Page 9 | SE London houses - what do you think?

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 2022-01-23T13:15:17+00:00

Hi everyone, first time poster, long time reader. We want to buy a house for a young couple / family in SE London. Budget is around 1-1.25m, and main criteria are a nice/safe area, finished house (not in need of renovation), and decent commute. Any thoughts on these? The prices seem a bit crazy compared to properties that sold just last year. [[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118492337#/?channel=RES_BUY]] [[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/116841581#/?channel=RES_BUY]] I'd rather be too conservative and miss out on the first couple, then overpay and regret later. What do you think? Any thoughts/advice greatly appreciated!

HavfrueDenizKisi · 13/02/2022 16:55

Hello again - this popped up in my notifications.

The Hampden road house is in a good area and Balgowan is a highly sought after school. Nice walk up to the high street etc.The only downside is, in my opinion, the secondary options are less appealing that end of Beckenham. I am not a fan of Harris schools and Harris girls has not had a good reputation for a long time. That said I have friends with kids at Harris Beckenham who are very happy with it. The Langley schools or Bullers Wood schools in Bickley have a better reputation currently but things change in 10 years so I wouldn't be wedded to those ideas.

I like Barnmead and we almost bought a house there (lived in Penge proper before that) and we decided not to buy there due to secondary options being even worse in that area - a bit of a no mans land in my opinion, for good secondaries. But our kids were mid primary at this stage so good secondaries were more pressing for us then.

If kids aren't here yet and you would consider a further move in 10 years for secondary if that was needed then both those houses are good. Transport links great along that line too.

Agree we also looked at East Dulwich but, as you say, prices much higher for similar. (Hence we bought in Penge).

memoirsofa · 13/02/2022 17:01

@noworklifebalance Totally different demographics for a start.
Beckenham isn't even proper London with its BR postcode. I'd personally rather live in Penge that Beckenham, but I'm very London and a bit allergic to the Bromley/Beckenham/Bexley vibe; it's just not a bit of me!
I'm born and bred SE London (49 years) and know the area very well. I've lived in Penge, Beckenham, Sydenham, Forest Hill, East Dulwich, Peckham to name a few. I've also been an estate agent covering all of the above areas. You could call me an expert 😃

SD25 · 13/02/2022 17:20

Agree. East Dulwich feels like London, Beckenham feels like a suburban market town. The vibe and type of people around on a Saturday night or Sunday lunchtime is noticeably different. I guess it might change now it seems a slightly different demographic is looking at Beckenham. Depends which you want.

noworklifebalance · 13/02/2022 17:55

I see what you mean @memoirsofa and @SD25 - although I would argue that the area OP is looking at is nothing like Bromley/Bexley i.e OP is looking at the London side of the High Street and it is much less suburban, literally metres from Penge.
Penge is probably 10 years behind ED in terms of gentrification but that’s why it’s probably better for OP to invest in that area even if it is their long term home.

Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 13/02/2022 19:23

@HavfrueDenizKisi

Hi again - thanks for the tips. What you say makes sense. No one can really predict what the schools are going to be like in 10 years. And if things aren't looking great, then we can definitely look at moving then. And at least the stamp duty hit isn't as big when buying a 900k property versus 1.25m.

@SD25

I got that feeling when we were walking around Bromly and towards Beckenham from that direction, but on the Beckenham high street and in the areas towards Penge I still felt like I was in London. We're also more settled down and don't go out that much, so quieter area is a positive for us.

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Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 13/02/2022 19:28

[quote Twizbe]@MrFirstTimeBuyer my friends moved in and renovated their house thinking it would be very long term. Then the pandemic happened and like lots of people they're now leaving London. I know they got a good price for it. They also had more than one offer to pick from.

I feel like on your next visit here I should offer my services as a guide lol.

Penge has changed so much in recent years. My husband grew up round here and always thought of it as a dump. I moved here about 15 years ago and have fallen in love with the place. Especially since having our children.

[/quote]
If this house doesn't work out for us, then I might give you a shout!

Do you by any chance know how long it took them to accept an offer after listing? The agents (same ones) are asking for "best and final offers" immediately, and not sure if they're being serious (even though legally they have to communicate any offers to sellers up to the point of exchange) or whether it's mainly a tactic to stop people from sending in low ball offers, and would still give people last look.

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A580Hojas · 13/02/2022 19:48

Beckenham isn't London somehow. Both geographically and how it feels. I have nothing against Beckenham and I know people rave about the schools. I would sooner live in Sydenham or Penge for a similar budget and a more Londonish feel.

Twizbe · 13/02/2022 20:18

@MrFirstTimeBuyer I don't, it was soon after the open day though.

DavetheCat2001 · 14/02/2022 08:58

Did you check out West Norwood in the end at all OP?

I really would recommend a look. It's changed a lot over the years and you'll find all your bars, cafes, indie shoos etc, but also a good cinema and health club. Plus the primary schools in the area are all good, snd there are a handful of good secondaries too.

You'd get a nice house for your budget, and the area still feels 'London'y'

No tube but fast trains into Victoria or London Bridge, and 15 mins into Brixton on the bus if you need a tube.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118072157

Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 14/02/2022 22:04

[quote DavetheCat2001]Did you check out West Norwood in the end at all OP?

I really would recommend a look. It's changed a lot over the years and you'll find all your bars, cafes, indie shoos etc, but also a good cinema and health club. Plus the primary schools in the area are all good, snd there are a handful of good secondaries too.

