Claygate, Surrey and surrounding areas

[TashieWoo]

Hi, DP and I are first time buyers and looking to move to Claygate or within a 3 mile radius. Claygate would be perfect but we are also looking at West Molesey (can’t afford east) Walton on Thames, Epsom and Chessington. Top end of budget is £400k but ideally we would be spending nearer £350k. I know the area very well and DP is relocating from Essex.

The question is, is Claygate an area worth paying a premium for? Friends in the area say that a property there would hold its value better, but is there anyone with more experience who can advise? I’m currently in Teddington so used to a good location, and my horses are in Claygate so it would be ideal.

Many thanks

Depends on what your lifestyle is like, where you need to commute to etc. If just judging on location only, Claygate is very nice but IMO I found it quite boring and would always have to travel for kids activities, coffee shops and restaurants are better elsewhere, high street is so so. A very family village. Your budget won’t get you much there I’m afraid. Properties there hold their value well but more so for family homes eg semi and detached. With your budget, I wouldn’t be so sure if you are looking at a flat?
I wouldn’t live in Chessington personally. It’s a few notches down than the other areas listed, although better proximity to a wider range of shops. Again the same with West Molesley- just don’t find the area as nice.
Walton is lovely, is on the fast train line to London, decent high street, has a big leisure centre and a couple of other gyms and lots of activities in the area. Properties hold value well and it attracts a wide range of people eg families, couples, singles. Again you’d be looking at a flat for your budget?

If you want easy access to your horses than obviously Claygate would be the best location but Walton and Chessington would also be an easy commute

What sort of property are you hoping to buy? I'm not sure you'd get much for your budget unfortunately- those areas you mention are expensive!

Hi, thank you for the replies 😊.

We are looking at small houses and flats/maisonettes, we need 2 bedrooms, a garden and parking. The property in Claygate is a ground floor flat and we have viewings booked in for similar properties.

I am not keen on the other areas either, apart from Walton on Thames, but I’m aware a compromise might have to be made there.

We don’t have DC at the moment but will be TTC in the next few months hopefully, when we are settled. In terms of lifestyle, we are quite sociable but don’t spend our weekends shopping and in cafes so Claygate could be okay. It would just be a smaller property than the others and I am weighing up whether the location makes up for that.

Claygate could work well for you then OP. I would just be wary of a ground floor flat- really try to check who is living above you and what the floor upstairs is made from. Having to listen to footsteps and conversations from above really can impact your quality of life. We have done it before and never ever again. It got to the point I couldn’t stand to even be in our home. Upstairs weren’t even that noisy but we could hear everything and it nearly drove me senile in the end. I can’t imagine that with a baby. So just look into it carefully!

For parents with young kids, you will have to travel from Claygate to Esher for most baby groups and classes. Which may be a bit of a pain. It’s nice to have local mum friends. Otherwise Claygate is a lovely area.

Walton also has some lovely flats which probably hold their value better than flats in Claygate as people in claygate probably are looking for
Houses. There’s the new development as you drive into Walton from Hersham, thinks it’s called Bewley Park. It looks lovely. The flats at the back of Walton station also are very nice- we used to rent one of them several years ago and it honestly was the best property as they are so big and location excellent, shared rooftop garden (but we were commuters to London so it made all the difference). Good luck !

Thank you!

That development in Walton does look lovely, but we aren’t looking at new builds, not at the moment anyway.

I will definitely ask the EA about the upstairs neighbours, and other things like raising the fence as at the moment the garden isn’t very secure.

I’m going to have a look at the Claygate flat tomorrow morning, DP isn’t here until the weekend but he’s going to see it on Monday. We just don’t want it to go before we’ve even seen it.

DP did a complex spreadsheet of pros and cons (I can’t many any sense of it!) but the Claygate one came out on top and it’s actually the largest, joint with one in Hersham.

Claygate is a lovely area. The little high street (and being right next to the station) is lovely. It's usually big semi-detached and detached houses. I can't think of where the flat would be. Good luck for the viewing

Thank you - the viewing went well and I love the flat itself, the thing I am not sure about is the shared access to the back garden, as next door’s shed is in our garden so there’s a path running through our garden for access. But it depends what the neighbours are like really!

Loads of viewings booked in over the next few days including a second viewing in Claygate with DP 😊

Don't dismiss West Molesey - there are some nice bits, and you're only 30 minutes walk from Hampton Court and all the nice shops and restaurants there. Plus you've got Molesey Heath and the Thames for open spaces (and Bushy Park if you don't mind a longer walk) and more amenities locally (library, swimming pool). Personally I prefer it to Claygate - I just think there's a bit more going on.

Thank you @BookShark - yes we quite like west molesey and are going to view a house there hopefully, there just isn’t so much available at the moment. I like all the open spaces and the river, and it’s quick to get to the horses too.

We just moved to Claygate, not even been a month. The first thing that struck me is how quiet it is. The High Street (or the parade) near the station is pretty quiet, the Cafes don’t seem to be doing much business. I find myself driving either to Esher or Surbiton quite often if I need to buy something. We are still getting used to the slower paced life here, having moved from a much busier area. Claygate is beautiful though and today we went on a walk, it was lovely watching the cows and horses grazing.. You just need to be prepared to drive somewhere if you need any excitement. And, In any property you look at here, listen carefully for the noise of the A3 from inside the house. If the property is too close to it, it can be a bit unbearable. The A3 wraps around most of Claygate.

Hi, an update for you all - we have had an offer accepted for the flat in Claygate! DP loved it as much as I did when we went to view on Monday so we decided to go for it, after seeing some others in surrounding areas that day too.

I think that we will be fine in a quieter area, and the pubs are nice! Looking forward to having a walk around the area this weekend although I know it pretty well anyway.

Congratulations @TashieWoo Welcome to the area (whenever you finally move in). I’m sure you’ll be very happy here. It’s easy to fall in love with Claygate

Thank you @Cameila! X

Hi OP, I know this is a very old post, but wondered how it's going in Claygate if you're still there? I'm looking around for places that are easy to get to work in Guildford and grown up children in Peckham, Brixton and Woking.

Thanks for your time if you get this.
T