Please help decide on a place to live

[TimetoFly49]

We will be moving to the UK within the next few months and have no clue really about places which would fit our needs. I would appreciate if anyone could help.

DH will be wfh but will go into the office situated around London Bridge.
DS (5yo) - looking for a good independent school.
I will be a sahm for a while with DD (1yo)
Monthly Income for Rent - 3000 - 3500 Max

Areas we are looking at are Richmond and Kew.
We have always lived in city places so it seems like Richmond most likely suits, BUT it seems that KEW has more independent schools.
Its also often described as a village, im not sure if its vastly different to Richmond.

Please if anyone could give me a bit more information, with more experience and things I should know. Its difficult trying to make a decision from thousands of miles away. Thanks Again!

Another area we are also considering is Hampstead.

Richmond, Kew and Hampstead are all lovely areas. All have a lot of traffic as people criss-cross to drop children at private schools. Of course there’s plane noise over Richmond and Kew, but that may not bother you.

It really depends what you’re looking for?

Kew is much smaller than Richmond with a small village row of shops near the station. Richmond is like a town with a lot of shops and big tourism draw. Hampstead also popular with tourists.

Personally, Hampstead is my favourite part of London. But I also think it’s quite a transient place - but if you’re not there for the long term either, that may not matter.

I don’t think you’ll get anywhere huge in any of those three areas for that budget though...

I think £3,000-£3,500 a month in Hampstead might just about get you a nice 2-bed flat.

I'd look at Blackheath instead if I were you. A better journey into London Bridge, cheaper (slightly) than SW London and still has that village-y feel. Not sure about schools but I'm sure there will be good options, it's an affluent area.

Greenwich might suit, it's a lovely place, or Blackheath think both have good access to London Bridge - but no idea of the schools

Kew Gardens tube station is about 7 minutes from Richmond tube station so you can go from one to another perfectly easily.

The tube line is very slow into town though. Your husband would likely need to either tube to Richmond and then get on an overline train to Waterloo and then change to the tube to get to London Bridge.

Or he'll walk from Kew over the bridge to Kew Bridge station which is on the north bank of the river and then get the train into Waterloo and then tube again. Trains are less frequent from Kew Bridge as it is a smaller station.

There are places with faster and more direct commutes to London Bridge as others have noted.

I'd strongly suggest living walking distance to the school your son goes to. School run traffic is dreadful around Richmond and Kew because of all the private schools. Very stressful and a complete waste of your time twice a day. Walk or cycle to school.

Kew has a small but very nice shopping area around the station with essentials, a pub, a couple of restaurants and cafes. Richmond centre is a town centre and has supermarket, cinema, small department store, shops, restaurants, late night bars etc

Kew and Richmond would be a painful commute. Blackheath is a good suggestion or if you want to stick with SW you could look at Putney. You would get a 3-4 bed house for that budget and your DH would have the option of the river boat into he city. Plenty of independent prep schools around.