You'd get a nice house for your budget, and the area still feels 'London'y'

No tube but fast trains into Victoria or London Bridge, and 15 mins into Brixton on the bus if you need a tube.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118072157[/quote]
Looked around the area between west norwood and west dulwich, which looked nice. There was a property that got sold late last year which would have been great, but since then we haven't seen a place that we really liked

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DavetheCat2001 · 15/02/2022 08:26

Ah yes I remember.. wasn't it on Lavengro Road? We have friends who live on that rd.

It's a good spot as only about 10 mins walk to Dulwich Park which is lovely.

DavetheCat2001 · 15/02/2022 08:28

The area of WN near St Julians Farm Rd and roads off there are definitely worth a look btw.

Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 16/02/2022 00:46

@DavetheCat2001

The area of WN near St Julians Farm Rd and roads off there are definitely worth a look btw.

Thanks, we'll take a look! And yes it was the one on Lavengro road, really curious to eventually see what it sold for, I can't believe it would go for the price at which it was listed.

We missed out on the Hampden road property, but the winning bid was so high that we don't even feel bad about it. At least we got the first offer out of the way . We'll take this weekend off and get back to business afterwards

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blyn72 · 16/02/2022 01:00

I suggest you look at Chislehurst. It is a lovely area with beautiful houses in your budget but you do get more for your money. There are good transport links too.

Here are a couple of suggestions:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110191070#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/115593176#/?channel=RES_BUY (Personally, I don't like beams but it is a nice house in a good location)

Beckenham is nice but - a definite 'no' to Penge.

Shadappayourface · 16/02/2022 01:40

@thedarkling

Oh goodness, I used to live between forest hill and honor oak and with that much money to spend I would move out to Kent. I am totally in the SE bubble still but although FH is now very middle class ( which I'm not sure is necessarily a good thing) there was still a lot of drug dealing and crime going on on our road which was just behind the horniman museum. The day I decided to move out was the day we watched a car full of people with machetes ram and then chase another car's occupants on foot. I know it's different for everyone and I lived in London for nearly twenty years but I thought I don't want to spend over half a million to live somewhere where this goes on when I'm raising kids. And I definitely would spend over a million.

That must have been a very long time ago...

BovineJuice · 16/02/2022 07:59

@blyn72

I suggest you look at Chislehurst. It is a lovely area with beautiful houses in your budget but you do get more for your money. There are good transport links too.

Here are a couple of suggestions:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110191070#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/115593176#/?channel=RES_BUY (Personally, I don't like beams but it is a nice house in a good location)

Beckenham is nice but - a definite 'no' to Penge.

Why a definite no to Penge? I've lived here 25 years and it's great. Loads of parks, including one of the biggest in London. Really nice housing, great community activities (delivered by the community, for the benefit of the community and not big business), brill transport links, practical shops and treat shops/bars/restaurants, diverse community, etc.

If you don't like Penge, I can only assume you don't really like London.

DavetheCat2001 · 16/02/2022 10:47

@MrFirstTimeBuyer Hexgam Road is next to Lavengro

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118454477

Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 27/02/2022 22:51

[quote DavetheCat2001]@MrFirstTimeBuyer Hexgam Road is next to Lavengro

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118454477

[/quote]
Seems I missed the boat on that one.

What do you all think about this one?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120421517

Looks pretty good to me. Not too far from the Hampden road place, and aroudn 25% bigger, so there is some justification for the higher price tag (although I can't see any other houses sold above 1m in the street so that gives me a pause).

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120421517

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friendlycat · 28/02/2022 00:06

I think it all depends on whether you like Elmers End.
I’m not madly keen on Elmers End but you might well like it.

YeahGo · 28/02/2022 00:18

@memoirsofa I'm interested to know why you think you are allergic to BR postcode (genuinely curious). I've visited and cant quite pinpoint. Is it a bit TOWIE?

Gribbit987 · 28/02/2022 02:28

Can you see the brook or is it beyond the garden? The postcode comes up high risk on the government flood map but it isn’t always right about areas that flood.

If you’re interested I would ask the sellers/agent about flooding, do some research yourself and get some insurance quotes online to see if they’re at normal price.

Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 01/03/2022 22:10

@Gribbit987

Can you see the brook or is it beyond the garden? The postcode comes up high risk on the government flood map but it isn’t always right about areas that flood.

If you’re interested I would ask the sellers/agent about flooding, do some research yourself and get some insurance quotes online to see if they’re at normal price.

Thanks, I'll definitely do that!

Presumably they have had insurance too, so at worst we could speak to the same company.

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Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 01/03/2022 22:11

@friendlycat

I think it all depends on whether you like Elmers End. I’m not madly keen on Elmers End but you might well like it.

Haven't been there yet, only looked closer to clock house/Beckenham high street so far.

How would you describe it?

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SD25 · 01/03/2022 22:22

There isn't so much by way of shops, restaurants around Elmers End and what is there isn't as nice. The closer you get to Beckenham proper, the nicer it gets, but you're not too far away, 15/20 min walk. Seems quite expensive for the precise location so you're paying for the sq foot and sacrificing slightly on location it seems.

Original poster

MrFirstTimeBuyer · 01/03/2022 22:49

@SD25

There isn't so much by way of shops, restaurants around Elmers End and what is there isn't as nice. The closer you get to Beckenham proper, the nicer it gets, but you're not too far away, 15/20 min walk. Seems quite expensive for the precise location so you're paying for the sq foot and sacrificing slightly on location it seems.

Thanks.

It does seem pricier than anything sold in the street, but not significantly when accounting for the square footage. And this place seems recently renovated, and the layout looks great to us, so it doesn't seem crazy.

The place Hampden road that I posted earlier ended up going for around 960-970k and this one is 25% bigger.

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