Where in London - 1.5 mil budget

[Eriana]

DH has just been offered a job in London, massive pay jump so can't really say no.
We have a 2 year old and a Newborn.

We are looking for somewhere safe, family friendly with a garden. Not too far out, 4-5 beds (5 bed preferably 4 bed could work) as we will both have WFH days and family visiting lots. We need good state schools and ideally it's somewhere we can stay for a while.

We've looked at Dulwich and that's done nothing for us just don't like the feel.

I will be commuting to Westminster, DH to St James area.

Budget is 1.5 mil, little leeway if needed but would rather not go over it by much.

Any ideas?

With all these restrictions, tight budget, unknowns, 'theories' etc, I would advise you first rent a house in the area you are considering for 6 months or a year, before buying. As others have said, your theoretical 30/40 mins commuting time can in reality end up being 1hour to 1:20 mins on very good day. This is England.

OP doesn't sound like she has lived in London or surrounding areas before. If she has, good luck.

The commute will always be an issue but I think all your other requirements could be met in Brockley/Ladywell, especially if you have daughters (Prendergast Hilly Fields is girls only). Telegraph Hill might be worth a look as well. Given how young your children are, I'd be thinking mostly about primary schools at the moment. A lot can change before they will be secondary age. The primary schools in this area are all pretty good as far as I know. Lots of transport options. Brockley is Zone 2.

Ah ok.

So ~£10k a month take home

~ £4k mortgage (£700k ish?)

It’s amazing quite how much more unaffordable London has become in the last two years.

Is Eltham/Shooters Hill still a reasonable area?

I don't hate Greenwich and Blackheath, I guess it's just I lived there post uni and associate it heavily with those years.

Dulwich I don't know what puts me off, other than I don't like the feel (even I don't know what that means - I'm just picky haha)

Ok but... Liverpool Street isn't where OP and her DH will be working?

I lived in Maze Hill/East Greenwich immediately after uni for 4 years but it's a totally different kettle of fish as an adult with kids!!

Back then I was fine sitting on the train for a bit listening to music - I had no where else to be.

I've never bought in London so I guess that's where my naivety lies (I already miss Yorkshire it seems and we haven't bloody left!)

A commute is always much easier if you only need to use one line and both ends are near the station. Plus, as others have pointed out, just getting in and out of Victoria takes time.

With those hours and a commute, you'll likely need a nanny, or a childminder who will agree an early drop off. Before school clubs don't open early enough to allow for commuting from the areas where you could afford a 4 bedroom house with garden I'm afraid. If you lived closer to the centre you'd obviously be able to do a short commute so you manage it, but you'd be sacrificing a lot in terms of the house.

It sounds like you haven’t explored West London much? Might be worth doing a few days out in Chiswick/ East Sheen/ Kew/ Richmond/ Teddington and see what you think once you’ve moved down and are renting. You won’t get a 30 minute commute but as you say you may be able to work things out once you’ve settled in.

@Hayliebells

Our friends have kids at Meridian in Greenwich and wraparound care seems to
Be 7.30-5.45 there so not quite enough in the afternoon but morning fine (DH wouldn't send our kids to Meridian though as they are a non uniform school).
Greenwich/Blackheath/Maze Hill might be better for us as family and friends around (I'll just have to try and forget stumbling down trafalgar road very drunk at 23 and rewrite those memories!)

Ah ok.
**
So ~£10k a month take home
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~ £4k mortgage (£700k ish?)
**
It’s amazing quite how much more unaffordable London has become in the last two years“

Bloody mind boggling, isn’t it? We lived in a shitty, small, damp council house in Regent Road, SE24 in the mid-late 60s. We had to have the council out to zap the mould regularly. The buildings haven’t changed. They’re built of the same inferior materials and they’re going for upwards of 675 K right now.

Its disgusting. I don’t know how to link but it’s there to see on Rightmove at 690. A 3 bed terrace (was 2 when we lived there) with a postage stamp of a garden. The bedroom photos suggest that there is still a damp issue. Why wouldn’t there be?

How did we get to this? It’s obscene.

@MidnightPatrol

Yip pretty much exactly - it's crazy !!

Not around Richmond. It always used to take me at least an hour from there to central. More if you live near the park as it’s a good 20 min walk to station then. That district line after Earl’s Court can be huge delays or trains only going on different routes.

Southfields?
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149539952#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146831348#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147148100#/?channel=RES_BUY

Close to Wimbledon, nice parks, decent ish sized houses, not terrible commute ( officially 23mins on tube Southfields to at James). But with walk either end, waiting etc realistically 45mins.

I think Ealing could be a good shout.
also maybe Hanwell it’s on the Elizabeth line!

@Caspianberg Richmond is 20 minutes to Waterloo which is 1 stop from Westminster on the Jubilee Line. I wasn’t thinking of the Underground, although it can be useful to have options.

I don’t think you can get what OP is looking for in Richmond for £1.5m anyway but worth just getting a general feel for that part of London, as if you live nearby that might be where you choose to spend your weekends.

