Buying a flat in London

[MissMuffetisin]

Could anyone who knows the London property market help my eldest DC, who is looking to buy a one bed flat in London ? They want to buy at between 250 to 300 k - nearer the lower end if possible. They work in Islington and are a bit of a culture vulture so would like to be able to get into the centre at weekends. They currently live in a rented room in Muswell Hiil, which they love and would like a similar vibe but realise they can’t afford it, so are looking for somewhere safe that won’t cost a fortune in commuting. Our family don’t know London at all so we’re flummoxed - he could get a detached house where we live for that, but looking on Rightmove I’m thinking they’ve set themselves an impossible task !

Oh gosh I don't know re budget they might be looking zones 4 but everything is easy to commute etc and that's all normal to do

What about Walthamstow, Leyton etc pushing out East. Or South East what about Penge etc? But maybe not as fun for young people. One sec let me have a check

Just checked RM and there are one bed flats in budget in the East areas I mentioned - these are more buzzy and popular for young people. Or South East Brockley / Deptford look possible

I was going to suggest Walthamstow, it has come up a lot in the past 10-15 years. Or Stratford near Olympic Park. You’re not going to get a similar vibe to Muswell Hill which is more established chichi but both Walthamstow and Stratford have a young and quite vibrant buzz (making assumptions about the buyer/occupant’s age here).

If you go into it with your eyes open financially, shared ownership is not always terrible and might allow the buyer to afford something that they would like to live in, somewhere that suits. Otherwise for that money you are going to get a pretty run down property I would have thought.