Help me pick a SW London house

[HK2023]

Hello, I will soon be moving from HK to London next year. We have a property consultant helping us look, and they have found the following houses that fit our specification:

Property 1 Cecil Road
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133050680#/?channel=RES_BUY

Property 2 Edith Road

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131589497#/?channel=RES_BUY

Property 3 Nelson Road

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133070048#/?channel=RES_BUY

Property 4 Kirkley Road

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131618756#/?channel=RES_BUY

As we will be moving next year, we are looking for something that we can update and decorate to our taste, so the current condition is not too important. We only plan to stay in the UK for 10 years, so we are also looking for something that will be a safe investment. I don't know SW19 too well so keen to hear from locals which they would prefer and why.

Be careful of the Cecil Road one. It's right on the corner by a one way street which is signposted as the way to do a right turn into Merton Road which takes you to Sainsbury's (no right turn from the main road). I use it regularly to do that right turn and there's usually someone behind or ahead of me doing the same manoeuvre, though it is a 20mph speed limit (it is in most of Merton). It's very handy for the Northern Line though, and walking distance into Wimbledon.

Desirable areas in Wimbledon I would say are the village, streets near Wimbledon park (Home Park Road etc), streets near South Park gardens

They are very desirable, and so are the prices! The OP won't get much for their money in those areas.

The Toynbee Road one backs onto the railway line though - I'd avoid that, especially as it's a busy line.

Looking at Kirkley Road, here's another house which is on the market for over £1m - shows what can be done, but also that the one your estate agent has selected is cheap because of the work that needs to be done to it

Yes, it looks like it needs everything replaced, even the structure. We have discounted this one as the price seems to high for what we get.

I looked the Chase area, but discounted it because of the lack of tube in quick walking distance.

This is very nice, and it doesn't seem too far a walk from Wimbledon tube? Maybe just 10mins? How is the local area, is it very suburban?

@EllaB22 We discounted SW20 because of lack of tube and quick inaccessibility to central London.

@JadeVS72 Thank you, I sent those details to my consultant and he came back with the following to tell me how each area is ranked in desirabililty:

Village
Wimbledon Park
Ministers
South Park
Battles
Australias
Haydons

I can't easily identify all of these areas, but he said the Cecil house is in Ministers.

Why are you buying now if you're not moving to London until next year? House prices are falling. I wouldn't advise buying a property and leaving it empty in this market.

This one was recommended to us some time ago but it is already under offer.

Thank you, good to have the comparison. This one however does also seem to need work, but the structural work seems to be done. With the difference in price, would I be able to do the structural work to bring the other one to this level?

The plan is to buy now, and then do the work to make it to our requirements over 9 to 12 months. I have some accessibility issues so whatever I buy will need some adaptation work.

I live in the South Park area. I knew someone who used to live in Kirkley. It's ok but South Wimbledon tube area not that nice. Also I knew it was Purple Bricks the photos are dire! Biggest house but needs the most work . Cecil and Nelson are in par with each other. Cecil may have the edge location wise. I wouldn't go for Edith - it's ok but I'd want to be closer to South Park. Garfield primary is a good school though. I'd try to be a few streets up from Wimbledon South tube to be honest.
The South Park grid is very popular with families as there is the outstanding Holy Trinity and Priory primaries, which may not be your need but it keeps the prices bouyant. For girls school the area is walking distance to the quite selective Wimbledon High School. The train from Wimbledon is pretty fast to Waterloo and there's the tube from there. It's a safe area.
Raynes Park is also good, further out though.
Sorry no way can you afford the village and there's no tube or train there anyway.

Out of interest, what work do you see needing done to this house? Helps to understand your standards and price range for improvements. The bathroom looks a little basic in the photos but otherwise the only things I can think this house needs are just cosmetic preference?

I grew up in Wimbledon Park and it's lovely but you will get absolutely nothing for your money in the most desirable areas of Wimbledon. Ridiculous but true.

Just to say Raynes Park isn't on the tube but there are trains to Waterloo every few minutes,

Yes ministers is that grid bounded by merton road, broadway, kingston road. I prefer south park area to it but not much in it and still only a short walk from ministers to south park gardens.
I would stay north of Kingston road and West of Merton Road (/Haydons road further up) with your budget! I recommend doing some google street view around the areas to get the vibe if you haven't already.

Is Edith Rd considered South Park?

Modern with technology embedded into the home, similar to high end property in Tokyo. Everything integrated in all rooms, clean lines.

I would stay North of Kingston Road

Then you miss out on Merton Park! The grid of streets which is framed by Kirkley Road has lovely houses. All Edwardian. It’s also very quiet because there are no businesses there, so the only traffic is people who live there (or delivery vans!)

Just looking for somewhere with good transport into central London and potential to add value/safe place to keep money.

If by 'safe place to keep money' you mean the house itself as a safe investment, fair enough.

If you mean a safe place to store your cash – don't even think about it, no matter how safe the house appears. I have a Chinese friend in the UK who kept his family's life savings in cash in the house and it was recently all stolen (and not insured).

I asked why on earth he'd keep so much money in the house in cash, and he said this was normal among Chinese families.

Where are you coming from, OP? (Could make it easier to advise).

Surely the more logical thing to do is rent a place in wimbledon then buy once you’ve got a feel for the area?

@DividedHouses

The first line of the OP:

Hello, I will soon be moving from HK to London next year

I think you need to go and have a look around TBH. This is just a personal view but I didn’t like the parts of Wimbledon the houses you’ve found much. The battles but was ok, and I agree Cecil road is probably better, and I think there was a nice Turkish cafe on the corner of quicks road by the park but other than that they lacked a bit of life to me, and the traffic on Kingston road in the mornings was truly hideous. But then I also didn’t really like the Broadway much as a shopping destination which is the closest place you’d probably go for a coffee etc. We looked around Wimbledon Park and Southfields which I much preferred and they are still on the district line, but with (IMO) a much more lively feel, and better independent shops and cafes, and still good schools. Personal opinion of course but that’s why I think you need to visit and see for yourself what you make of the vibe of the place.