@Caspianberg yes, District line is famous for being one of the worst for a regular commute.

Other lines may have very glitchy delayed service, but District line trains will just regularly chill out not moving for 10-20 mins... And then the next District line trains that come AFTER that aren't even going to your destination.

I think stats say every year it has something like 200+ trains that are over 15 minutes late, but that's not even counting the regular PURPOSEFUL diversions (6 branches I think it was?) and severe speed limits after Earl's Court.

Elizabeth Line apparently is most reliable, for now at least.

Wanstead or Snaresbrook or Aldersbrook

Crystal Palace, Forest Hill, and Brockley are all nice areas and much nicer than Dulwich. Beckenham is nice too, but a bit further out.

I see.

One other point I wanted to make was, and I appreciate you are a long way away from realistically finally getting a penny drop moment on what you can afford and what you need to sacrifice on- but when you finally get there in a few months, this is what you also need to consider.

If you 'need' a massive house so 1) your family can visit loads as they seem to do; 2) so family can offer childcare during school holidays then you may find, regarding 1- family will need to find a nearby hotel as you cannot accommodate them in your 3 bed house in a lovely area with a short commute to CL and/or you have to increase your property budget by the savings amount you 'plan' on getting by using 'family' instead of, again, an au pair/nanny costs, regarding 2.

If you followed, you can see, some 'theoretical gains' - 'family help needing accommodation' is no 'help' unless you pay more for property to accommodate them, or send them to Air BnBs whilst they do so.

In my case, I once had to consider a lovely 3 bed flat in Central London which was cheaper but only had 1 bathroom- but 2 toilets. I needed second bathroom for kids, guests and nanny. I put in an offer having worked out about 5 mins away, there was a premium gym I had used before for which I could get the nanny.au pair a monthly membership at the cost of £88 a month. I would then get family daily passes when they visited. Sale fell through for other reasons. By then property prices dropped slightly and was able to afford the most gorgeous 3 bed flat with own patio and 2 bathrooms (what I needed) for an additional £200K which I went for without hesitation. Moral of story is, with London and nearby areas' properties, you need to be 100% open minded- have your must haves- mine was just Chelsea or Kensington and that was it- and then open to compromise others. first place required £50K works which I was going to do; and second one which I snapped up, needed nothing done as newly refurbished, and had everything I wanted for long term. But I had already bought another flat years earlier (which I kept) so I wasn't a first time buyer. When I bought the first one, my no nonsense Godmother made me look all over London even in areas I didn't want to live in- in the end I could compare value and really understood what was worth what. She insisted I didn't buy a 1 bed but 2 in case times got hard so I could get a lodger in. She also had no time for me wanting £5K off because of a dirty carpet as I was already planning to refurbish- her comment was: if you find something you like and feel it can be your home, don't haggle too much on price because or this or that. Finding a good home that you liked was more important. She was very right and still keep her advice.

Good luck OP.

@nc14 - but op said her husband will be in st James park. That’s about 15 mins+ from Waterloo, so might be better on the tube.
But the main problem in Richmond is the commute is based form station. If op finds a house rather than flat, it’s likely it will be nearer Sheen or Mortlake, or the park, and they take another 20 odd minutes to get to the station.
If you take the train from Sheen or Mortlake it isn’t the fast train to Waterloo

Ok but... Liverpool Street isn't where OP and her DH will be working?

Oops, @zone1help . Fair enough.

Though maybe an extras 20 mins would be worth it for a great big house with a large garden in a quiet area?

I'm not being pedantic but in reality it won't be 20 extra mins... 30 extra minutes at the least, possibly 50 extra minutes for the whole journey if it's a 10 min walk to/from station on each end. So something like 1h 20 minutes.

I agree with you that unless one finds a unicorn property (and I guess anything is possible), you have to choose between commute time and space. Almost every commute time listed on this thread is either unrealistic or downright false! And Londoners move fast so yes I'm talking about even with military-esque marching.

I agree with above. I would personally prioritise location for area and commute. For your family with just two children, surely a 3 bed house will be fine?

Your children can either share bedroom a while, or you put office space into your bedroom or a nook downstairs or living room at front doubles as office daytime. Family will have to sleep on sofa bed in living room if you have a kitchen diner type thing with small sofa which is very common, or children share bedroom when family stay. Or hotel. Lots of flexi options in smaller space.

For mortgage difference of 3 v 5 bed could afford to then have afternoon nanny, family in hotel, work 4 days a week instead etc

@Caspianberg OP said she’s commuting to Westminster. DP could change again or walk.

Re East Sheen, Mortlake to Waterloo is 25 minutes. The houses around the station tend to ve cheaper than those further away (because they’re nearer Richmond Park) but £1.5m would still be a tightish budget for a 4/5 bed. East Sheen has excellent primary schools.

It’s all theoretical anyway unless OP likes the area and the housing stock. I’m just suggesting she spend some time there and see what she thinks, as most of the places she’s said she doesn’t like are east.