Cute Areas in or Near London?

[user1481480706]

Hi,

I've just moved to London with my husband (I'm 27 and he is 32). We are renting at the moment, but are looking to buy a house in the coming months. Our budget is 650,000-750,000 as we are looking to gut the interior and make it nice and modern inside! I am SO overwhelmed by the various areas around London, so I need suggestions on places to look! We have so far liked Blackheath Village, Hampstead, Walthamstow Village and Richmond. Unfortunately we can't afford a nice house in any of those areas though haha! Are there any areas in the East/North that:
*Have a nice, trendy village feel with lots of young professionals
*Will suit a budget of 650,000-750,000
*Are safe
*Are in London, or very close to it (we are willing to go as far as zone 6, as long as transport links are good)

Thanks so much for your help!

[JillyTheDependableBoot]

There are certainly houses in Blackheath for that budget!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-43074192.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56224699.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62083091.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55093345.html

Obviously not if you want a 7-bedroom Victorian detached, but certainly doable for a 2-3 bed house or a fabulous period flat.

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

Stretching your budget slightly but this is cute as hell and doesn't need anything but cosmetic work. It's in a prime Crystal Palace location, really popular with young professionals.

Haynes Lane, Crystal Palace
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45726624.html

[user1481480706]

Thanks everyone! We are really liking the sound of Walthamstow so we will explore that soon. Are nearby areas like Leytonstone any good?

[Cosmicglitterpug]

From my (limited) experience Leytonstone is considered 'up and coming' but I've not yet had cause to go there.
namechange I'm relatively new to E17!

[Itsjustaphase2016]

Stoke newington or haringay. Not too far from Holborn and trendy/professional/villagey.

[MissLemonsLemons]

Everyone I know, early 30s with young kids, has moved to leytonstone

[TheCyclist]

I live in Leytonstone. And I'm always on here banging on about the place. I love it. Much smaller than Walthamstow (and all the better for it imho) and quicker to town - you'd be in Holborn in about 15-20 minutes. Very friendly place. Now has a number of decent cafes, restaurants and pubs.

Did someone just describe Wanstead as 'gritty'? Srsly?

[TheCyclist]

(for villagey - have a look round Browning road in Leytonstone.)

[OhTheRoses]

Worcester Park. A little further but still z6 (cough) Stoneleigh/West Ewell.

[titchy]

Kingston? Teddington?

[SixthSenseless]

West Norwood with it's Blackbird Bakery, Beamish and McGlue, two v trendy new pubs (Knowles and the one by the bridge) several smart gifty / arty shops? And FEAST every month? And a Picturehouse cinema on the way? Regular arts events at the Portico? First class primary school and access to excellent secondaries? A definable centre and an atmospheric historic cemetery to walk through? West Norwood is a great location. IMO. (I don't live there).

[Turbinaria]

In your shoes I'd go for the properties in Blackheath as they tick all your boxes and within budget

[bruffin]

West Norwood/Crystal palace is awful. I used to live there. You would get far more for your money looking further out.

[soulnotasoldier]

Ruislip - craft markets, good fast tubes to town. Shops. Close to the airport but not on a flight path.
Lotsa Canary Wharf types moving there....

[QueenLizIII]

Streatham?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55588612.html

[QueenLizIII]

Streatham is near Brixton which is quite gentrified now and has lovely bars and restaurants.

[eddiemairswife]

I was born, lived and educated (St. Martin's) in West Norwood. It was dullsville. The posh place to go shopping was Streatham,and even more posh, Croydon. How times change.

[SixthSenseless]

How long ago, Bruffin?

Streatham also a good suggestion for location, bars, restaurants, transport links, but not 'cute' :)

You do get more for your money further out, Of course. Depends whether you want to be further out.

[OhTheRoses]

Streatham used to have a john Lewis!!!

[SixthSenseless]

It's getting a big M&S Food, now!

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

Crystal Palace is my new dream location and that Haynes Lane cottage is in a seriously "cute" location. I'd buy that myself if we didn't have 2 large teenagers cluttering up the place. A bonus with Crystal Palace is the absolute stonking views of London you get from everywhere you turn. It is also crammed full of interesting art/vintage/antique shops and has a great selection of good pubs and cafes. And a huge park with rowing lake. And an olympic size swimming pool and the national sports centre. I wouldnt say that was rubbish as a pp said.

[Ifailed]

2 bed houses are rare in London, in my experience. However, there are loads of 3 bed terraces, but quite rare for your budget (zoopla shows only 224 2-3 bed houses for the whole of S London, 110 if you want parking). I think you need to narrow down your areas a bit, and also consider if you'd take a flat. Be prepared for a shock when it comes to costs of renovating, unless you are prepared to do a lot of work yourself.

Commuting to Holborn is quite easy as you've got both the underground (& cross rail soon) plus the lines running north through St Pancras and south via Blackfriars.

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

sixthsenseless whilst I still wouldn't describe West Norwood as 'cute', sounds like the young professionals have descended (it's been a few years since I spent much time there). Where do you think of as the 'centre' though? One thing I've always disliked about W.Norwood (similarly Sydenham, Penge) is that their high streets are quite strung out along a busy road. That's something that Crystal Palace has going for it: a more compact 'villagey' feel to the centre.

That Haynes Lane property I linked to will surely get snapped up unless there are hidden problems - it's a very covetable row of cottages.

As for bruffin saying you could get more for your money further out - well, yes you could, but OP seems to want the trappings of young professional London and you head much further out and you don't find that. South East London is (so Forest Hill, Crystal Palace, West Norwood etc) are about as cheap as it's going to get if you still want your trendy independent coffee shops etc etc. Head further out and it changes - there are lots of nice areas (I live in one!) but the trendsetters aren't exactly making their mark yet.

[muffinmonster]

Wanstead is villagey, full of young families and has a great community feel, a thriving cafe culture and loads of green space. 25 minutes by tube to Holborn. I would never describe it as 'gritty'!

Leytonstone is next door to Wanstead and has become quite trendy with lots of interesting cafes and shops. It's one stop and a whole zone closer to central London than Wanstead, but (IMHO) nowhere near as nice. (Though the Bushwood area bordering on Wanstead is worth a look.)

[SixthSenseless]

Yep, W Norwood is changing fast: if I was moving now I'd grab somewhere while everyone who knew it a few years ago still thinks it's shit

Ok, it isn't Dulwich Village for cute, or Brixton for vibrant (and tube), but I would say the focal point is the church and gardens in front of it, with the cemetery to one side, and the soon-coming Picturehouse next door. Trendy shops and pub (is it called the North Wood?), Portico Gallery and Otter cafe just S.

Then down the High Rd as far as Beamish and McGlue, which is strung out, but not as bad as Norburu, say, and has plenty of grit, even grot, but also new Antic pub Knowles, several smart cafes.

Feast once a month March - November is fab. Food stalls, craft road (Chatsworth) with bands, Retro market (really good) farmers market.

Overground rail, an Express bus service, new pool and gym. All the kinds of reasons I bought my first place cheaply in Brixton many years ago!

However, the OP has a preference for N and E so a SE post code isn't within spec.