Buying first house (budget 375k) - need help

[srkain]

Hi all,

DW and I moved to the UK (London) less than 3 years ago and have been house-sharing with other people since.
We are now in a position to make a move into the property ladder but we are struggling to decide where to focus on.

I work in the city and currently cycle to work from Isle of Dogs (zone 2). DW works in a restaurant near our place and walks to work.

We are planning on trying to conceive next year and the most plausible option is DW will be out of work for a while, so commuting for her is not really an issue.

Therefore, we were looking for something good for families and commutable to the City and heard good things about the Bromley area.
We visited it and really liked the high street, especially the Glades shopping centre.
However, with our budget, it is only possible to find flats under leasehold and some share of freehold.
The plus side of Bromley is that I could still cycle to work and I heard the area have good schools.

Looking at commuter towns I saw an article about the cheapest ones around London, and I found a dream 3-bed semi-detached in Basildon, which would work from a commuter perspective, either with the c2c train or motorcycling to work.
However, after further research I found out the crime rates there are up the roof and I don't have any idea on how schools are, etc.

Any ideas on other places to look into? Should I get a smaller flat in a better area now and then progress on the ladder?
I heard Basildon is getting a big investment over the next years but I'm afraid of getting out of London and not feeling welcome for not being born in this country.

Thanks a lot,

Sutton would be perfect for you. It's in zone 5 in south London.

It has a sizeable town centre but smaller than Bromley. There's a good range of shops and independent restaurants, cafes and pubs. For a bigger shopping trip you'd probably head to Kingston (20mins by car or 5 stops on an express bus). There's a refurbished cinema, leisure centres, parks, gyms (basic and luxury), golf courses, climbing wall etc.

You could cycle to work in the city but it's also possible to go for a bike ride in he countryside from your home + the Surrey Hills are amazing for cycling and a short drive away. 1h drive to the beach.

Crime rates are very low (lowest of any London borough in 2018). The state schools are exceptionally good (GCSE Attainment 8 was number 1 in England in 2018 and primaries are in the top 5 in the top 5 in the country).

Your budget would be enough for a smaller terraced house.

I don't live in London but studied there and commuted there for work. In laws live near Basildon- imo it's a bit of a dump. If you can get somewhere in London which you like and can cycle to work to then I would take it!

No to Basildon. Very few good schools. Horrible town centre.

Romford? It's on the Crossrail line, just inside London (zone 6). You should be able to get a nice 2 bedroom terrace/semi for your budget, or a 3 bedroom terrace/semi that needs work.
We're just outside the ring road off Mawney Road - good local primary schools, nice residential roads.

@JoJoSM2 Thanks for your suggestion.
I'll arrange some time to visit the area. Any places I should avoid or the entire area of Sutton is fine?

@Mummyshark2018 and @pinksquash13 Thanks for the feedback. Already discarded this option. The house there is beautiful and within our budget but I am not willing to gamble on something I might regret days after moving.

@AwkwardPaws27 Thanks! I'll also arrange some time to visit the area. I was reading an article from Zoopla that Romford can be divided into several pockets, being: Central Romford, Emerson Park, Gidea Park, Collier Row and Harold Hill.

I assume you are near Central Romford, correct? Any places I should avoid?

Thanks for all your help.

Avoid Harold Hill - it's not very pleasant and poor transport links. The Harold Wood area is fine though and has a station.
Gidea Park and Emerson Park are unlikely to be in your budget.
Collier Row is a mixed bag but you are further from the station. Avoid Marks Gate/Rose Lane estate (technically part of Barking and Dagenham).

We're in central Romford. Look for residential roads - outside the ring road is usually nicer. London Road is a bit more run down and closer to the railway line; the roads off of Mawney Road/North Street are a bit nicer in my opinion.
I'd definitely avoid anything on the ring road itself.

As you know 375K isn't a high budget for London. You will have to move further out to places like Sutton for a house and even then it will be difficult to get a nice house. You should look along the forthcoming Crossrail line - there are some up and coming areas like Plumstead (SE18) - you could cycle from there via the Woolwich or Greenwich Foot Tunnel. Bromley has cheaper areas such as St Mary Cray (BR5) or further afield,Swanley or Dartford. Orpington's (BR6) a fairly safe suburban town with good links to the City and I know someone who cycles but it's a long route! Also places like Sidcup are safe, green, fast train links (14 mins to LB from New Eltham station for example) and with good schools - Bexley Borough DA14/DA15).

For example:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-75733112.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82408253.html
Those are both in budget and on relatively quiet residential roads, about 15 minutes walk to the station.

Have you looked along the Brighton mainline? Haywards Heath has fast trains in to London Bridge, a lovely commuter town, lots of baby groups etc.

In Sutton, there’s nowhere that you need to avoid due to crime or something but the St Helier Estate is generally unpopular.

You should be able to get a little house near the town centre (or Sutton Common or Sutton West stations). There will be some period cottages, 30’s houses or 70’s/80’s ones in your budget. School catchments will be very good for primary and secondary.

