This SE London flat looks good for the price?

[RememberedBills]

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/154876580#/?channel=RES_BUY

All I can see wrong with it, is that the side-return extension is just a lean-to. And it backs on to a railway line. Also the immediate area St Johns is a bit nowheresland.

But the price seems very fair compared to all the modern leasehold flats nearby going for £550k and with as much as £3600 service charge.

Or for a £450k budget looking for a 1/1.5 bed would you be better off looking somewhere better connected? Tooting also seems in budget for example.

Bedroom 2 appears to have no window?

Right, but it does have the glass double door into the lean-to. Really you’d rather have the bathroom somewhere else and restore that room to its original size.

The basement looks okay and if the ventilation could be sorted it’d be tempting to put the bathroom down there.

I think the garden is sole use - that would obviously be important.

Does bedroom 2 not have a window? Apologies if I've misinterpreted the plan but it looks like a window has somehow been divided and is shared between the bedroom and bathroom.
However I do know this area well. St John is very well connected, probably about 15 minutes to London bridge, a short walk / bus ride to Lewisham for mainline and DLR, and also within easy reach of the overground at New Cross or Brockley. It's a quiet residential area but close to Deptford, Greenwich, Lewisham or Brockley depending on what you fancy. Brockley Market is about a 5 mins walk on a Saturday morning. I would give it serious consideration if the price made sense

Bedroom 2 and bathroom have no windows... the glorified dining area looks really small same as kitchen livingroom.
But for London it looks great.

Questions would be about the meaning of shared freehold, is there an extra service charge ect and crime rate of the area.

The lean to will be EXTREMELY cold and will make most of the other space freezing too.

I can't see any redeeming features, beyond the large master bedroom. The sofa area looks makeshift and I can't imagine being able to configure it to feel like a proper living room.

I think you'd need to spend some decent money on it to be able to stay long term.

I can comment on the area as it's not that far from where we've lived for 30 years. It seems like a decent area and has improved a lot over the years along with most of the SE4/SE13/SE8 area. St John's has a much better mainline rail service than you'd expect. You would be within easy walking distance of the DLR and Lewisham station, with both more mainline connections and the DLR terminus. Not a massive stretch to go to New Cross or New Cross Gate to get the Overground, opening up the possibility of changing to the Jubilee Line at Canada Water or the Elizabeth Line at Whitechapel, or going over to Clapham Junction. Plenty of bus services on Lewisham Way. Transport in this part of London has improved out of all recognition in the last couple of decades.

Usual estate agent hyperbole there about Greenwich! It's not within touching distance of Greenwich. It is within easy walking distance of Lewisham, for what that's worth. Blackheath isn't that much further and makes a pleasant walk. Greenwich Park is walkable and gorgeous. Brookmill Park is nice. Hilly Fields is a bit further but lovely.

If schools are important or might be in the future, I believe both St Stephen's C of E and Ashmead are very good primary schools.

Some useful shops for basic stuff on Lewisham Way and in Lewisham itself. Brockley Market is a short walk away for Saturday browsing. Good parkrun on Hilly Fields if that's of interest.

Totally agree with this. They've obviously tried to extend the space and by doing so have made it into the weirdest layout. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

The second bedroom will have originally had a sash window looking down the side return. But it’s been taken out when they’ve added the door into the lean-to dining area.

Which, yes, will make it cold in winter.

If someone was willing to spend £100k to move the bathroom downstairs, restore the original size of the second bedroom and reinsert the window, and also improve the lounge kitchen, I still think it could be a nice flat.

I see Lewisham Council is going through a bad time, and maybe all-in-all it’d be better off looking in another borough:

www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2024/11/14/raft-of-cuts-to-lewisham-services-being-discussed-by-council/