It feels crazy that nearly £900k isn’t enough to buy a nice house with a garden in a safe area of London!

[Propertyahhh]

A complaint post really.

I know, first world problems. But we have almost £900k to spend and it won’t get us a house with a garden in any London neighbourhood we like (Blackheath, Hackney, Muswell Hill, Crouch End, East Dulwich). So we thought we’d look at Bath, Bristol, Hove, etc and it doesn’t even stretch very far there. Tiny terraces with tiny gardens - if that.

Why is property so expensive?!?! How can so many people afford excess £1m to spend on houses?

[quote Peppallama]@nowneverlater Kentish villages are not far from that. Canterbury is 45 mins from st pancras (not a village but you could live in one locally and make it to London in under an hour if you factored driving to the station)[/quote]
Unless the house is sitting in front of the train station and the office on the immediate surrounding of Xcross station that sounds more like a 1h30 journey. Houses within walking distance of a train station are often not that much cheaper than London suburb as people are perfectly aware of their convenient locations. Now once one add the usual caution around train line service and cost, possible parking charges and still the need for a TFL card once in London, the apparent discount comes really thin.

I’m in Leytonstone - lovely house with a garden, nice cafes/pubs, some lovely independent shops, and 20 minutes into central London on the central line! Lots of houses for sale for less than 900k.

You can buy four bed houses for less than £900k in Hackney, I viewed houses that were £600-700k in Shoreditch and Stoke Newington.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/107821247#/media?id=media3&ref=photoCollage

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/89834137#/

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79237242#/

@Paulina23 it really is quite easy to find such a commute and much cheaper. Houses within walking distance to the station can be very low in comparison to London prices. Train is expensive but affected by a huge number of factors - whether they need tfl once in London (I don't), whether you need parking (I don't) whether you need to be in every day (post covid it's looking like 1-2 a week for both DH and I in different workplaces)

[quote irisetta]@nowneverlater Harpenden, possibly? Easily as expensive as London though![/quote]
Yes, easily as expensive and as far as I'm aware, the fast train into St Pancras is just under 30mins. So door to door commute can no way be 35mins unless both your home and work are right by each respective station.

If you like CE/MH have you tried Manor house/turnpike lane/wood green? You should have a few good sized options plus much better transport links.

It really does annoy me when people make bogus claims of 35mins door to door from village outside London to work in London. It just is not realistic and some people do get taken in and end up making mistakes when moving or searching for the impossible. I really don't understand why people do this.

@EatingAllThePies

If you like CE/MH have you tried Manor house/turnpike lane/wood green? You should have a few good sized options plus much better transport links.

Or nearby Bounds Green, Bowes Park, which are nearby and quieter but with good transport. Or one stop further out on the train, Palmers Green. All very nice and generally safe.

We moved from a very large flat (no garden) to a small house with a small garden. We are doing it up (it hadn't been touched since it was built in 1998) and will sell in 5-7 years and move up that way.

We used to live in London and you need to expand your search area. There are so many areas you are discounting for no good reason! 900k is a massive budget even in London!

I mean I am less likely to get mugged and my kids - when they are teens - are less likely to get mugged.

My son was mugged in Dulwich when walking home from school. Nowhere is completely 'safe'

Having grown up in South East London it’s not surprising Blackheath is out of your reach, it’s always been one of the pricier areas to buy in. What about somewhere nearby - Charlton?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110140028#/

Alternatively, Chislehurst and Sevenoaks are known for quick commutes into London. Not sure how much you get for your money though as this is well known (I think Chislehurst is only 5mins longer commute to London Bridge than Charlton despite being further away)

It's been that way for a long time!

We chose Winchmore Hill over those places. Got a much bigger place with a big garden and it's a very nice area

Right beside a fabulous park in Hither Green: Manor Lane, Hither Green , London, SE12
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110254319

This is on a lovely quiet estate in Blackheath, set back from the main road:

Heathlee Road Blackheath SE3
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109157969

This one is on a lovely street:

Taunton Road, Lee, London, SE12
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/106256849

Not read the whole thread but Upminster has great schools, is very nice, is on the c2c and 900k will buy a great house. It’s pretty green around there too.

Here’s another one - Nunhead is very underrated, and still in Zone 2

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/107938856#/

@nowneverlater

It really does annoy me when people make bogus claims of 35mins door to door from village outside London to work in London. It just is not realistic and some people do get taken in and end up making mistakes when moving or searching for the impossible. I really don't understand why people do this.

I work less than 3 miles from my home in the city and my door to door journey can often be an hour except I could claim the train journey is 6 mins (which it is).

It really does annoy me when people make bogus claims of 35mins door to door from village outside London to work in London.

I see this all the time on MNs and I always want to know the places.

My tube journey on paper is 15-20 mins but I have always allowed an hour to travel into London from most parts.

I’m not sure the area has the vibe and it’s a bit far from London but it definitely got the garden.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109093484#/

Maybe time for a lifestyle change ?

@Kipperandarthur

Further out will get you what you want. For instance Raynes Park, maybe Earlsfield. Definitely Beckenham.

Earlsfield is Zone 3 in London so I'm not sure that quite qualifies as "further out".

Raynes Park, if I remember correctly, is Zone 4.

@Chumleymouse

I’m not sure the area has the vibe and it’s a bit far from London but it definitely got the garden.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109093484#/

Maybe time for a lifestyle change ?

That is a beautiful house. And the garden!

That house & and garden, wow!

In my area of London (Z3, just) the houses are about 2/3 of your budget with decent gardens (70ft +) and I’m within walking distance of 4 outstanding primaries (the rest are all good). Plenty of the houses nearby have garages and even larger gardens, plus the council have invested heavily in LTNs / cycle schemes so are looking at long term health. Safety-wise, it’s on par with everywhere else I’ve lived in the capital - Z1, 2 or 3.

You’re not looking in the right places.

@NoSquirrels

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90471262#/

3/4 beds on the Cator Estate in Blackheath…

😲😲

I'm in what's considered a 'posh' part of Hackney and from a quick search on Rightmove I see four 3- or 4-bed houses with gardens in your budget.

As for outside London, what about Hampshire, New Forest area? Or Suffolk? Dorset? I know someone who moved from London to Lyme Regis and loves it –they commute to London sometimes and it's fine. They got a lot more house for their money.