Home searching in London. Thoughts on these areas please!

[srah21]

I have posted a couple of times before and a huge thank you and apology for the lovely mums that respond. I haven’t posted quite enough information to get the help I need and really do appreciate your help. I will start again and give you abit of background.

We’re currently in a two bedroom house in east London and have two babies under two. We’re looking to move before my first born starts school but there’s a huge problem. We just don’t know what area to move to!

We’ve had a look at West Finchley, Finchley and it’s mostly over our budget but we also weren’t too keen on the area (high street mostly). We preferred Southgate and did go to view a house which was close to Ashmole academy, which I understand is supposed to be very good. We did like the area and high street and thought the houses/street looked nice and the high street was good too.

Our budget currently stands at £650k maximum and we are looking at other areas. So we would like a semi/terraced (semi preferred), garden, three bed with potential to extend, big enough rooms, to be close(ish) to a London Underground station, have good schools in the area, nice/upmarket high street.

We’ve seen some houses in the following areas;
East Finchley, Southend, Harrow, Perivale, Greenford, Hendon, Edgware, burnt oak, Pinner, Ruislip, Mill Hill, Colindale.

Please can I bother you for your opinions or thoughts on any of these areas if they are known to you? I would like to know if there is a good mix of people, does it feel safe, antisocial behaviour, are there lots to do with kids? Are the primary schools good? If so which ones? I have so many questions and my mind is all over the place!
TIA

Look south - much more value for money! Kennington, Stockwell, Brixton etc.

Where will you be working? That's important if there's a commute to consider.

I live in new Barnet and all the areas you suggested are lovely. It is expensive here and an expensive postcode, you’d get more for your money elsewhere in London x

You don't mean Southend - you mean Southgate.

Of those on your list I'd choose East Finchley or Mill Hill.

Would you look south - Hampton Wick perhaps?

Forest Hill? It has some really nice primary schools and depending on where you look you might just about still get a three-bed (maybe).

It is good for primary schools, people seem to move for secondary but thats quite a way away.

Mill Hill would be my choice if those are the areas you like but it is expensive. You would get more for your budget in East and South London, what train station do you need to get to? how far from central London would you be prepared to live

What aboutg Isleworth? Nice location near the thames, lots of access to green space and Richmond and twickenham and St Margarets all close. Good schools.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72212304.html

Pinner and Ruislip are nice, lots to do for families, good schools and transport. Harrow is a shithole, avoid! Not that it’s on your list, but also avoid Hayes and West Drayton

Mill Hill is very popular with families and it is expensive. Mill Hill East is less expensive than the Broadway side.

You could look at Barnet, East Barnet, High Barnet etc.

Colindale is being regenerated, might be worth a look.

Check the crime maps for areas, properties tend to cost less in the higher crime areas unless they are further away from London.

There is Croydon - East, West, and South, Gipsy Hill, South Norwood, Denmark Hill, Tulse Hill, Crystal Palace, Penge, Balham on the other side of the river. Look on a Rightmove map at one place and enlarge the area around it to see what is there.

Brockley?

You won't get a 3 bed in Hampton Wick / Teddington for your budget sadly. Isleworth is a good family area, good schools and transport links

@srah21

I have posted a couple of times before and a huge thank you and apology for the lovely mums that respond. I haven’t posted quite enough information to get the help I need and really do appreciate your help. I will start again and give you abit of background.

We’re currently in a two bedroom house in east London and have two babies under two. We’re looking to move before my first born starts school but there’s a huge problem. We just don’t know what area to move to!

We’ve had a look at West Finchley, Finchley and it’s mostly over our budget but we also weren’t too keen on the area (high street mostly). We preferred Southgate and did go to view a house which was close to Ashmole academy, which I understand is supposed to be very good. We did like the area and high street and thought the houses/street looked nice and the high street was good too.

Our budget currently stands at £650k maximum and we are looking at other areas. So we would like a semi/terraced (semi preferred), garden, three bed with potential to extend, big enough rooms, to be close(ish) to a London Underground station, have good schools in the area, nice/upmarket high street.

We’ve seen some houses in the following areas;
East Finchley, Southend, Harrow, Perivale, Greenford, Hendon, Edgware, burnt oak, Pinner, Ruislip, Mill Hill, Colindale.

Please can I bother you for your opinions or thoughts on any of these areas if they are known to you? I would like to know if there is a good mix of people, does it feel safe, antisocial behaviour, are there lots to do with kids? Are the primary schools good? If so which ones? I have so many questions and my mind is all over the place!
TIA

Sorry I meant Southgate not Southend! And work wise I would mostly be working from home but my office is Victoria. Husband is in financial services so will be working around Euston/Canary Wharf/Liverpool street now and in the future.

@Bouncycastle12

Look south - much more value for money! Kennington, Stockwell, Brixton etc.

I don't think we can afford is there?!

@BIWI

Where will you be working? That's important if there's a commute to consider.

Sorry I should have mentioned that! Well work wise I would mostly be working from home but my office is Victoria. Husband is in financial services so will be working around Euston/Canary Wharf/Liverpool street now and in the future.

@Brom29

I live in new Barnet and all the areas you suggested are lovely. It is expensive here and an expensive postcode, you’d get more for your money elsewhere in London x

It so sad! I have seen a couple of properties but rooms are smaller. I hope to find something there! I might ask for your opinion if I find something ...if you don't mind!

@KaptainKaveman

You don't mean Southend - you mean Southgate.

Of those on your list I'd choose East Finchley or Mill Hill.

Ahh thank you! Yes how did I miss that!

@Anxietea

Would you look south - Hampton Wick perhaps?

Just had a look. Undoing can't afford it :(

@Greenhats10

Forest Hill? It has some really nice primary schools and depending on where you look you might just about still get a three-bed (maybe).

It is good for primary schools, people seem to move for secondary but thats quite a way away.

Thank you for that suggestion. Il keep looking. There isn't a lot on the market at the moment but il keep an eye out.

I work in Victoria and live in Colliers Wood. Look into Mitchum, Morden etc.

@ClamDango

Mill Hill would be my choice if those are the areas you like but it is expensive. You would get more for your budget in East and South London, what train station do you need to get to? how far from central London would you be prepared to live

Well work wise I would mostly be working from home but my office is Victoria. Husband is in financial services so will be working around Euston/Canary Wharf/Liverpool street now and in the future. I would like to be close enough to the underground so travel into central London would not be more than an hour.

I live in East Finchley. We love it. Great schools, fantastic parks and woods, some really brilliant hidden treasures when it comes to cafes, restaurants and food shops. Not cheap but super quick to get into Central London (I used to commute to Victoria)

We live in Mill Hill East and it's very nice here lots of families and lots of three beds. If you stay away from the Millbrook Park new builds it's very reasonablely priced compared to most of the other nearby areas.

I think Wembley and Harrow are a little cheaper. If not maybe consider something in hertfordshire or South London or poss even North East London (gants hill etc) where things tend to be a lot cheaper

Ashmole is a good school. Southgate is nice enough I guess just very suburby. Look around Winchmore hill too as it’s lovely there with a good community feel and some great schools too.

Trains go directly from brockley, forest hill, Sydenham and crystal palace to Victoria and the overground from those stations also makes it a super easy journey to canary wharf and not too bad to Liverpool Street if you change. You should still be able to get a three bed in most of those (possibly not in CP though).