What would you do in our situation - property dilemma

[HolyParc]

Don’t want to write a never ending post so will just summarise it all in a few bullet points:

• First time buyers, almost 40yo
• Jobs in London, currently live in SW London suburbs, renting a flat
• Want to buy a property, only have 10% deposit and can afford around £500K-£520K max
• Current area is lovely and fits our lifestyle vey well: great commute, many amenities, pretty, safe, nice schools etc but very £££, can only afford a flat or maisonette
• We have 1 DC in pre school, not planning more although accidents can happen
• If we moved further out, we might have a longer commute and less amenities but would be able to buy a house
• We’d really love a garden and the idea of not having any outside space for the long term is a bit upsetting, however, I don’t know whether I am just being a bit extreme about it?
• I don’t drive, am used to living somewhere with lots of amenities and be able to walk everywhere
• House buying timelines would potentially be an issue in terms of school applications as even if we moved, we wouldn’t likely be able to be in the new house on time for school applications, which means we could potentially end in a not so great school or somewhere far from home (which would be an issue given the fact that we both commute and I don’t drive as I said)
• Salaries will increase but given our age and jobs we are not going to be able to massively increase our mortgage in a few years so unlikely to be able to stay in current area and upgrade later on

I honestly don’t know what to do. I seem to want it all but our budget doesn’t allow us to ☹ Areas outside of London we are considering are Weybridge (very expensive), Walton on Thames (some houses are quite far from the station or the shops), Hersham (not a big fan of the area, seems a bit dull but cheaper).
Guildford is too far and commute too expensive, we considered Epsom but we don’t like it.

You’re not so far off £600k for a 2-bed house where you are. I would probably hold out for a while, wait and see if prices drop a bit, in the meantime you’ve got a chance to save more/ increase your earning capacity, and then you can reevaluate. As it’s already and awkward time to move school-wise I see no advantage in doing it now.

re schools check with the council but my understanding is you can put any school on your list and reorder them last minute before a non advertised deadline in january / feburary.

I just never met my 'tribe' and I found that part of Surrey is neither London nor countryside, and it all just runs into each other - there was no delineation between the areas. The traffic was awful, and although the commute was great, and Nonsuch Park was lovely, we just never really settled down. I tried SO many groups and toddler things etc, but just found it all so superficial. So, we came to TW and have been here ever since (though will move in 4 years once we don't need the schools - traffic is ridiculous and there are too many Londoners now 😉)

Don't know if it's an area you've considered, and it's still quite expensive, but there are a couple of places in Surbiton. It's got a fast commute, and plenty of local buses and amenities.

here's one

this one's not such a good location

I'm in the north but gardens aren't that common with houses here, most people have small yards that have had extensions built in them.

Many of the people I know who have gardens have ripped them out for driveways or to not have to deal with grass etc...

While it would be nice to have I think the idea is nicer than reality for most.

I'd not heard of leases banning pets - we own a leasehold and no mention of it. I'm very much someone who thinks location is key, so I'd go for a 2-bed flat either a garden flat or a shared garden. Even if you did have an 'accident', kids can share until secondary so you'd have plenty of time to move. Are you set on SW London as you can get more for your money if you headed more central/east within south. 2 bedroom end of terrace house for sale in Dunkirk Street, Norwood, SE27 (rightmove.co.uk)

Most flats are leasehold in London @PinkRoses1245 so it looks like OP will need a small house but not sure the budget is enough for a house in her desired areas

Have you thought about Hampton, probably not as buzzy as you're used to but great primary schools, parks etc? There are houses for less than £525k though in the less nice bit but if you're happy with a maisonette...

This is a great maisonette on one of the nicest roads in the village with garden and well under budget (though it could do with a bit of cosmetic work at £475k or this one .
This one is over budget but has been on for quite some time but doesn't need anything doing and is very close to the station/Waitrose https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138160814#/?channel=RES_BUY

I have yet to find a flat in my area (zone 3 london) where a cat or a caged pet would be an issue. Obviously, one should still ask and read the lease. even in blocks the usual prohibitions is against dogs. In my flat where the freehold is owned by the residents, dogs are allowed. It is usually council/housing association/new build blocks where there are tons of rules. And if you are fussy about area in London, you are actually less likely to buy such a property in the first place (not impossible but they are just not the majority of flats in 'naice' areas).

If you want a cat and given that you will buy in London where conversions are ubiquitous and you probably want your cat to roam, you would probably be going for a ground floor period conversion (hopefully share of freehold) and it is likely the top floor flat owner would have opinions on your cat. If you are like my DH and hate conversions, then there are some post war maisonettes but I am not generally a fan of the look though i read that they are quite practical to live in.

