London 2 bed for £600k

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DP and I are looking to buy a two bed somewhere fairly central. We want to commute to Bank in less than 40 minutes. Our budget is around £600-£650k. Our top priority is it being in a decent area and ideally bigger than 55 sqm. Appreciate we are asking a lot for a small (London) budget!

Look around Brixton/Oval/Kennington, and out on the Thameslink (Elephant, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill). Our neighbour just sold her 70m2 period garden flat in LGJ for £525k, so well within your budget.

Zone 2, quick commute into either Bank on the Northern Line or Blackfriars/City Thameslink and either walk or change. Lots going on in Brixton and Elephant, decent schools if you have kids, lots of green space.

Have a look on the DLR route. Anywhere on that should be less than 40 mins. Bank - Lewisham branch = no changes.

Quick look here, you could get a house in Greenwich.
0.3 miles to Greenwich DLR

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146650892

Here’s a garden flat possibility in Telegraph Hill

You won’t get anything like the vibe or amenities of Clapham / Wandsworth / Putney. But if lefty SE London could be your thing, it’s a quick commute to London Bridge:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153265379#/floorplan?activePlan=1&channel=RES_BUY

Going north, you could probably get something decent in the Islington/Essex road area

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153188240#/?channel=RES_BUY

£650k is a decent budget for a 2 bed jn some areas within walking distance (1 mile) of Bank. Clerkenwell, Old St, Spitalfields, Aldgate, Whitechapel, Borough. We lived near Old St and it was nice to avoid any public transport for the commute, much less stressful and walkable to interesting places at the weekend and evenings.

Are you looking for a house or a flat?

I actually think that is a perfectly reasonable budget for a 2bed and 40mins to Bank covers a very wide area given Bank's tube coverage.

Where are you based now, OP? What do you like / not like about it? That might help us narrow it down for you.

For example, ive only ever lived in south / south west london since moving here over 10yrs ago. There are plenty of flats / maisonettes around Vauxhall / Clapham / Brixton for that price. But that might not help you if you prefer east / north east / south east etc.

I like @fellowstar's suggestion of walking distance to work. What a dream! We have friends in Borough and they've really enjoyed living there.

Loads of 2 beds in Greenwich/North Greenwich within your budget.

For a short commute there's a few options around Wapping High Street and Limehouse (I'm a sucker for a river view though!) e.g. 2 bedroom apartment for sale in Duke Shore Wharf, Limehouse, E14 (rightmove.co.uk)
2 bedroom apartment for sale in Ionian Building, Narrow Street, Limehouse, E14 (rightmove.co.uk)
2 bedroom flat for sale in Free Trade Wharf, Wapping, London, E1W (rightmove.co.uk)
2 bedroom flat for sale in Wapping High Street, Wapping, E1W (rightmove.co.uk)
2 bedroom apartment for sale in Cinnabar Wharf West, 22 Wapping High Street, London, E1W (rightmove.co.uk)

Higham's Park? Overground to Liverpool Street in 25 minutes and £600k will buy you a house.

I’d check out Forest Hill, Sydenham and Brockley - all south east London.

OP said “fairly central” though, and I’m guessing is looking for a more upmarket & better connected location.

Appreciate they aren’t as central as some of the North London postcodes being suggested (ex crouch ender here). But all fit within the commute time and you’ll get more space. 2 beds for 600k is pushing it in most of central London!

What about Canary Wharf (specifically South Quay on the DLR)? DH was there specifically for a commute to Bank and it was a dream. Plus great access to jubilee and Elizabeth line. The local amenities are brilliant, great restaurants and is nice for local walks around the wharf and a little city farm too. I really really miss it (we moved to the suburbs of west London for schools in the end when we had DC)

Is Canary Wharf a bit of a ghost town at weekends? Been many years since I’ve been (worked) there, so maybe that has changed.

This could be good: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152379503

I would try to avoid a flat. A terraced house is a far better bet at the present time time IMHO.

The problem is OP’s budget would only get a terraced house somewhere rough as badgers, eg Edmonton.

It's just that a while ago there was quite a few threads saying how hard it was to sell flats in London in modern bblocks.and folk having to reduce the price and hardly getting any viewings.

That’s true - flats without gardens & leasehold flats in average or bad areas aren’t meant to be doing well.

I have to say it’s amazing how much house you get for your money around Wood Green, I guess because of the North Circular and the high crime rate. You’re much more likely to get robbed around there than in somewhere like Brockley.

Still - check this out, reduced to £570k!:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/149743121#/?channel=RES_BUY

Throwing in a curveball to suggest west London. This place is 3 minutes from East Acton Station which is 27 mins from Bank but also 20 minutes from central London, walking distance from Westfields and Shepherd's Bush and easy to get out of the city. Plus you get a 3 bed house and a decent sized garden. Depends what kind of lifestyle you want!

Westferry side of Canary Wharf / Limehouse area.

E.g. 65m^2 with allocated parking for £430k... www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150374279 walking distance to Canary Wharf, 15m (3 stops) to Bank.

Some of these are lovely! I love Wapping such an interesting area. Free Trade Wharf has amazing view and nice wide balcony- not sure if it has parking though.

Not anymore. There's lots of young families there and it is pretty busy. Less busy than central London (which I think is a good thing) but also it isn't trendy like Shoreditch, Dalston, Hackney etc so you wouldn't get the bar nightlife there. It's not a great place if you like bar hopping etc. But it's good if you like a good meal, or a peaceful walk, or maybe a more grown up drink.