Which scenario for house move (schools & lifestyle)?

[HomeTimes]

NC for anonymity. I am looking for opinions on these two scenarios for my family's house moves in the next couple of years.

Context is we are youngish, newly married and I'm pregnant. DH works in Canary Wharf though might be moving to the city, and he works long hours. (That's another story!)

At the moment we live in a practical flat we bought to get on the housing ladder. Property worth about £550k. The area is convenient transport-wise (think Stratford ish area) but not surrounded by much green space, and without much community spirit. It's been great living here for the last few years as a young couple. However, we don't know any of our neighbours and I really want to be able to walk to a green space with my baby rather than get the tube. I am also starting to think a sense of community would be good for me as a mum who'll be doing the lions share during the week.

Considerations / priorities then are access to excellent green space, schools and proximity to DH work to cut down commute time. The commute time is particularly relevant for the next 5 years or so. Thereafter DH should have been promoted sufficiently that his job will change and commute times won't matter as much (so we'll be able to live further out).

So with this in mind...
Option A:
We don't stretch ourselves too much, and just move like for like (to another 2-bed flat) but to an area with good green space, nice primaries and good sense of community for me and a quick commute for DH Eg Blackheath, Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Park. I've seen decent 2-beds for 5-600k. This option supports our lives for the next 9-10 years while DC is small and keeps commute short whilst helping us have good quality of life at weekends with access to the Heath and lots of community stuff. I'm drawn to this option because we would keep our outgoings the same, and not stretch ourselves financially.
This option would mean once DC is in Year 5(?) we would need to look at Secondary school situation and likely move to an area with better secondaries, eg Alexandra Palace, Twickenham, Barnet or further out. By this time we would (hopefully) be able to afford a bigger home. (I should add we are not sure if we would have a second DC, but we are cautious due to finances, our relationship, climate change etc. However if we did then 2 DC could share bedrooms up until this point).

Option B
We think about the secondary school situation as early as now, and with the next move we position ourselves to move to those areas instead. This would probably mean stretching our budget and spending a bit more, eg to live in Richmond borough, but then we would be making roots in an area where we anticipate the DC would go to secondary school. We might need to upsize the property later on but at least we would be in the right area. DH commute would be longer with this option, but we would be thinking ahead to 11 years time.

So in a nutshell, do you think it unwise for us to move somewhere to make the next 10 years better, or should we be thinking more strategically and looking ahead to secondary already?

Yes I absolutely love the whole Richmond area, park, river etc. It would be great. We don't mind airplanes. We've lived next to Euston station and city airport - trains and planes are fine but the constant drone of a main road is not imo!

Catchment for APS is shrinking all the time, you will only get 2 beds with £600 need more like £750/£800 for 3 beds in catchment.
I used to live in catchment for APS and Fortismere but we moved away, children are now post school and we are looking to move back into the area and prices around APS have excellerated due to the popularity of the school.
Definately agree with others that the time fly’s and you really only want to move once if possible. Good luck.
(PS interestingly when we were at your stage many years ago, we were also looking at Greenwich/Blackheath versus Muswell Hill/Alexander Park, north london won due to secondary schools).

i really would not uproot a child before secondary! They make friends and go up with them.
Either move to the forever home now or in 3/4 years before they start school.

Agree with all the posters who said don't worry too much about primaries as they're generally much of a muchness and subject to change.

Focus on good secondaries. I like the suggestion of plan C, sitting tight for a couple more years and having a think.

Had 2 friends in literary the exact situation c10 years ago.

First friend decided to do option A, and moved to the stop gap area. They are still there. Mainly due to house prices running too far ahead, but also because they put roots down and decided uprooting whole family would be very disruptive.

Second friend decided to go for option B, but it took them a long while to find something and move. I think they started looking when she was pregnant, but didn't actually move till DC was 2. They are also still in the same property but have extended twice to accommodate growing family.

I think I agree with previous poster re staying put till DC is 3/4, especially in this market. Those extra years staying put could potentially increase your budget by 200k (savings/mortgage paydown equity/larger ability for big mortgage due to payrises) and you may be able to get something more suitable

Richmond is lovely, BUT I think your focus for the foreseeable needs to be making commute very easy for your husband so he gets more time at home to help you. It is very easy to meet other parents through school once you get that far.

No idea about London areas, but just to say in my experience I think it's best to move while your child is a baby if that's a realistic option.

We moved when Dd was 18 months old and I found it hard to make connections as I was back at work so time poor and people already had their baby group friends so had quite a lonely couple of years despite doing gymnastics/swimming etc.

Luckily I had DS two years later and it was really easy to make friends while I had a young one and plenty of time on mat leave. My Dd started school in September and even now it's taking time to break into the social groups of friends who went to baby groups and nursery together (we went to an outlying nursery which was another mistake I think on reflection). So at the very least you should move before primary. Now we are bumping into people locally at the same swimming/gymnastics/community events and I really like having that network, even if we aren't good friends, the same faces pop up again and again for general chit chat

Tbh, with a parent working till 10 or 12 pm, they won’t be ‘helping’ with childcare during the week whatever their commute.

