Relocating within London while pregnant

[carrotcats]

Hello!

I’m pregnant with my first child (16 weeks) and have had a bit of a panic about whether we should be trying to find a more spacious home before I give birth.

I’m self employed, the breadwinner and do most of my contracting work in central London so need to be in there daily. I have a lovely but tiny flat in a vibrant area of London that I LOVE and will be ok when the baby is small, but we’ll soon grow out of.

Because our mortgage will be calculated on my earnings, which are very good now but will inevitably decline while I get used to being a mum, I wonder whether we should try and move now, while we can still afford to size up.

Other factors I know nothing about being a first time parent but am worrying about include- if I lay down mum friendships through NCT etc in where I am now and then in a couple of years need to move across London, will that affect my support network? Am I over (or under!) estimating how difficult it will be financially to uproot once I’ve had a child and my earnings are less? Will the stress of trying to buy and sell now be too much stress in pregnancy?

I have a budget of about £500k and the market seems to be quite good for sizing up now- I could afford a 3-4 bed house in SE London, but worry if prices increase over the next few years, I might miss my window.

Any thoughts?! I’m a bit stressed about which decision is the right one for our family

Cat It just sounds to me like the OP would be the happiest in a bigger zone 2 flat near a park. I linked the one I did as I think the size looks ok-ish, there’s a shared garden and it’s great for transport links and being close to a park. Personally, I’d rather live there or in Fulham or Wimbledon etc as they’re long established naice areas. Looking up places like Brockley or other SE spots, all you get for the money is a bigger flat but you’re somewhere that’s ‘up and coming’ but still pretty deprived and grubby round the edges.

Moving now would definitely give some much needed stability by the time the baby comes along.

As you’re flexible on location, you might want to give a tool like SearchSmartly a go? Just drop in your budget, any commutes you have (e.g. your work location or your partner’s), and select what’s most important to you (busy high street, access to schools, public transport), and the tool will suggest some great properties that best match your needs. It’s pretty clever!

Thanks @househunter19 for that website!

After doing lots of research the past few days, I think that it’s become clear that we’d have to make a big step up in terms of property quality/size to move, and accept the inevitable compromises. We could stay where we are with a little one and I’d love to be in this area for longer, but in the long term It wouldn’t work, plus my original mortgage concerns, hence the search.

Someone mentioned Bromley and Shortlands to me this morning as a good possible place with good transport, a bit of energy to it and green space/ability to get a house with a garden. Anyone know those areas well?

Bromley is another one of those larger town centres in outer London. It has a very good shopping mall.

If you’re going to go down the route of a larger town centre in outer London, then you might like to check out Kingston too (commuting from Surbiton or Norbiton as Kingston station isn’t great). It has an attractive, bustling town centre with the perk of riverside restaurants and walks (I’m in Sutton but often go shopping there). Its got a university so just generally feels younger etc. It’s close to the vast royal parks. North Kingston would probably be a great spot for schools, Richmond Park and the river. Your budget won’t stretch very far, though.
Personally, I’d pick Kingston or Sutton over Bromley any day as there aren’t any gangs or stabbiness and Bromley is a bit iffy in that regard.

Personally, I’d pick Kingston or Sutton over Bromley any day as there aren’t any gangs or stabbiness and Bromley is a bit iffy in that regard.

I don't think Bromley town centre is any worse than Sutton & I'm pretty sure there was a stabbing there this month.

helpneedshoes I’m surprised and sad to hear. Luckily, the injuries weren’t life threatening and changing. There’s only been one actual homicide in the borough of Sutton in the last 7 years (and about 4 miles away from Sutton town centre). The Met police also recognise Sutton, Kingston and Richmond as the only boroughs with no gangs. So I think you’ll find it very different from Bromley.

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

Im aware of stats, have friends in the Met. No gangs doesn't necessarily mean no crime.

Besides I wasn't just referring to crime, I don't think Sutton town centre is nice & has much going on. There is a reason why an area with nice housing stock, great schools, etc is still one of the more affordable areas of SW London. You love it though so you do you.

helpneedshoes, the area suits us very well as we’re sporty and outdoorsy. We wanted a huge house and plot close to amenities and a range of great independent schools to choose from. I find Sutton town centre practical with lots going on but I agree it isn’t fancy and when I want to hang out on a fancier high street, I tend to head to Wimbledon Village or Kingston.
Not sure why you’re getting worked up.

Not sure why you’re getting worked up.

Not sure why you're so defensive?

