family moving to london 500k budget .........where to?

[zurich09]

We are currently moving from abroad and have been shocked at just how expensive london has become in recent years. We are trying to find somewhere to buy - need a two-bed place close to good schools............Used to live in London, but have been completely priced out of everywhere. If you had to commute to Euston/Bloomsbury and were looking for a nice family area with good schools where would you look? Everyone seems to be raving about SELondon but got a bit scared that the commute is really long. Used to live in Muswell Hill but thats way out of our price range nowadays. Any advice would be very welcomed.

Charlton on the Thameslink line you’d get a decent two bed for 500k. They call at Farringdon / Kings Cross, or train then tube from London Bridge / Waterloo / Charing X, Crossrail will be 1 stop away. Decent primaries and family central. Good luck!

Greenwich/ hither green/kidbrooke village are all lovely with good commutes into the city and within your budget for a lovely two bed!

Sutton/Carshalton for access to decent trains (Thameslink and into London Bridge). 3 bed semis for around £550ish so you should get a 2 bed for your price.

You might get a 2 bed flat around Archway/Hornsey Rise for your budget. (We sold one there for under that about 18 months ago) but the preferred schools have tiny catchment areas so you would have to look closely at that. Most of the top of the Northern line is too pricey.

Walthamstow close to Epping forest or Walthamstow marshes, good range of family activities not sure about schools but friends with kids are happy there
or Stamford Hill close to Lea navigation Springfield park access to hackney marshes good/outstanding primaries, catchment for Gladesmore secondary is about 1 mile. Both a bit grittier than muswell hill though and similar prices I think just more central.

Sounds like you want a 2 bed house?

thank you so so much for all these ideas!!! we are realistic that our budget probably wont stretch to uor house so a flat is fine....so will definitely check out these areas once we are over. i reckon london might be a bit of a culture shock....its so big and there are so many different areas. by now most of our friends have left because they couldnt afford it with kids. no idea how people manage if they are on not on city salaries.....or manage pick ups and drops off once they have kids....... I was pretty excited when i first got the job ubt by now am just feeling a bit daunted about how to make it all work.

Bushey/oxhey village? Less than 20 mins to Euston and you could definitely get a 2-bed house for 500k there. Commuting isn't that expensive either as it's within the Oyster card zone.

Bromley, beckenham
Fast train to Victoria, tube to euston or Thames link to kings x.

I live in a two bed flat and commute to Euston/Bloomsbury. Am in Stoke Newington and I bought for exactly your budget two years ago.

Suggest you look up the Piccadilly/Victoria likes north, and remember how many trains come in to Highbury and Islington and Finsbury Park so could look further out.

For Euston I would look out beyond the m25 and train in, if Bloomsbury look on Thames link line. You need to calculate in travel costs but you will get a better house. London has become so expensive, my old se London flat (sold for £150k) is now worth £800k !

thank you all!!!! london has changed so much since i last lived here in the early 2000s.........lots of areas to explore. just trying to sort out our budget - would 2.5k a month once mortgage/childcare is taken care of be enough for a family of three? everyone keeps telling me that london is really expensive so not sure if we should go for a small flat/smaller mortgage or slightly bigger mortgage and obviously less spending money.

i know it seems like a weird question - but where do people on public sector salaries live in london nowadays.....when i was a student (many many years ago in the early 2000s) it was so much more affordable

So, this house might not set pulses racing, but is on a nice road in Brockley Zone 2, near lots of good schools and good commute into town. You're pretty close to shops etc, so won't need to drive anywhere and you're on a good bus routes too. I know lots of people who have children at local schools and they are all very happy with them. It's not a particularly cheap area any more, but we're really happy here. Lovely friends, nice community feeling and being close to Goldsmiths is nice too. Lots of art galleries, markets, bars, craft breweries, but still feels down to earth and normal. Brockley/Crofton Park, Ladywell/Nunhead. PM me if you want any specific info.

Plumstead. We live there and we're very happy. You'll easily get a two bed for way under your budget. There's plenty of really nice two beds for 350ish.

I'd recommend living part of of Plumstead surrounding the common. It's really pretty with loads of green space. Very pleasant place to live. Around the high St it's not so pleasant as it's much busier with no green space.

With your budget you could easily find a nice house, walking distance to the train station, with green space on your doorstep. And still be way under your budget!

When crossrail opens in a couple of years, transport will get even better.

so many amazing ideas! Will drag DH around next week. how does everyone else decide on which areas to pick?

Milton Keynes to Euston is 30mins. Bloomsbury is a 10-15min walk from that. With 500k you could get a nice 3 bed detached house in a grammar school and outstanding school area with walk ways in the middle of MK. Plus everywhere in MK is no no more than a 10min drive to the station.

Hi OP.
I used to live in Muswell Hill too. I now live in Southgate, Enfield. Public sector job also. Our Victorian terraced house was recently valued at £520k (2 reasonable bedrooms and a box room) so you could find something nice within your budget around here. Piccadilly line. Quite convenient.
Would also recommend looking at Walthamstow.

Thank you all! Would anyone be able to recommend any decent secondaries in Soughtgate, Stoke Newington, or Brockley etc? DS is still in primary but will need to move up in a few years. I grew up in Europe where most schools were fine and then you could go to a gymnasium....do most people think that schools make a difference in London?

If there's, a chance your family might get bigger, I'd move further out of London, eg Essex to get more for your money. From Liverpool St it's only a few stops to Euston Square.

Are you looking for state or private schools

Walthamstow is great, nice and easy on Victoria line to Euston, plus there's the Overground out of Liverpool St as a backup of the tube is down so you're never totally stranded. Several good secondary schools.

state - not sure our budget would stretch to private schools though DS is bright enough and ideally i would like him to go to a good state school......ok, ok.....all the horror of inner city london schools got me a bit concerned about schools in london. DH and I both got PhDs etc so hoping that between us we can just help DS with most subjects if he struggles nearer the time......but would like he to feel safe etc hence looking for flats etc with nice schools in mind

We are planning to apply for Ashmole academy in Southgate and Alexandra Park school which is in-between Muswell Hill and Bounds Green. Both are outstanding secondaries with good reputations. We have friends with kids at both schools.

We are a few years away yet.

I'm sure there must be great secondary schools In Walthamstow too. It's become a lovely area. We'd consider moving there, if it weren't for having relatives local to where we are now.

know it seems like a weird question - but where do people on public sector salaries live in london nowadays

Mostly they commute in from wherever is affordable, unless they bought or got a secure tenancy at the right time. Based on people I know, London areas that are popular for public sector workers include Peckham, Plumstead and maybe the less gentrified areas of north-east London. Ilford and Croydon also popular, but they are not really London, so lump them in with those commuting from a bit further.

Kingston might be worth a look. There are 3 bedroomed houses for under 500K. Would that be OK in terms of size? Kingston town centre is really nice for shopping and has a lovely market square (with actual market in it). You are near lots of green space and close to other nice places - Teddington, Richmond, Hampton etc.

property search

Schools are generally good and if your son is bright, he might think about Tiffin (super-selective grammar).

Kingston is about 40 minutes from Euston. Train to Vauxhall and Victoria line from there.