Where should my sister live in London?!

[curiosercurioser]

My sister is 34, recently separated from her partner and moved back down to London.

She’s now managed to get a good job that will allow her to get a mortgage and get on the property ladder. She’s looking for a 2-bed flat up to £500k. She says in a safe area but she needs a bit of London buzz… and a bit of Tinder!… to restart her life.

She works by Bank station, otherwise is open as doesn’t have many friends in London any more.

Where’s good, MN?

Wanstead is a nice area, safe to walk round at night etc. this property is very close to the tube station, and its a 20 minute tube ride form there to Bank station/ into central london, so she is near the 'buzz' etc. all the best x

Would second Wanstead...

I loved my single life in Clapham and Battersea. Balham would also be good. They are very buzzy areas with lots of bars, pubs and restaurants. They're established affluent MC areas with many single professionals. They stations are on the Northern line and Clapham Junction has very frequent trains to Waterloo.

Don't know Wanstead. Is it residential or more built-up/urban?

Glad you mentioned this @JoJoSM2!! Tbh she's really looking for MC areas. Places you mentioned are at the top end of her budget. Anywhere else?

Herne Hill - very quick trains to the city, lovely shops and cafes and bars. Next to Brockwell Park and great food market on Sundays.

Plus I know two lovely single men who live there she may be bump into - ha!

Does she really want to buy straightaway? What if she doesn’t like the new job? You say back to London, where did she live before?

To be honest, if she is going to be hitting the dating apps hard, I’d suggest living somewhere very central, to make logistics as easy as possible, even if that means renting for a bit.

She should rent for a bit and see which areas she likes. What if she moves to a "buzzy" area then meets someone lovely and wants to be somewhere quieter.

I've lived 11 years in London and I like.living somewhere quiet but having the option to go out in cent. With uber it's never hard to get home these days.

Also depressingly in a lot of nice areas that budget isn't a huge amount 😳

Central * that wasn't some new slang 😂

I've just had a look on Rightmove and it seems that Earlfield could be a bit more budget friendly. Two bed garden flats on Penwith Rd (classic young professional buyer territory) start from 425k. It's quite buzzy around there too but also very convenient for Clapham Junction and Wimbledon for going out.

I think in SE London Beckenham might work. Not too pricey but a lovely centre with a range of places to go out. I think there are probably a few single people around there but it's also a quite a sought after family area.

@Fridakahlofan hahaha. maybe she will! @solasum adamant about buying. already had that conversaiton

yeah budget isn't great. She'll probably have to look at south london thinking about it.

Balham/ Clapham/ Battersea

Saw budget update... Peckham Rye/ Brixton

One bedroom ex council flat in Pimlico. She can walk everywhere from there and she can always rent it out when she moves in with man of her dreams

Can even get a few two beds in the Churchill Gardens estate. I have some friends who have lived and others who do live there currently, and they are all why happy with it

Would she rather maximise the property for her money, or get the right urban buzz?

Brockley. 10 mins on the train to London Bridge. Lived there and loved it.

Wanstead is lovely and so is South Woodford - nice cafe culture and on the central line so good for bank. Depending on how far she wants to travel she’d get a lot more for her money at the end of the central line in Epping, Loughton and Theydon Bois - they’ve all got a nice feel to them too.

People who live in Clapham, love Clapham and it seems to be a good place to make friends.

Greenwich - very vibey, loads to do. Not remotely suburbey. Lovely market, loads of nice pubs and restaurants. Very green, got the river (obviously)

DLR (docklands light railway straight to Bank).

500k is above the average property price for London so it should be possible to find a 2-bed flat somewhere lovely for the money.

What's wrong with living is South London? Beckenham is lovely. Actually, she might even get a two bed in a (private) block in Blackheath. It's super lovely around there and pretty upmarket.

Cheers all. Keep 'em coming. @CmdrCressidaDuck probably say leaning to the urban buzz. She could get more for her money a bit further out but I don't think she should be isolated at this point iyswim. @Croquembou Clapham's kinda beyond her budget I guess. @LaurieFairyCake yeah we're looking seriously here. I'm googling furiously right now!

Clapham is fairly rowdy at times and is very much a place for young people who think they are still at university (so says DD who refused to buy there). You could look at The Oval area and Brixton. It depends how far out she wants to be and whether she wants cafes or clubs!

Bank is easy to get to from lots of areas. Mile End is worth a look too.

Most places in Greenwich and blackheath (to a lesser extent) aren’t really in the part you think of. To find a place in Greenwich proper is bloody hard, I tried for years!

Essex end of line isn’t really ‘London vibe’ and places like Brockley might be a bit less vibe than I think the OP had in mind.

@BubblesBuddy yeah i agree with your DH, Clapham is too full on for my tastes.