I will probably always live in a London flat. I am happy with my relatively affordable mortgage which allows me more disposable income. I would like another bedroom but i don't want it to compromise my lifestyle, after all life is for the living. Think about it, your residential home is a sunk cost, if you choose based on area, you probably wouldn't go wrong because you would always benefit from the amenities.

@lavender2023 thanks for this comment. So, do you mean that having a cat in the ground floor flat would potentially be more of an issue because people above could see it? TBH I think I'd want it to be a house cat anyway as letting them out is dangerous and don't want them to bring "surprises" inside.

HolyParc we live in a flat and have an indoor rescue cat. The lease does specify no animals without freeholder's permission but some flat owners have dogs and there's never been an issue. No one knows or cares if you have an indoor cat. Our flat does have outside space with lots of pots so I get where you're coming from re wanting a garden! Flat prices are pretty static or coming down in my area (south west London).

South east London tends to be cheaper than south west. Rather than moving further out, I'd move around to the east and see how much more you can get. There's some great places where you could get a nice bigger garden flat or more near a good school. Your list is very similar to many people's so dig into previous threads on here for loads of steers.

I think perhaps you would find it easier to approach this by nailing down the big things before you get bogged down in the details. Your plans atm seem to be dominated by the desire to have a garden and a cat, even though you don't intend to let the cat into the garden. It doesn't really make sense imo. In your shoes, I'd spend a few weekends visiting the kinds of areas you could afford a house in and seeing whether you like them or not and what the commute would be like. If you don't like them or the commute is clearly going to be rubbish or prohibitively expensive, then you know which compromises you're going to have to make. If they seem OK actually, then that's the point where you can start thinking about gardens and cats.

The only way you can get everything you want, as far as I can see, is if you can find somewhere in your chosen area that's cheaper because it needs work - either something you can do up until it's acceptable to you, or an interim property that you can add value to and then move on from. But that's not everyone's bag and it could take a while to find the right thing.

Move from SW London to SE London?

A garden of any kind is a big selling-on asset. So do look around SE London, maybe Brockley, Penge or Annerley. There are very friendly neighbourhoods, lots going on, loads of families with young children and a quick commute into London on the overground trains. There's no tube where I live but it's 15 minutes to London Bridge from my local station with trains every 15 minutes. Fare is something like £4. Don't quote me! But just for example.

When you buy a flat I've never heard of not being able to have a cat or a pet. I don't think that's common. I think a ground floor would work better for a cat definitely.

my vote would also be stay in the location you love with a smaller place and try for a garden flat. You'll be at least then in say 5 years time when space is an issue maybe able to move up in size when you've repaid some equity or decide to move out a bit.

i am the same as you, I need outdoor space even if it’s really small! I have never seen a leasehold state no cats.

Thanks all! I was told most leaseholds would have a no pet clause and you’d need the freeholder permission to have one.

@DepartureLounge I don’t want a garden for the cat, I’d want a garden because I like gardening and would love an outside space for dinners, chilling etc.

I would absolutely hate not to have any outside space.the joy of having coffee outside/ glass of wine/ bbq in privacy is just priceless.apt/ flat living is horrible in a heat wave or warm weather
The house can be prison like then on a summers pm after being out all day at the park you cant chill outside.

@HolyParc have you considered Sidcup/ bexley. Great schools and green places. You should be able to buy a house For your budget, we just bought a 5 bed for 630k

@Namedmyself not really. We either want to stay in SW London auburd or move to Surrey, out life is here and wouldn’t move too far away

There are GF (rather than LG) flats, and indeed higher floors with shared garden access.

What's the area you're in now?

Cats shouldn't make a material difference now.

@Whataretheodds I know it can sound silly to some but having pets is important to us and to our DC and as the place we buy will be a home for us for many years, I wouldn't want to give up on a cat when there are other options

You could see a cat in a first floor flat too as they seem to like to sit next to the window. I just assumed that people with cats would like to have garden access! If they don't need garden access (like ragdolls or some of the pedigree cats) you could live in any flat. obviously check the lease and preferably choose a flat where many of the residents have pets (this isn't hard given what an animal loving country we are!)

TBh i never bothered to ask permission about my hamster or gerbils as no one has ever seen it. my development does allow dogs and cats.

This is true but in practice in many developments, the freeholder just gives permission. The lease is often old and no one has bothered to alter it even though many of the residents have pets.

And the only 'public' pet is a dog or a free range cat.