Looking to buy in Crystal Palace - what do you think about these?

[whysohardtogetusername]

We're looking to buy a 3 bed in London to start a family, and recently visited Crystal Palace which seems great. Saw a few houses advertised, would appreciate views.

The one in the middle of the triangle is obviously a great location - do you think likely to go for over 500k? www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/55047790

There were a few houses which came near the train station in the same estate. Is there a reason they are quite a bit cheaper? Anyone know? www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/56773665

Wider advice on where else in Crystal Palace triangle striking distance that's nice to live and under 500k appreciated. Proximity to a train station and a decent coffee shop main requirements!

Another shout for Beckenham if you want a future-proofed family friendly option. Great area for families and there’s an abundance of choice of good primary schools, great parks etc. It is a bit more “suburb-y” for sure but I’ve noticed a bit of a shift in the last few years as more families move out from other areas of London.

I think like-for-like property is cheaper in Beckenham than CP but there’s less by way of ex-council/smaller houses than around CP so choice might be more restricted.

Thanks all. So much to consider! We will definitely check out Sydenham as well and keep an eye on Beckenham. Feel like we need to do some scouting of areas and see what we like (harder in lockdown but we can probably walk to most of these from where we are currently).

@ghislaine not sure if we could manage a boat but never say never :)

Sydenham schools look worse than Crystal Palace ones?

Tbh, if you want a future-proof location, then Beckenham is just a much better option. I don’t think it feels that suburban if that isn’t your thing.

If you could push to Beckenham that would be my choice. I grew up there and it’s a great place. Head and shoulders above CP in my opinion.
Still has great parks, diverse areas, useful shops and restaurants and lots going on. Great transport links as well.

The first one you definitely pay a premium to live bang in the middle of the triangle. You get used to the 15 min uphill walks from any direction living a little way away, keeps you fit!

IMO Beckenham has a very different, much more suburban feel than Sydenham, GH, WN or CP. Nor better or worse, it depends what you want. School-wise the people I know are very happy with their choices as are we. Being on the border of so many boroughs gives you different options for secondary.

We moved to the GH side of CP this year and are loving it. We looked at a house in the middle of the triangle when we were searching and discounted it due to no garden (plus it was tiny) but it was a great location. People do complain a LOT about traffic round the triangle though so if you’d be regularly driving I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

I lived in CP for a few years and would not say Beckenham is at all comparable - and neither are Sydenham or Forest Hill really. Beckenham is far more suburban and sprawly and both Forest Hill and Sydenham are bisected by the South Circular, which kills any sense of community. Plus the commercial landlords in those areas don't seem interested in helping to upgrade the high streets, which are tatty and tired. By contest the CP triangle sits between main roads and has a real sense of community and a drive for improvement. The Everyman cinema was brought in via community lobbying and there are thriving markets and independent businesses. What there aren't are loads of affordable houses, as the area was built around massive Victorian Gothic houses, rather than small cottages. That said, the flats that have been carved out of the houses are often massive and beautiful. Our garden flat on Cintra Park was one of the biggest properties I have owned. And yes, as a PP has noted, you can't avoid the hill! You're either walking up it to get the triangle or down it to get to the station depending on where you live. I loved living there though and would move back in a heartbeat. And Anerly isn't CP - although I believe it's improved a lot, it's a bit of a no man's land.

I know the area really well - what about upper Norwood area? Directly on the recreation ground and great sized houses. Schools, primary at least, absolutely excellent in the area

Beckenham is really nice but quite expensive and has quite a different feel. Sydenham is good and some parts of Penge, also Forest Hill. The south circular runs through Forest Hill but not Sydenham. All have good train and bus links.

In Crystal Palace, check which of the four boroughs houses are in as this will obviously affect school choices. I don't know anywhere else with this issue!

The borough doesn’t affect school choices at all. You can apply to schools in any borough. Most admit on distance so you’ll get in if you live close enough regardless of borough boundaries.

I’ve lived in CP, Forest Hill, Sydenham and Beckenham and know surrounding areas reasonably well.

The tight arrangement of the streets of the CP triangle is certainly appealing (compared to say Sydenham or Penge where the high street is stretched out down a long wide road) and it definitely has more independent shops - if you value little gift shops, restaurants and that kind of thing it has more to offer and of course the new cinema is fab. We lived there pre-kids and it was great for popping out for brunch on the weekends and that kind of thing. I laughed at the ‘not on a main road’ comment though - it’s often absolute gridlock round the triangle which can just seem like a giant roundabout.

There’s plenty of community in FH and Sydenham - Sydenham has lots of arts events and community events. FH has the wonderful Horniman museum and gardens which has a regular food/farmers market.

Beckenham I would say has more of the atmosphere of small town than a bit of London. The high street has some of the ‘sense of place’ that I liked about CP but it is definitely not the same: Friday and Saturday night tend to be a younger crowd dressed up to the nines in some of the bars. And it has more chain restaurants etc than the likes of CP. But I really like it and it definitely has a close community - different, but tighter than anywhere else I have lived in London. There seems to be more people here who have grown up in the area. There’s lots of community activity here too and things like markets on the green.

I love SE London and all of these places!

Love CP, moved here when had DC and zero regrets. But if schools are important, be very careful with catchments. Not sure you'd be sorted for a good primary from the centre of the triangle unless you got lucky with numbers for that year. You'd be better off in this area -
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/80262145#/
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/74793936#/
And it's a short walk through parks to the triangle, close to G Hill stn and good choice of secondaries too, some with distance criteria, others not. CP as a whole though is fantastic, can't recommend it enough.

I think it was me with the main road comment . Not saying that Westow St is an oasis of calm and the traffic was pretty vile but it's not a major road in the same way as the South Circ through Forest Hill is

The traffic around the triangle and nearby roads has been at a standstill a lot recently due to the introduction of low traffic neighbourhood road closures. The cut throughs and rat run roads have been closed to cars which equals more traffic on the main roads.

I used to live in brunel close! Good points - close to everything. Bad point- close to everything! I was on the side that backed onto the shops and we had restaurant bins behind, woke up every morning to the sound of a million bottles being dumped into the bins. Also had rats in the garden. And being in the middle of the triangle, parking was a nightmare. But it was lovely being so close to everything, walking distance to either station and also the bus goes direct from the bus station to Brixton to pick up Victoria line, which depending on the time of day was sometimes quicker.