There are quite a few houses on Rightmove in the Bromley area in your budget, most look like they are in the Sundridge Park or Grove Park area which are fine, the transport links are very good to London and only a www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73223674.htmlbus ride into central Bromley.

don't know what happened there.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73223674.html

I've enjoyed looking through Rightmove too:

1. This house is close to Cheam Village, which is actually pretty posh.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70325167.html

1. This one is the closest for cycling + round the corner from a Rec Ground and Sutton Sports Village (trampoline park, great soft play and lots of family stuff)

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81571043.html

1. And this one is a detached period cottage (in case you fancy something older or detached)

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62842845.html

@AwkwardPaws27 Thanks for the suggestions.
Would this one be a good option near Harrold Wood: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64472397.html

From my research on Google Maps, Harrold Wood does not have loads of shops nearby, but it is really close to Romford Centre if you take the train, right?

@AllTheCakes Thanks for your suggestion. Haywards Heath looks lovely indeed. The only thing that worries me a bit is that my commute would probably be more than 1h30m each way and if I'm not mistaken the annual ticket is around 4,5k, right?

@JoJoSM2 Many thanks.
I really liked this one near the centre but is a bit out of my budget.
But, being currently in a buyers market, we never know if the seller is inclined to reduce a bit.
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63469383.html

@HappyHammy Thanks!! We liked the Sundridge Park area a lot, but Grove Park not so much.

@Lightsabre Thanks a lot! I'll research these areas. The only one I already heard it can be quite rough is St Mary's Cray. Is that correct?

Thanks a lot all,

I can't really comment on the house (I'm not a fan of new builds), but looks ok as long as it's freehold (I personally wouldn't buy a leasehold house). That's a relatively new development on the old hospital site. Harold Wood has a station and a small row of shops (small co-op, hairdressers, pub etc). There is a big Tesco, B&Q, Next, Halfords etc on the A12.
One thing to note with Harold Wood is that there are fewer trains; about half the trains start from Gidea Park (the next station along) instead. The trains are pretty frequent though so it's not a huge issue.

The house in Sutton looks like a very good spot. Close to the park, an outstanding primary school, town centre and station. And wow to having a garage!

Btw OP, if schools are important, then the website below has all the stats. Before committing to a property, I'd check admission distances for the last 3 years to make sure you'll get a good school from the house you buy. You can find those either in 'starting school' booklets that you download from the coucil website or some boroughs have interactive online tools (Sutton does).
Otherwise, you can end up in a 'black hole' where you aren't close enough for any good school and may end up with a rubbish school miles away.
You apply for primary when children are about 3.5 years old so it might be worth considering if you plan to start a family soon.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/find-a-school-in-england

Sorry, I meant to say that you'd apply as early as your child being 3.5 if they are young for their year group.

It might be a little bit quicker than you think. Assuming you don’t need a travel card, there are direct trains in to London Bridge which take as little as 42 minutes at peak time. The season ticket is £3.9k, but also covers Blackfriars and City Thameslink stations too.

Some of the cheaper housing is a bit further away from the station but if you are happy to cycle it opens up lots of options.

Middle Village, Haywards Heath, West Sussex
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-74148211.html

St Mary's Cray is a bit rough on one side (not in a stabby way though) but there are nicer houses on the Poverest road side leading up to Crofton and Petts Wood. Fairly quick links into London.

Grove Park is a tale of two halves. There is a large housing estate (Downham Estate) which has cheap stock but the area has a higher crime rate. On the station side, the housing stock is nicer and gets better the further up towards Bromley you go. There is a 60's house for sale on Powster Rd which is a nice enclave, close to the Waitrose, the station and Bromley town centre. It's just been reduced to £380K.

Thanks all for your suggestions. Gave me a lot to think about.

Someone also told me about Harlow. Does anyone have any experience with that area?

Many thanks,

I'd pick Romford over Harlow myself .
And Romford over Ilford/Goodmayes/Seven Kings

Romford has it's faults don't get me wrong , maybe I've become immune . Crime levels do have to be considered but that's true everywhere
No Underground but there is Rail. Buses ok.

If you look along the roads near top of North St / over the A12 you;ve got some pretty good schools , couple of Ofsted Outstanding ones .

Parking though can be a blighter so get a drive if you can.

And Cross-Rail? I think I'll be pushing up daisies before bloody CrossRail arrives

Crime rates are even worse in Harlow than in Basildon. You can check all that on police.uk It also looks like there are very few good primaries and secondaries are average or below.

For London, use

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

I'd pick Basildon over Harlow.

Romford to Liverpool Street is under 30 minutes, we've got the new air-conditioned Crossrail / Elizabeth line trains about half the time now too, and it's in Zone 6 so your travel will be a lot cheaper than from Harlow or Basildon.

Awkward is the CrossRail actually running? I know it was delayed from Dec 2018 to possibly 2020 but is any of it functioning? (in Romford area)

70isaLimitNotaTarget the east section of Crossrail is basically just the Shenfield to Liverpool Street line (that stops at Romford and Stratford). It's running as far as Liverpool Street, and it's run by TFL now (it used to be Greater Anglia). It's better now it's TFL and the old trains are gradually being phased out; every 2-3 trains seems to be a new one now. Some of the stations are still being updated but they are open.
The part that isn't open is the central section that will link between Liverpool Street and Paddington, and on to Reading.