I work in Canary Wharf, DH in the city. Have a look at Dulwich/ Peckham Rye. Good schools at primary and secondary, lots of families, good community. I have colleagues who live in Richmond. It's doable, but the commutes a bitch and the tube is always rammed by the time you get off the train. Overground for SE London. And thameslink connections make it a better commute. If you want to be West I'd follow the cross rail links

I moved to westcombe Park / East Greenwich area 11 years ago when my eldest was a baby and who is now in year 7 at a state secondary in the area.
I work in the city and the quick commute to Cannon Street makes such a huge difference to all our lives. I get to spend so much more time with my kids than colleagues who have a cross-london commute.
I love it here... Lots of green space, friendly community, great transport links.

Thanks @Blue5238 Can I ask what secondary it is and how you find it? X

Richmond and Twickenham - get the fast trains from Reading that stop at Richmond (17 mins) and Twickenham into Waterloo , rather than the slower stopping trains, then the Drain ( theWaterloo and City line ) into the City or Jubilee to Canary Wharf if your DH is still there. Not the chug chug chug of the District Line from Richmond.

Do not buy near a good secondary now - in 10 years it may well not be a good secondary any more! So many schools rated outstanding in 2010-2012 are now being reinspected and rated as requires improvement. Aim for good primary options now, and worry about secondaries in 10 years time!

Sent you a PM @HomeTimes

Oh we are in same boat as you but have ummed and ahhed too long and now we have the pain of uprooting ds5 from school. Have exactly the same thought process as you but cannot decide best option!
Richmond borough has the best choice for schools - state, Grammar and indies but the plane noise worries me. Also the commute doesn't make sense (also in city)
Dulwich etc lovely but doesn't have that big green space - also crave that
Highgate/Muswell Hill is my fav and I know it well but I worry it's not so great for kids as they get older - also less useful shops? I don't know. Maybe I'm worrying about nothing there! Where is your family and friends?
We've decided to go private at secondary - one decision made. Now just where to go! Good luck!!

Have you looked east? Wanstead etc? Epping Forest is fab and much better value, and great schools

Move to your secondary catchment area. Your DC will make local friends and primary age is when parents meet each other too. That’s when you develop that community feel. Too late once you hit secondary as there’s much less opportunity to meet other parents.

Oh @lostlondoner I resonate with all of that! What do you think you're going to do? I don't have much family and DH family live outside London so it makes no difference to us on that score. Friends are scattered all over London (and some have started moving out to the country).

@CaramelWaferAndTea I need to check out Wanstead as I'm not sure. I love the idea of Wanstead flats but not sure if that's actually within walking distance of the station or how convenient / practical it is in terms of transport and shops. Do you live there? I should do a visit one weekend to have a nosey.

@HomeTimes we don't know! We moved out and I've never felt settled unfortunately and now I feel very anxious about moving my son just because I don't like it where we are. And all that making effort with new school/finding clubs etc etc - all v daunting.
Also considered Wanstead! But it felt a bit too suburban though it has huge amounts going for it and loads of green space.
And Blackheath/Greenwich. Actually that would make most sense in terms of green space and commute (and also getting out to Kent for proper countryside) I'm not really sure why we discounted it. Greenwich felt too busy at weekends and we just preferred the other areas.
It's such a massive decision and I hope you make a better decision than we did. X

@HomeTimes
We’ve recently moved to an area just outside Richmond (we were in SE London) and my journey to CW (when no strikes) takes 1 hr exactly. It’s slightly longer commute than SE London but we chose this area for longevity.
Where we were before was a great place to live with very small children but we couldn’t see the kids growing up there and wanted them settled into Primary school knowing we were in that area for the long haul. We moved to our trendy place in SE London (which we LOVED pre kids) had the right house etc and still moved. A number of my friends have also moved away in the 2/3 years since having children.

I guess my point is things change when you have kids but they change differently for different people so don’t rush into anything that will be costly. Also what area do you work in because you will end up doing most of the post maternity childcare rushing backwards and forwards so in a way that is more important.

And yes I would make the move now if I were you as it does become miles more complex as they get older as I am well finding out

Don’t rule out Private schools entirely ( if affordable now or in the future) DH was anti Private until he saw what the State offering was
I’m not saying you will definitely change your mind but it’s possible

I think sw London is the best area for kids young and old - safety, parks, schools, things to do. There has to be a compromise somewhere you just have to decide if it's commute, niceness of area, big green space, schools etc
I also need to do the same!!

SW London is good for commuting, though, isn't it? Richmond-Waterloo is 17 mins. Wimbledon-Waterloo is 15 mins but you also get the Thameslink to City Thameslink or the Northern line to LB or Bank.
Obv not as good for CW as Greenwich but I’d say it’s good commute nonetheless.