3 bed flat in london, 700k ?

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Where might I look for a good sized 3 bed flat in London (3 dc) for 700k absolute max, with decent state schools?

Would like to be somewhere with an urban london, but villagey feel (hence the focus on flats). Have a strong preference for purpose built flats rather than house conversions - either period or new. I've mostly lived in west london when I was younger, but never with family.

Atm considering Kilburn?

But £3888 service charge and 84 years on lease.

It’s priced like that for a reason - lease.

I wouldn’t spaff 700k on a flat in Kilburn. Some lovely options in SE London. Depending on the size you are after, there are some mansion flats in W9 where prices seem to be coming down - look at Southwold and Delaware Mansions. Beautiful streets and W9 is, of course, gorgeous. Excellent primary schools.

Big question is do you want to consider secondary schools or just primary ones. If secondary ones and you have DS' your options of good schools might be more limited so proceed with caution.

Agree with this comment - lots of fantastic primary schools in SE London but limited options for secondary in some areas. Lots of our friends have moved further afield to Kent, Essex, Herts for this reason.

Wimbledon?

3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms

Good location too.

No chance for decent 3 bed flat in Blackheath or Greenwich, unless happy with smallish, less tan 100 sq.m. Or basement flats which aren't shifting to be honest, because who on earth would live in the basement for 700k. Lee, Brockley and Hither Green more likely, aren't as nice areas imo, but they are close. If willing to move to Catford, then you can even get quite nice house.

@LauraPausini that will be us in a year or two. Lovely areas, lovely people, very green, totally wont be staying here for secondaries. We live in SE23 but I think thats true for lots of places such as Nunhead, Peckham, Honor Oak Park, Forest hill, Sydenham - all lovely, but all with terrible secondaries for boys.

@Wanderergirl - there are quite a few options for 3 beds under / around 700k in Greenwich and Blackheath in decent spots.

Budget wouldn't meet a conversion in Blackheath Village but the surrounding areas are fab for families.

Good luck with the search!

primary schools - anywhere
secondary depends what you class as good

I have to admit, I'm picky about the roads around Blackheath Village. Because before you know it, it is Kidbrooke (which is technically Blackheath) or Lewisham :) there are some around for sure, but they either are small or basement. I live in the area and been looking on and off for a year. So if you have one in mind for 700k, I'd love to see it!

@26f19ej

Secondaries! Have all boys as well, so know its more difficult. I understand this is a an issue in SE London. i like the look of schools in Ealing for example - Ealthorne, West Drayton. But lived in west ealing before, and didn't like how it was centred all around uxbridge road. Maybe another part of Ealing...like around Pitshanger or something.

would you use faith schools or grammar's?

SE isn't great for boys unless you go Bromley way I think.

Best boys schools in Wimbledon are single sex & one is a faith school.

Kingston/Richmond way?

I know the SE5 flat - the area is quite nice with a pretty park which is the focus for a fairly active community association if you wanted to get involved. Schools in that area won't be brilliant but there are a number of fairly selective state secondaries around. Biggest problem with that area is that it is a schlep to the tube.

What about Pimlico - could have a river view with this one - I don't know the primaries but Pimlico secondary is quite well thought of

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134112854#/?channel=RES_BUY

THis one in Kennington is in an area with an active residents association, in catchment for a very sought after primary, good transport links and has a bit of garden.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/135893387#/?channel=RES_BUY

More modern close to the last one
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133768703#/?channel=RES_BUY

Bromley has two all boys secondary schools which are well regarded, Ravenswood and a new one, Bullerswood School for Boys. You also have a very good all boys school in Beckenham, Langley Park School for Boys. In this area you will get a house for 700k. It will feel more suburban but transport links can be very good, better than in e.g. Dulwich.

Would rather comprehensive than boys/ faith/ grammar school!

This seems very cheap. There may be a reason for that. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/134248661#/?channel=RES_BUY

However - transport connections are good, and Zone 2. All the primary schools in walking distance are decent, as far as I know (that's a long way in the past for me). There's an excellent community nursery school nearby (Chelwood) if your children are that sort of age. You might also be in with a shout of getting them into Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Academy, which is a co-ed secondary school. I don't know if it's as over-subscribed as it used to be, but it has a good reputation locally. Prendergast Ladywell Fields is also co-ed and seems to be massively improved and far more popular than it used to be. For girls, there might also be the option of Prendergast School on Hilly Fields.

Would rather comprehensive than boys/ faith/ grammar school

which is fair enough but it will really limit your options.

Grammar schools are all on the outskirts of London. Quite a lot of kids in inner SE London commute to Sutton or Bexley or Bromley or Dartford grammar schools, but that can be quite a schlep, especially in the winter when it means leaving home long before it's light. Plus, few children get into those schools nowadays without a lot of tutoring, and not every child will meet that standard or thrive in that kind of environment.

Faith schools - not everybody meets the entry criteria, plus not everybody wants that ethos for their children.

Excluding these schools from the search is therefore very common. Excluding single-sex schools is perhaps more of an issue in London, where I believe there are more of them than across the country as a whole. There are pros and cons for single-sex schools.

In reality most kids don't get into grammars unless you go to church then you won't get into a religious school. So it makes sense to buy in an area that has good comprehensive schools

Churchill Gardens always has a good price, but the council is still the freeholder there and I can’t see that they’re going to leave that prime location with that much space like that forever.

The reason I don’t live there is that I violent be confident a compulsory purchase wouldn’t come at some point.

In London if you want a good boys school & you are excluding single sex, faith & grammars there are not loads of options.