Where to buy : Fulham or West Hampstead in London

[londonparisny]

Hello Everyone,
I hope summer is keeping everyone in good spirit.
We are considering buying a home in London and was hoping that I could get some advise on that.
My DS will be starting a school near Westminster from September so we are looking for an area suitable for his commute by public transport.
My husband works in city and I am a SAHM.
After some research we have zeroed in on Fulham or West Hampstead.
We are new to London and our budget is 1.1M.
Can someone please share their experiences and perspective as a Londoner?
I am a quiet personality and like to read and prefer to have a small circle of friends. (not party person at all)
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts/feedback

London is great! Intimidating at first but you'll soon fit into your new community. What are you aiming to buy (property wise) in West Hampstead/Fulham? You'll likely be able to afford a nice flat for your budget but if you nip down the road to Chalk Farm/Kentish town you'd get a lovely house! Good luck with your move

Westminster to West Hampstead is not a great commute. Look carefully at the TFL website to work out the routes your DS can take - Fulham will probably be better.

are you moving to london from abroad? I'd strongly recommend renting for a few months to get the feel of an area before you buy.

Fulham/Parsons Green has the river close by which I find is a nice, tranquil area when you live somewhere so built up.

Are there any types of amenities that you’re particularly keen on that might be better in one of the areas? Otherwise, they’re both pretty central and expensive and you won’t go too wrong with either.

Thank you everyone for your response.
I lived in London (SW) for 3 years then moved to US and now back to London.
For me priority is relatively safer neighbourhood, some nice people to say hello to and an easy commute for DS.
I am only looking to buy a small house as I dread service charges/lease and noise etc issues with flats.

@parietal I tried TFL and it shows under 27 minutes from W Hampstead to Westminster almost similar as time from Fulham to Westminster.
I am not very familiar with north London but I find journey on district line exhausting so thought somewhere on jubilee might be better.

@JoJoSM2 Thank you. Its comforting to know that we are looking at right areas.

@mammabella1 Thank you. I will broaden my search to include your suggestions. A small 3 bed with a patio is what we are hoping to buy.

Jubilee line goes direct from west hampstead to Westminster but check where in wedtminster

I think you'll struggle to get a house in Fulham for that budget. Maybe Putney or Southfields?

West Hampstead to Westminster is easy, direct on the Jubilee Line.

It's also a great place to live. I always found it a friendly community, with some good local facilities, and great transport links. An easy commute to the City as well.

I've never lived in Fulham, but it doesn't appeal to me personally.

Transport links are much better in West Hampstead than Fulham. I can't believe a pp said to hard to get to Westminster!

Chalk Farm isn't cheaper abc you're stuck with the Northern line which is awful.

Broadhurst Gardens, South Hampstead, London, NW6
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82753043.html

This is in a great location. Finchley Road has the jubilee and metropolitan lines and you're really close to Hampstead and Waitrose

I love the Parsons Green area of Fulham. Friendly, lots of families, green spaces, restaurants etc etc. Good tube and bus connections. Leafy, not too built up. Safe. £1.1 will get you a flat - possibly a small house but nearer Sands End way. £1.5m would get you a decent 3 bed terrace. But I would rent first to make sure you like it.
I don’t know anything about West Hampstead.

I don’t think you can get a house for £1.1 million in West Hampstead or zone 2 North London. I am pretty sure you are looking at a flat in NW1, NW3, NW5. N19, N7, N6, N1. You may get an ex council or 2 bed at a push.
I don’t know Putney so maybe South London is worth looking at.

West Hampstead is fab and has great transport links!

In terms of safety, the two areas are much of a muchness (The Met Police has all the stats and crime breakdown on their website). To be somewhere with low crime, you’d need to be much further out. Having said that, I don’t think you’d feel unsafe.
Do you still have some friends in Chelsea? Fulham is right next door so it’s be easier to meet up with them.

Both are lovely areas but you'll struggle to get a house for £1.1m. You might get a flat.

Which offers both your husband and your child a better commute? Why those two areas and not anywhere else? Eg North Kensington; Queens Park?

On Rightmove, there are houses in that price bracket in both locations.

