Would you move further out to afford a property in your mid 20s?

[reptileroo]

DD wants to buy a flat (probably a renovation project) in London. She currently lives very centrally but obviously rents are far lower than mortgages in central. She currently has a 30 minute commute to work and works long hours.

She has found an area of London she likes and feels comfortable in and can afford a nice period flat. But it would increase her commute from 30 to 50 minutes each way. It also seems to be one of the only areas of London with project flats.

Do you think it's better to move out to a more 'grown up' area and get a period flat? Or should she just go for an ex-council property somewhere young and fun like Clapham.

I'd be buying whichever is easiest to sell in when needing more space eventually and I'd she ever has DC

Has DD voiced any concern over the 50 minute commute or is she happy with that to get the flat she wants?

We preferred to live more centrally in our 20s, but we didn't buy until were in our 30s. A 50 min commute sounds depressing to me although I know many people do it. Life is just easier when the tube journey is short and you can opt for a bus/Overground or long walk if the tube fails you. And working long hours and having a busy social life for us meant that we didn't care about nice period features in a flat - we didn't spend that much of our waking time there.

I bought further out for my first property in London, though I could have afforded something less nice more central. Unlike @portura I was/am a real home bird so the home space itself was more important to me; but yeah pre Covid the commute was often miserable.

So I don’t know that we can answer this for you - depends on her personality type!

I think it really depends on how the commute is changing. If it's going from a few minutes walk/tube/walk, to 15 minute walk/35 minute tube or train/walk that feels fine compared to the first option vs a 10 min bus/20 minute tube/15 min on a second tube option. I hope that makes sense.

I agree. A lot of people would commute up to an hour quite easily. It depends on any accessibility needs and as the quoted PP says, is the commute short walk then on a tube then a short walk or is it 50 mins on 3 different buses.

Depends on the budget tbh. 50mins is not bad for a commute for the first place you own. I'd imagine as well that it may well just be a 2-5yr purchase so that wouldn't phase me. I used to do up to 1.5 hrs door to door zone 1-4... Don't miss it but best to do when you're young and don't have other pressures.

I wouldn't bet on ex council flat being an easy purchase. Potential costs of block renovations are a big risk. I know many people who've found it very stressful having difficult neighbours in london council flats (of course, there are exceptional bad neighbours/tenants in any neighbourhood).
I'd definitely recommend a garden flat further out as more future proof, especially if it can be two beds as opposed to one

Where in London is the flat?

I always commuted 50 mins in my 20s but i lived places like Battersea, Balham etc

Everywhere in London is an hour

A period flat further out will be an easier sell which is a big factor for someone buying a flat in their 20s as she will likely be selling it within a few years. Up to her though really to decide what she is willing to compromise on.

Depends on commute and how frequently she does it. 50 minutes one train and a walk at each end fine. 3 tubes no. Council places can be a nightmare though.

Also where is her social life...if all central London look at cost of Ubers or even last trains if she knows people nearer where she's looking at or even that side of town better.

A 50 min commute is nothing in London surely? If it's a reasonably straight run in then the additional 20mins is more than worth the purchase. She can't have it all as a first time buyer.

Does the 50 min commute include walking each end of the stations? If so that is really normal in London. I live in zone 3 and my commute is currently 45 minutes door to door and that is only because my current office is very near the mainline station I come in to.

50 mins door to door isn't a particularly long commute in London, but as others have said it really depends on what sort of commute it is.

Where is the other area she is looking at? Does it have it's own identity, nice cafes, cinema etc, would she be near a station?

My nephew and his gf moved out of their area to get a new house which was within their budget in 2019. Both of them have changed jobs since, but they do quite a lot of extra travelling to see both their families, but they are early 30’s, no children, so it’s manageable.

In my 20s (and actually also in my 30s and 40s) fast and easy connections into all areas of central have been important for socialising, going out etc.

So we never really moved much further out for children, either.

The closer in the better, if possible. Cheaper transport, make more use of what is on offer.

PMSL at Clapham being “young and fun” - maybe in the 90s. You are looking at £600-800k for a two bedroom period flat there now.

Depends on how far out she is looking - Peckham/Honor Oak are totally fine and an easy commute into most of central London, but I probably wouldn’t move out to somewhere like Orpington or Sutton in my 20s, just because they are too far out for me. Nothing wrong with them as places, just too suburban.

Ha yeah! It's been a long time since Clapham was "young and fun".

I thought it was a bit staid and dull when I first moved to London in 2001

Clapham may be young & fun but only if you’re rich.

What's the local area like? We lived in NW7 in our 20s and loved going out there rather than trying to go out in central London then get home.

It’s the Fulham Road overspill. Lots of Sloanes.

I did this on my 40s. In order to buy the sort of house on the sort of street and area that i wanted to be in i had to move further away from work. BUT, I had retirement in sight so knew the commute would be for less than 15 years. I wouldn't have chosen this in my 20s when going out often and seeing friends and doing stuff out were all priorities as this is a little isolating.

This OP. Also multiple options are important if there are tube strikes for example,
It adds up faster than you think a 15 min walk each end is already 30 mins. So even if the 'transport' bit is only 20 mins (6-7 stops) you're looking at a close to an hour's commute.

As long as it takes about 40 mins max to hit Zone 1-2 I'd be fine personally. I think young people are better with travelling anyway, not just 'popping out' for a coffee then back home ASAP.

Most people I know commute up to an hour in London, so 50 minutes sounds fine.

At a similar age I moved from Central to South London to buy a flat increasing commute by the same, so I would agree with doing that.

I would try to steer clear of ex council, when the council decides major works are required, a lot can’t get remortgaged to pay for these “essential works” and have to hang on for dear life or auction it off.

a doer upper when you’re young and single/couple no children is a wonderful learning curve.

50 minutes travel on the train isn’t bad. A few of the young trendies who have moved out for larger accommodation, own Vespas. there is one girl who travels from her flat to Canary Wharf daily on a Vespa 300, it takes her about 30minutes, and she does look extremely dare I say it - sexy - in her leather jacket, hippy skirt floating around combined with dms and knee pads, when it’s raining she looks like a budgie in her wet weathers!

the bike was cheaper to buy than a years travel on the tube, it’s a 16plate, so she has saved a fortune over the years, and has freedom!