road for the DLR.

There are three outstanding primary schools in the area, several very nice parks and tonnes and tonnes of stuff to do with kids. Blackheath is a short walk away but there are increasingly nice restaurants and cafes in the HG area too.

Here is an example of what your 800k could get you
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34994466.html?premiumA=true

Although house prices in the area have gone a bit mad recently, that one is actually a bit of a bargain. Our house has doubled in value in the last 4 years.

I wouldn't live in Greenwich for the same reasons as previous posters but Maze hill is lovely and you have access to Blackheath Standard (useful shops, M&S food, banks etc) and Blackheath Village (useless but nice shops!). However your budget won't stretch as far over there.

Thanks all for the help.

I had a look around Hither Green, thought it was lovely, but I actually found it quite expensive for what you actually get? I had a look at historic prices and it seems to have rocketed in the last 18 months.

I mentioned previously I was not a fan of Brockley, however I have discovered a little pocket that I didn't know was actually SE4 - Hillyfields ( I think a previous poster mentioned this area?)

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=41000761&sale=1000048&country=england

I can't currently see anything in budget, but the location is perfect as we can still walk to the DLR station and the streets are beautiful. Does anyone know anything about this part of Brockley? It is bordering Lewisham which I know to be very busy and with not the most peaceful environs...

I would chew my own arm off to live in Greenwich, OP, and so would my kid. It's got the park, the museums, the planetarium, and easy escape to the rest of London.

East Dulwich is OK, but not a patch on Greenwich.

(All of London is shit for schools IMO unless you are rich and/or spawn an exam-passing genius, so there you go. I live in an allegedly good part of London for schools and am so disappointed with DS's "outstanding" school.)

Annie, I do love Greenwich and that was originally my first choice (alongside ED), but the more I look the more I think it (along with Blackheath) are the most unaffordable parts of SE London. The issue I am having with Greenwich at the moment, is that although you can find houses for £800k, they are tiny compared to the equivalent 3 beds elsewhere. The MNetter who said Greenwich houses are small, was spot on! We viewed 15 properties in SE London this week and the Greenwich properties were by far the smallest (and least modified).

ED although it doesn't have as many 'natural' 4 bedders as Hillyfields etc, a lot of the properties there have been spruced up/extended/modified etc which makes it look quite appealing. Lordship Lane is also a big draw, but then how often does one 'use' a high street or go for a walk on a high street. Seems there is much more to do for free in Greenwich.

Annie, if you don't mind me asking, which part of London do you live in?

What about nearer Denmark Hill? You have got the Overground straight into Canada Water, and you'll get a lot more for your money than ED, while still being very close. And you've got the additional parks.

I lived in ED for years and used to get the bus to Denmark hill every morning for my commute, so know it is a reliable station, plus the Bakerloo line extension is coming to Camberwell at some point so you'll do well in the future

West London, moneyistootighttomention. Didn't plan to be here, sort of rolled up by accident, and it stuck. I don't want to move, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

I looked at Denmark Hill, love the area, but it seemed just as pricey as ED?

Forest Hill - cheaper and has loads of green space + Horniman Museum. If you live in the area around the Horniman you're in walking distance to Sydenham Woods, One Tree Hill nature reserve, Peckham Rye Park, Dulwich Park, etc. You can also walk to Lordship Lane if you're feeling energetic.

Schools in the area are decent provided you move within the pretty tiny catchments.

The Brockley Conservation Area around Hilly Fields is lovely. We've lived in SE4 for 30 years and near the park for most of that time. Very popular Brockley market in the car park of Lewisham College on Saturday mornings. Various bars/restaurants, delis and so forth. Basic shopping in Lewisham.

The transport links are excellent now - two stops from Brockley to London Bridge (8 mins), Overground to Highbury via Whitechapel and Hoxton or change at Canada Water for Jubilee Line, 15 min walk to Lewisham where you can get the DLR direct to Canary Wharf, 10 min walk to Crofton Park to get the line to Blackfriars/City Thameslink/Farringdon/King's CrossSt Pancras. It's near enough in to get the bus as well - slow but useful option if there's a problem with the trains.

The schools are good, as far as I know (my own children are adults now). Prendergast Hilly Fields College in the centre of the park is a very good girls' comprehensive school with a co-ed sixth form - very oversubscribed but if you live within half a mile of the park you should be fine. All the primary schools in walking distance are now pretty good, I believe. You'd be in with a shout of getting into Haberdashers' Aske's which is a massively oversubscribed co-ed comp in Telegraph Hill, but the other comprehensives in the area are also improving/reasonably good. Some families send their children to grammar schools in outer London which is a bit of a slog but manageable.