It really depends on you and your priorities OP. We have a 2 bed garden flat in zone 2/3 and love it. We did plan to move when I went back to work to a 3 bed house in Bexley but it fell through and now we're so glad we stayed. We now plan to stay and hopefully have DC 2 here and stay as long as we want to (potentially until DS starts secondary school). I love having everything on our doorstep and I made great NCT friends in our area. I know I'll stay in touch with some of them wherever we end up. Once you go back to work etc you don't hang out all the time anyway. You do manage in a tiny space just as people with big houses seem to fill them! If you love where you live and want to be central with a baby I'd stay. Eltham does have a lot less going on than other areas mentioned like Peckham / Deptford / Brockley etc in SE London but for 500k you would be looking at a really decent flat with 2 poss 3 bedrooms and a small garden rather than a house and if you're already in a flat it probably doesn't make sense to look at these areas if you want to end up in a house as you'd pay a huge stamp duty twice

Just read a bit more of the thread! I'm in crofton park - feel free to pm me if you have questions. I LOVE it here but 500k would be a garden flat (but a good one) or poss a smaller less attractive 3 bed house if you can go a bit over 500k. We're in a garden flat and not many of my friends with kids here have a house, it's fine with kids. A small garden is enough to keep you sane in summer and there are so many places to walk to for scooting / parks. The primary schools are good too!

I think you could afford a small house in SE10 (Greenwich) or nearby Charlton? Or look around Blackheath Standard.

Greenwich or Blackheath could be a great fit - you could get a house but you’d still be in inner London with green spaces, the river and the vibrancy with lovely shops and eateries.

Where in Blackheath or Greenwich is it possible to get a house for £500k please?

If you put in SE10 into Rightmove or search within walking distance of Blackheath Village, a few come up under 550k.

Have you looked into shared ownership in your current area? It’s not right for everyone, but it might be a good option for something bigger in the area you want. If you live in the area, you sometimes get priority.

You have to have sold/be in the process of selling anything you currently own to be eligible. Have a look at the Share to Buy website.

I found this @Nightmanagerfan Fearon Street, London, SE10
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64345737.html

I also fell in love with a small house in Blackheath with a lovely garden but it’s £600k 🙈

I’m curious about how the market is doing in relation to asking prices. When I last bought it was crazy and everything was going for way over the asking price- I know that’s changed a lot but I wonder how much under things are going for or whether the asking price is generally reached 🧐

I live near there OP. Have a look at Fearon Street on google maps and you will see it is literally on top of the Blackwall Tunnel Approach. Very congested, noisy and polluted. Nearest major shop being Ikea.

carrotcats Fearon St is close to the A102 but not immediately adjacent. I'd look in SE7 which is only a few 100 metres on (nearest stations Westcombe Park/Charlton). Also look around the Standard - there are smaller houses around Hassendean Road or look at the Shooters Hill area (border of SE3/SE18). There are some beautiful houses there but the transport links are trickier.

Noted! Thanks

Sorry I meant noted @teachesofpeaches

Lived in SE London for 7 yrs before relocating entirely 70miles outside of London.
Work in the City and still there 4-5 days a week.
My commute to work now takes 1hr10 but I can spend the time working, sleeping, reading/watching tv/ doing grocery shop online. About 1hr 30 door to door. But it is roughly the same as driving kids to childminders, hopping on a train, changing to a tube or walking to the office when I lived in SE London.
Employed a nanny prior to school years, no space for an au pair so childminder thereafter.

Don't underestimate the cost and logistics associated with childcare in London and impact of a hard start and stop time plus a commute will have on your flexibility at work. Its worth leaving money in the bank to give yourself choices otherwise it all starts to feel like an utter grind very quickly.

I'm in SE14 - zone 2. Have a 16 month old in a what will eventually be a 2-bed flat with garden. Telegraph hill has decent flats and a nice community. My antenatal group were Peckham / East dulwich based but it's really quick to both places plus telegraph hill has a decent community of its own. You'll get a decent sized flat with a shared garden for £500k.

I’m going to take the other side here and say: if you love where you live, stay!

I also live in a vibrant and expensive part of london and didn’t move, did NCT here and most of the people I did it with left before school started (within that five years) but I made other friends along the way.

Mine and DP’s earning prospects have only gotten better, our current place became more valuable, and now we’re contemplating leaving the area for another part of London, and can afford a lot more than if we had left when I was pregnant. I love our area, and am glad I didn’t leave it too soon.

I wouldn’t be worried about making new friends if you leave in one year or two or even five.

But I would be worried about making a move to an area you’re uncertain about because of time pressure. Of my local friends who did that - moved to the cheaper up-and-coming area nearby because they wanted a house - they all eventually left london altogether because it was so depressing living in that (dodgy) part of London.

My NCT lot live all over now, out of london, abroad, and so on. I think I’m the only one left in the original area! We are all still in touch, but I made so many other new friends - as did they - as time went on. If you make the effort, it is very easy to make friends when you have small children.