Thank you everyone for pitching in.
I am not averse to renting if we are unable to afford a small house in our budget. As @JoJoSM2 pointed out I could see few in my budget in both locations but I dont know the lanes/streets and area very well.

@RubyViolet I found few and liked one below
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-80488037.html

I am beginning to realise that probably renting for few months in area will help massively.
I was just hoping I could save myself an intermediate move.

@CardinalSin Thank you. I think distance wise both location seem qual give and 5-10 minutes depending on lane we can find a property we like and can afford :-)

@Wishiknewthen and @roses2 Thank you. I might rent for a while to save some more money and hope my savings outpace increase in prices but still not keen on buying a flat.

@JoJoSM2 Thank you. Yes.. once in few weeks/months something nice does seem to come on to market in our budget.

@roses2 Thank you for suggesting two new areas. May be I will walk to these area during a Saturday to get a feel of the place.

I am looking at these two area(s) due to bit of familiarity (fulham) and potential to find classmates for my DS (Hamstead side) so I can get to know other parents.
My son will start at Westminster school. I am open to other suggestions as well. Just cant increase my budget or opt for a flat (not just yet :-) )
I think renting seems more sensible now.
Thanks for sharing insights .. they have been very helpful..

@JoJoSM2 Can you please share a link where I can find the crime statistics etc. Google gives me couple of sites but not sure which one is more reliable. Also is it possible to get comparison of an street versus national average?
I had an unfortunate violent situation when I was in London which left me a bit paranoid.

I posted an old link but the house link I posted have their price dropped to 1.18M now

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/51835133?search_identifier=0aaea98bbd153eee9dc6fc98cb000cfd

I do agree that it seems houses in my budget are very few and hard to come by but I have very low expectations :-)
As long as its on a 3 bed, safe friendly neighbourhood and commute for DS not too bad.
Though seems like I asking more than probably achievable in my budget.
My DH travels a lot for work but in city he will be commuting to Bank station.

If you head out towards Southfields it will get a bit cheaper. Southfields is rather nice, close to Wimbledon Park and you'll get onto the District Line in the morning without a crush. Once you get to the Putney stations it gets rammed.

How about this house?
www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/52074547

You could even go out as far as Wimbledon. It has the benefit of being the start of the District Line so a guaranteed seat for your son and fantastic transport links for your DH. My DH commutes into Bank everyday on the Northern Line or sometimes via Waterloo. I'm a bit biased but I love Wimbledon.

www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-data-dashboard/

That’s crime data by borough and you can sort by crime types etc If you go to the safer neighbourhood section, it’ll be broken down by smaller areas. I think somewhere there’s an option to zoom in and literally see crimes reported street by street.

I have lived in West Hampstead and its neighbour, Kilburn. Although Kilburn isn't as "naice", we never had any issues there and it is a five min walk from West Hampstead. It is also on the Jubilee Line.
I think you'd get more for your money there, or even Dollis Hill or Willesden Green.

Liverbird I couldn't ever advise anyone to buy in those areas

Kilburn was a great place to live! Lovely park and lots of bars/cafes.
Great transport links too...overground and underground.
Of course, my ideal place would've been Hampstead, but cash didn't quite stretch..

If your DH is commuting to Bank I would steer clear of anything on the District and Circle. Jubilee much better option.

Queen’s Park area is very nice if you would consider your DS changing tube lines. Might still be quicker than a direct commute based on the District... If you can, go and visit the whole West Hampstead/Kilburn/Queens Park area and spend a day walking around, you’ll quickly get an idea of which bits you like. Of course the smarter bits will be pricier.

You could ask the school if there are any big contingents from a particular area or areas? Might be nice to live near DS’ classmates.

Out of those two I’d say West Hampstead for sure and the transport links are excellent. If you want it to be a touch quieter and get more for your money you can look at Queens Park (a mile west) of WH and a bit more chilled. The overground is very good these days and links West Hampstead to places like queen’s park (Brondesbury Park) and Kensal Rise.

Given that you have a few commutes to 'solve' for and it sounds like you care about being in a good neighbourhood, you may find [www.searchsmartly.co/onboarding this tool/website] helpful. You can add in your commutes, select your priorities for your ideal neighbourhood, and let the system work some magic to find the homes across different areas that best meet your needs/budget. Maybe share some of your results with us for feedback?