650k for a London house. Where would you go?

[crystalgall]

So.....
We live in South Woodford. Just sold and living with family in Walthamstow. Initial our search area was limited the South Woodford/wanstead area but we need to branch out and I'm wondering how far we could go.

Here's our list of requirements:

3 bed (decent sized rooms)

Possibility to extend

On central line or easy to access central line (for DH work)
Roads which lead to Bow/Mile End (for my work as I drive)

Has to be in catchment for a primary school (this usually means within half a mile if that) and a decent secondary.

Period property. (Love Victorian and Edwardian. But 1930's semi is fine)

Ability to get to Walthamstow and Hackney easily as that's where our families are and we see them every week.

We have been forced into looking at houses in Redbridge/clayhall.
It's just really depressing. Lots of identikit roads off a massive dual carriageway. Really ugly houses.
But more in budget.

Now thinking maybe we should branch out. We've looked at parts of Leytonstone. Generally though the Waltham Forest secondary schools are terrible which is putting us off.

Any magical ideas about where we could go that's not too rough?(please don't say Forest Gate!)

[crystalgall]

We liked the South Woodford one but the road was packed with cars so I'm worried about being able to park easily. Is that a weird concern?

[TheCyclist]

I've been watching this thread with mounting horror. I knew the housing market in Leytonstone was 'keen' but I had no idea it was so crazy. 65k over asking price! Bonkers. Very glad that we've got no plans to move.

[crystalgall]

It's pretty depressing cyclist.

[ftm123]

I turned down a house in Woodford because of parking. It had a drive for one car, and the estate agent suggested a visitor could park across our dropped curb. It was near the station so would have always been packed.

However, you are looking in London, parking will never be great, and unless you have off road parking or buy in a road with good spacing between houses could happen a house with good parking may not stay that way.

I was in your place last year OP, and around this time I was getting very depressed about what a considerable sum of money would not get us. Good luck!

[crystalgall]

Where did you end up ftm?

[ftm123]

Having started off looking in Loughton, and found it all a bit too orange (apologies for any offence to tanning saloon fans ) we ended up in Leytonstone (having worked our way down the central line ). This was a year ago, and although our initial budget was same as yours, we ended up taking out a longer term mortgage and borrowing more. We bought a "project" which had been on the market for a while (about 2 years).

The central line was a big draw as we needed commutable to Canary Wharf, and were painfully aware that a minute extra commute was two minutes less per day with DC, and while she is young there is not much waking time with her on a working day. I was pregnant at the time, and so obsessed with green space, we did pay a premium at the time to be near it (and I do go there most days). I think if I had not been so exhausted and hormonal we would have bought in one of the more upcoming parts of Leytonstone which were significantly cheaper a year ago. Now I see houses in the Barclay's estate and on Cann Hall road asking price £750. This time last year a semi on Bushwood itself was asking price £700.

It was never our intention to buy something that needed work, and some of what we have to live with does get me down. But we do have a family home for many years to come (fingers crossed secondaries improve).

[ftm123]

I remember looking at South Woodford and being shown endless houses in the Nightingale estate - with it's outstanding primary school. Hated it, lots of road noise, uninspiring green space bordering the North Circular and row upon row of unispiring houses, not as big as further out, and not near to facilities.

Woodford we liked (and parts of South Woodford we would have) but never saw anything in our price range within what we though was acceptable distance from the station that wasn't right next to the railway line or didn't have massive parking issues.

Wanstead was just depressing for how little you got for your money. Made Leytonstone seem like a bargain.

[swquestion]

Hi OP, we are (going to be) on the bit of James Lane before the bus turns into it so not concerned about noise too much. It's actually one way only where we are (near abbots park ish). We saw the house again on Thurs to check some works the vendor had done and someone nearby must have an aviary so there was some lovely birdsong going on!

[swquestion]

We also looked a lot at South Woodford and the road noise from the big Road really out me off, even though it is down in a cut when it passes through. We saw a fantastic house there late Jan, offered the asking price (650), saw it Saturday, by the Monday they had had ten bids in over the asking price, eight were without a chain. It eventually went for 720. How can you compete with that? We didn't offer higher due to the road noise.

[ftm123]

When I was looking a year ago. Properties were not going that quickly. When our purchase started to fall through, we started looking again and by that time estate agents were making out it was like that (went on a viewing and they were like "you know the drill offers in on Monday morning"). But in actual fact the houses were still available to view weeks later, and for some we got phone calls asking if we would offer significantly less than the asking price. Sounds like things have changed very quickly. I'm glad we moved when we did. Couldn't imagine buying a big family house on just one viewing (or a pokey little flat for that matter).

[Lozza70]

I would go for Highams Park if I were you. Houses in Hollywood Way at the top of your budget close to great primary schools and Highams Park secondary is a good school. Highams Park is a mixed area and it is close to the forest, Highams park lake and has a thriving community feel. New shops, deli opening up all the time and the monthly farmers market if that is your thing. The majority of houses are 30's built but typically scope for extension etc. Direct line into Liverpool Street and if you want the Central line only a quick hop across the high road, 5-10 minutes in the car in morning rush hour or a 25 minute walk.

I think it is a little hidden gem in this area and much better than the craziness of the Stow. But you can nip over on the bus if you need a bit of the village!

[crystalgall]

Oh blimey. We've had our offer accepted on a house in Leyton! What is the bit off Essex road near whipps cross? Leyton? Can I get away with being poncey and calling it Upper Leytonstone?
Eek. I feel really jittery about it rather than happy!

[swquestion]

Congratulations! Our agent insists on calling it upper Leytonstone, to be fair to him no one seems quite sure of the boundaries. We'll be neighbours then :)

[ftm123]

Congratulations! I was jittery rather than happy with my purchase, didn't want to mentally move in in case it fell through, which it almost did.

I don't really understand how an e10 post code can be leytonstone, upper or otherwise ,but I am sure estate agents know best. Still with Leyton so up and coming, you might want to rebrand as West Leyton soon. There are some official signs for upper leytonstone, listing streets definitely in , but there is a line "and other streets" which the estate agents have taken to mean "anything north of the central line , West of the overground and not walthamstow".

Congratulations again, I hope it all proceeds smoothly.

[ftm123]

I have been up all night with a teething baby. I am using this to justify my lack of knowledge East and West. East Leyton. East of overground. Doh.

[soundsystem]

Congratulations! Hope it all goes smoothly from here on in. Is it an E10 post code? You may have to accept you live in Leyton ;)

But does Leytonstone have one of these? No it does not!

[EllenTheEgret]

Eek! Congratulations! If it's the one you linked to then I'd call it upper Leytonstone x

[crystalgall]

Thanks all. It's not the one I linked too which we found too small for the price and the work we want to do to open the space up.
It obv got snapped up though. Bet it went over too.
It's not too far from there however but I may indeed have to accept I will live in Leyton. South Woodford had a nice ring to it!
Anyway it's it's very old and rundown so we will be doing a complete renovation which is exciting and very scary.

It all happened very fast and I'm still nervous about whether we are making the right decision .
We are taking a punt on the school's issue but it ticks most of the other boxes for us.
I just hope nothing goes wrong.

[crystalgall]

Typo on schools there

[mayhew]

I know some lovely families round there and the houses are ripe for transformation. There is an active Walthamstow Parents FB page which some of those use. I think it's a good choice.