Walthamstow question!

[kirinm]

Can any E17ers help? We are going to look at a flat on Clarenden Road but it's been on for 3 months and reduced by £50k. There has to be a reason as other places are disappearing before we get a chance to view.

Is that area rough or can you think of any particular reason it might not be selling? We'll probably get a better idea once we see it if there's some structural issue but in the meantime, anyone got any ideas about the area / road?

Thanks.

I know Walthamstow but not that road; however, from the map, it is on the borders of Walthamstow Village, which is the most desirable bit of Walthamstow. But it is on the Leyton side of the Village and Walthamstow Central, which is rougher than, say, the area to the north of the tube towards Lloyd Park. I would have a really good look as you go to view, see what the street looks like, how well-maintained the properties are, etc. It's just off Hoe Street, which is generally busy at all hours, good when coming home late. That side of Hoe Street towards Bakers Arms is definitely more run-down, though.

Could be an issue with the property itself which is coming up once surveys/checks are underway, could be an issue with the lease (assuming not share of freehold), could be any number of things. You're right to proceed with caution as that price drop suggests a back story, or someone desperate to sell - the market is strong here, as far as I can tell.

PM me if you have questions about the Walthamstow area, happy to help.

Thanks very much for the Walthamstow info. We did ask about the lease and were told it's got 90 years so it might not be that. It'll be interesting to find out because it's going so cheap for E17 and you're right the market is really strong. We've got viewings this weekend where there are 30 other people seeing the same place!

It's on the edge of the most "desirable" part of Walthamstow, and near to Lea Bridge Road which is a fairly grotty strip.

I don't think the price has anything to do with location, possibly more to do with the property itself.

The past year property in this area has gone up by 33% and forecast to continue upwards. Check it out, and make sure to walk around locally.

Walk up Orford Road, up to Vestry House (centre of the "Village"), and then check out Lea Bridge Road/ Hoe Street to get a feel for the area.

Thanks for the tip. I think we are seeing one on Orford Road too (although that might be next weekend). I'm just praying we are going to get lucky and get the first one we offer in. Hearing some scary things about house hunting!

Orford Road is in the heart of the Village, very desirable, but I suspect noise from the many restaurants and pubs might be an issue, especially in summer, and it's a pedestrian thoroughfare. Will really depend on the exact location and which bit of the road the property is on, you'll see what I mean when you walk round there!

I'm finding the prices of things really difficult to understand to be honest. Places on the same road can vary by £20k but a friend told me that people are offering huge amounts over the asking price so who knows how to play it.

Your friend is right. I saw a tiny tiny flat go for £500k in that area, and the residents have to clime through their kitchen window to get into this shared garden bit.... Mental.

Also a flat (not house) attached next to the big pub on the corner of Orford Road (sorry, name escapes me) has sold for about £1.2m they will have all the issues with pub noise, no parking etc.

No where else in London is seeing this huge price rise at the moment. Get in there quick!

It's a great area to live too, the Toy library is great for parents with new children, and there are fast connections from Walthamstow Central.

We are looking at some on Brettenham Road too but that seems like a long walk to the tube / train station especially as we are trying to cut down my commute. Any opinion on that road?

I live in Walthamstow, very near to Brettenham Road- love its proximity to Lloyds Park and Wood St (though I am closer to Wood St than Brettenham) the community is really nice here, very friendly. It's a 10 min bus/20 min walk to the station which may bother you, it doesn't me. Do you have children and are you looking for schools? The village is really lovely, def the most desirable bit, but personally I would prefer to live north of Forest rd than south/west of Hoe st- I hope that makes sense!

Brettenham road is lovely. I'm nearer the old dog track but son's school is in Lloyd Park and I love that street. Beautiful Warner flats and ugly but great 1959s-1960s type ones with good space and layout.

My friend lives on the next street and we did our trick or treating there this year and loads of people had decorations out and was really neighbourly feel.

Good luck house hunting.

Brettenham Road is further from the tube but, at the eastern end, is much better for transport links than some of the other roads round Lloyd Park as it's a five minute walk from the Chingford Rd bus stops. It will add 10-15 mins to your commute, but you have the benefit of lovely Lloyd Park on your doorstep, and there is also the Bell pub and other cafes at Bell Corner 10 mins walk away.

