where would you spend a £1m in London?

[whererthewottingers]

Would love some ideas from you! Looking to buy a family home to live in for min 5-7 years.
Not too suburban, family friendly, a bit of cafe culture, baby/toddler things to do, near green space, or feeling leafy. Easy access to city, good schools. House. Min 3 bed with garden, with room to go up into loft. 4 bed preferable.
Can you recommend where you think and why?
:-)

I can't get over that one in Queen's Park with no bathroom.
Three stories, knocking on a million, and all you get is a crappy shower directly off kitchen! A tiny wc in the loft.
What were the developers thinking?
Greed.

Even Streatham Hill is difficult to get a big house now for £1m unfortunately.

Lots of interesting options in Peckham.

Acton is fab,

Check out this 4 bedroom house for sale on Rightmove www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34831377.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=sharing&utm_campaign=buying

Wimbledon?
There's loads of 3/4 beds for £700k+
m.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/?resignedin=true#/search/?q=Wimbledon%2C+London&geo_autocomplete_identifier=&price_min=&price_max=1000000&beds_min=3&beds_max=&radius=&added=&results_sort=newest_listings&property_type=&keywords=&new_homes=include&include_retirement_homes=true&include_shared_ownership=true&include_sold=true&identifier=&orig_q=&section=for-sale&page_size=&refine=true&search_source=home&view_type=list

I want to ask DH's parents to remortgage their house so we can get the extra 250k but he is reluctant

Shop within your budget you cheeky mare!

We are back in the UK in about 3 weeks so will be checking out a couple of houses in Forest Hill OP - I hope they are as nice in real life as they are in the photos.. will report back.

Acton is a bit expensive now, and the Poet's Corner side which has the house mentioned upthread has good links on the Overland/Crossrail or to Paddington but otherwise is quite far from the Piccadilly Line. And it is very overpriced due to overspill from Shepherd's Bush upsizers. The other nice part of Acton which is still good value is up near West Acton, try the "Tudor" roads above the Japanese School. North Acton Playing fields is another area which looks cheap on paper but is not actually that near North Acton tube (Central Line) to walk (nasty busy road) but there is a village around there, with small mostly extended houses, again not very good value for what you are buying (mostly modernised 30s cottages) There are a lot of Japanese residents due to Japanese school which keeps this area in demand. Pitshanger Lane has no tube but lots of buses, and is a much more chocolate box village feel than that part of Acton, cottages tend to be done up more prettily etc, Library, restaurants, stunning church. So more pricey and further out but possibly a better investment, prices there keep spiralling.Near a big golf course too!

Northfields or Hanwell are much better value parts of Ealing than the Victorian parts of Acton. South Ealing has less concentrated refined feel than Northfields and you are heading for a big dual carriageway near the bottom part - but you do have Gunnersbury Park nearby. Hanwell has a busy friendly community feel and easy to get into West Ealing and Ealing Broadway but has no tube unless you are near Boston Manor tube (Piccadilly) or want to take the bus and crossrail everywhere. Prices to match the crossrail link. Northfields (Piccadilly) on the other hand is traditionally naicer than Hanwell, and more central, lovely parks like Lammas and Walpole nearby. Excellent shops on Northfields Ave.

I can't believe that one in 'Queens Park'!!! Its a cottage on one of the roads running down from the old Mozart Estate. I grew up round there.

I cannot believe its 830k!!!!!!! I feel like an old woman talking about 'during the war' here...but that area used to be so rough and those houses were very much not desirable.

The world has gone mad .

Queen's Park is imho completely overpriced, due to the chichi Notting Hill effect. Ealing is much cheaper and less run down.

Those Wimbledon ones are in the 'wrong' parts of Wimbledon really. Not great areas or near good schools. Sw19 is an enormous post code! 3-4 bed in the right part of Wimbledon is 1-1.5 m but you would probably get something for 1m.

Crystal palace is fabulous! Definitely the place to buy...

You could get something in the north bit of Muswell hill for 1m. It won't be on one of the prettier streets but the Broadway is great and you would be in catchment for coldfall and fortismere (both outstanding).

How about something like this? Sutton Road, Muswell Hill, London
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-36943899.html

It's needs modernising but at 150 under your budget you could have it how you want it.

Ealing prices have shot up due to crossrail. We moved here from islington and are very happy. Lots of green space, easy to get into town. When crossrail starts will be even easier.

Stoke Newington has up and been, schools are ok but prices are insane.

hello again appreciate all the posts. Can't believe how expensive London has become. And we have what I thought was a good budget!!!!! We're currently toying between...
MH/Ally Pally way - could JUST squeeze in here I think
Ealing - going to visit some places soon - quite like Northfields. Thanks for info about Acton. Is is ok for kids? Ignorant I know but, used to be ooh Acton, dodgy, but now appears to be the next up and coming place. Though may have missed that boat too sigh
Any thoughts on Epsom? Or West Norwood?
Or we may jump ship and deal with the commute....

You could try Harringay around Green Lanes (area in Haringey borough) and South Tottenham (N15)
Both up and coming, great transport, close proximity to Crouch End, Stoke Newington and Finsbury Park.
Lots of families in the area and not bad schools. You could get something pretty special with change left over!

Epsom isn't London. At all. It's nice - but it's commuter belt Surrey, so it'll be a completely different feel.

West Norwood is extremely urban. And a bit nothing. It's a massive junction with dodgy shops on it, basically - no real 'centre' to it, and not really a high street feel.

I'd go with somewhere like Crystal Palace a million times over West Norwood.

finchley (central or west) , a nice 4-5 bed about just abount 1 million i believe (0.5 miles from the tube).

ta LBOCS2 - yeh forgot about Crystal Palace. Add that one! Not keen on v urban so WN out. Epsom - hmm - not sure I want commuter belt Surrey either.
Finchley - feels a bit like Ealing to me (though only because I don't know it) in that it's outer suburbs, though less of a "place" than Ealing - so a bit unsure about there (though willing to have mind changed). All I know is Amy Winehouse is from there!

don't think amy is from finchley, probably southgate?

baby spice is from north finchley though

In budget, loft conversion done, backing onto a park, catchment for outstanding primary school, 15 mins walk from UNESCO world heritage site
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55222505.html?premiumA=true
All of the above but 3 beds only.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55442396.html

Well under budget so lots of cash to spend on doing the loft and a ground floor extension to the kitchen which most of the neighbours have done. Catchment [literally yards] from outstanding state school.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52559201.html

East Finchley is pricer than Finchley central or North Finchley, because its slightly more central than the other bits of Finchley in terms of tube stops, and borders Highgate and Muswell Hill - so you have all the overspill of families who can't afford to buy in those areas. Its buggy central, though, which might be a good thing if you're looking for a family-friendly area. You could probably get what you're after for a million.

(Amy Winehouse used to live further up in Totteridge, where most of the houses will set you back about 10-20 mil ).

I think its that old chestnut of having to choose house size or location, for you, even on your very respectable budget.

You could get a comfortable 4 bed semi with garden further out, or go further in or to a 'cooler' area like Stokey and get a 3 bed terrace....

Although again - south London may be better value for money all round.

treadsoftly - oh that first house!! May look back into that area.
Sky - yes yes to size vs location. ho hum. ho hum.
I have never been any good at making decisions. Ever. But lots of great posts on here.

I live in Northfields, moved out from Shepherds Bush when the kids were small, and I love this area, but it's a bit of a schlep to the City so you might be better looking at commuting times and basing your search on that.

I'm sure someone on here once linked a website that helps with that?