As with all the Warners, take a look at the upper/lower flat and see how well-maintained it looks; there are quite a few rentals on that road and, as the flats have no service charges, maintenance has to be arranged with the upstairs or downstairs neighbours. Some are better maintained than others. Happy to talk Warners in detail if you're interested.

Also, if you like the Warners, the first floor flats have more space as a rule.

This is all really helpful information. I love the look of the Warner flats and I think the one we are looking at is a first floor. Do you know how the garden is accessed?

No little children (a 19 year old who no longer lives with me that I had when I was younger than he is now) but hoping that will happen soonish.

I'll get a better idea of the commute on Saturday and think it might be worth getting a map! I'll let you know we get on.

How the garden works in a Warner depends on the flat and the lease. The gardens are usually shared, sometimes formally divided by a fence down the middle, others have an informal arrangements whereby the grass is shared. This may depend on the size of the garden; it can be impractical to divide a very small space with a fence, but the lease should make it clear who owns which side.

First floor flats usually access the garden by an internal or external staircase.

On Brettenham Road, the flats on the north side of the road generally have bigger gardens. On the south side,some back onto Cazenove Road, others onto the park.

Do bear in mind that there can be friction with shared spaces; have a look at how well-maintained the space looks and think about stuff like, how annoying will it be if the other flat is not considerate in their use of the space, has a barbecue addiction, etc.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

We are now seeing three on Brettenham Road tomorrow so fingers crossed!

We live in Walthamstow and absolutely love it. Agree either most of what everyone else has said - we have friends on Brettenham road and it's got a lovely feel - does feel noticeably further away from the tube though but being by lloyds park is wonderful and the little run of cafes by the Bell is really nice. We live on the bit above the High Street but below Forest Road which really works for us - less than 10 mins to both tubes and St James' St for the overground and feels really in the middle of things while our street itself is incredibly quiet, tree lines and friendly (have a street party every year, know the neighbours etc).

Oh and gardens with Warners it generally depends on the road. Ours is a private garden with the upstairs flat having an external staircase which leads to their garden which is behind ours.

So, we saw the cheap Clarendon Road one. Poor tenants having people traipsing through their Saturday. The place is a state and underneath the front bay window was actually wet to the touch. Initial thoughts were it's a dump but in hindsight, if you were allowed to extend a bid to make another room it would be nice. Downside is, the last time it was sold, it was sold as a house so whoever owns it now is responsible for the conversion. Judging by the condition of the flat and the fact people are paying to live in a damp dreary flat with a boiler that looks dangerous, I would be concerned that the conversion had been done shoddily and he / she would not make for a great freeholder.

Brettenham Road. Lovely buildings. I was quite surprised how small one of the first ones we saw was. We saw one that needs doing up which was a first floor and much bigger but the estate agent was a dick which immediately put us off. So, whilst the buildings are fantastic it's just a bit too far for us commute wise.

Looking in Leyton tomorrow but we are seeing the place on the second day of its open weekend so I suspect we'll have fierce competition if we do like it.

Apparently Leyton is lovely - though I don't know it at all.

If you want for look further in Walthamstow you really should be able to find something with less than a 10 min walk to the tube (advantage of having two!).

Don't be put off Warners by one or two either - layout and feel really different - the first lot we saw felt much pokier than what we ended up with.

Also sounds sensible to avoid the shoddy conversion - given it's been on the market so long I'd assume the survey shows up some nasty surprises.

We loved the flat in Leyton so are going to make an offer tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Good luck! Leyton is changing really fast, a couple of years back I would have only recommended it for being cheap and well connected (with a big asda).

To be honest, cheap and well connected are both important in our search but I do really like the feel of the area too.

I first moved to the area about 10 years ago. For much of that time an excellent commute and affordability were all that kept me here. The area really is changing, for example years ago I never would have considered a night out locally, I would have just used those good transport connections. However when I moved over the summer, looking for a family home, after initially looking elsewhere, we ended up one stop along the central line in leytonstone. Now very happily settled for the foreseeable future.

We got our DiP so made an offer. The flat has already had 5 offers so no idea if we have a chance. Do you think if they've received offers higher than ours they would've said so?

Well, we and every other person who had presumably made an offer received an email telling us to make our best and final offer. I have no intention of increasing before an offer has been rejected!

Very unprofessional having sent the email to everyone at the same time so we can see who and how many we are up against. The tactic seems so pathetically transparent. Show how many people are interested and panic people in to increasing their offers. Bah!