Commuter areas

[Tulips17]

Hello,

I’m hoping for some help and advice please. My DP and I are approaching our mid 30s and are currently living in London. We rent in Wandsworth and love the area but unfortunately cannot afford to buy here. We’ve spent some time looking at properties all over London but ultimately have decided that we need to move out of London to get more for our money. Choosing an area is the tricky part…

We both work in London 2-3 days a week (specifically in Temple and Blackfriars). We would like a reasonable commute time (less than 1hr on the train and less than that would be better), access to the countryside and would like to be in a nice area with a high street and things to do locally. We would love one day to have a family so would need there to be good schools nearby. Our budget is £850k and we would like minimum 3 bedrooms and a garden. We’re not keen on new builds.

We’ve started looking at various areas but it’s so overwhelming when you’re not familiar with them and difficult to understand what living there is really like. I’d love to hear thoughts on areas we could start looking at please. Thank you so much.

Hitchin.

You could stay in London- just look SE.

If you would rather keep the vibe of Wandsworth, Surbiton will fit your budget- looks like a fair few semis in the area between 700-850. It's a very quick train ride to both Waterloo and Clapham Junction.

If you're in Blackfriars, look north and south along the Thameslink line.

Yes look along Thameslink North into Hertfordshire, you've got a good budget

Thank you for your comments and suggestions.

A colleague also suggested Hitchin so I will certainly look into this. I would love to hear about any experiences living there to understand more about the general vibe?

Surbiton, I had not considered, but I will take a look, thank you.

Again, I will also take a look along the Thameslink. I am somewhat familiar with Haywards Heath and like it from what I’ve seen.

Does anyone have experience of Reigate as that keeps popping up when I google?

Maybe I need to narrow down some areas by looking at properties on Rightmove and then do some day trips to gauge the general vibes!

I know lots of people make the move from London into commuter areas and I understand what these places can offer (more space, a garden, more relaxed pace etc) but I suppose my concern is moving somewhere and not quite finding it a good fit or not coping well with the commute. It’s such a big decision and commitment. I wonder if it’s best to rent first or is that just me being silly and just delaying the process even further?

Thanks again for the suggestions!

I don’t think you’d need to move that far out. Greenwich is on the Thameslink line - look around Maze Hill/Westcombe Park (SE3/SE10). Lovely Greenwich Park and the river.

I’m in the next town very near to Hitchin. It’s a really pretty town. Lovely houses. Some nice shops. Lots of places to eat. Excellent transport links. Good schools. Of course we have wonderful countryside in North Herts too. Your budget would fit and it’s quick and easy to get into Kings X/St Pancras. Definitely worth a visit.

Beckenham or Hayes. You could get a 3 bed in that price range and schools are pretty good.

What about Furzedown?. Doesn't the overground at tooting go to Blackfriars? Personally I'd stay in London, it's possible with your budget

If you can stay in London , I would, as trains to Hitchin can be temperamental and being in London gives you more transport options

Ex Wandsworth person here.
With your budget I would try and look to stay within the London catchment.
SE London
Bromley
Hayes
West Wickham

Moving SW
Surbiton
Worcester Park
Hampton Court area and West Molesey

Reigate is extremely nice indeed.
You could also take a look at Guildford. It’s a well travelled path for those leaving SW London. But Reigate is nicer, but smaller.

What is Reigate like? I know I could Google it.. but as you know Wandsworth etc well, I m interested in your view. What makes it nicer than Guildford, can you say?

Reigate is smaller than Guildford and less sprawled out. It has a nice High Street and has a more upmarket feel than Guildford IMO.

Guildford is a university town that spreads out a lot. But it has decent fast access into London on the train and easy access out into the countryside.

@Kipperandarthur more upmarket! Sounds good. Thankyou. (I have just bought a railcard and am starting to explore such possibilities! )

With your budget I would stay within the London ish area.

Have you tried putting your search criteria into Rightmove and say pinpointing somewhere like Earlsfield first and then setting 5 miles radius, 3 bedroom terrace and semi detached and see what you can get.

Tooting
Surbiton
New Malden
Worcester park
SE London will also have an abundance of properties within your price bracket.

All of these areas, and more, would offer you what you want without actually moving to the countryside. Remember the longer the commute, the higher the train fares etc.

If you like Reigate you could also take a look at Dorking as well.

Time of journey may be slightly over an hour, but you would be the owner of a lovely property in Folkestone, Kent, with your budget
45 mins to Stratford, then District line?
By the sea, countryside
Best of all worlds; very popular

Agree with trying to be on Thameslink line. Is three bedrooms plus garden a requirement or an aspiration? IME people sometimes imagine what their dream property would look like and then move far enough out that they can afford it, at the cost of a long commute which makes them miserable. If it’s just the two of you atm then a two bed with a balcony, and a 40 minute commute, might make for a happier life.

Thank you for your comments. They have certainly given food for thought.

I will definitely look at Reigate and Hitchin just to understand more what they’re like and see available properties. Thank you for your comments about Hitchin @TheFormidableMrsC. I can of course google and visit but it is super helpful to hear insights from people who know these areas.

I would love to stay in London but it’s a case of finding an area we like, a nice house and good schools nearby. Of course, we have to make compromises but we don’t want to sacrifice so much that we start to feel we would have been better off just accepting a longer commute in return for a house we love.

The Furzedown suggestion is interesting though so thank you @tangobravo ! It’s not too far from where we live now. We actually have a friend who grew up there and went to Graveney which I understand is a very good school so could be an area to consider. We also are familiar with and like Tooting @Kipperandarthur and I was quite surprised that we could find 3 beds there within our budget on Rightmove so again, something to consider.

@AlastheDaffodils it’s not a requirement right now but our thinking is that if we buy once now then buy again in 5 years time, with stamp duty costs included it’s so expensive that we may as well get what we want now. Although I do agree that moving further out for a bigger house is only worth it up to a point before the commute becomes too much to bear.

So a lot to think about but really appreciate the advice, thank you everyone!

Graveney is a good school, be wary of the catchment area though when you're looking for a house. Furzedown is really lovely!

Reigate is a nice town but not great for commuting. Have a look at Oxted maybe? Or Merstham and Coulsdon. Both areas are mixed but have some lively parts ( and some less lovely).

We moved from south London to a Thameslink commuter town for more space than we could afford in London.
There are pros and cons. More space, nearer to countryside but the commute is v expensive and (particularly if you don't have regular scope to wfh) if there are problems with trains you are pretty stuffed. I'd always lived within the tfl zones until moving away and if one tube line was down there were often alternatives, mainline, overground etc within a 15 or 20 min walk...where as in our commuter town if there is a problem it's a drive or taxi ride to another town and the same at the end of the day

Epsom has trains into Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge.

This one looks like a sale has just fallen through so might be up for a quick sale/offer. Though it might be newer than you were after.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/154347350#/?channel=RES_BUY

Or this one:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159424067#/?channel=RES_BUY

I’m biased, but just jumping on the thread to suggest Streatham - also on the thameslink, a stop north of tooting. You could get a lovely 4 bed for your budget, surrounded by leafiness of Streatham common on one side and tooting common on the other, brilliant primary schools and 3 great secondaries… Personally prefer it to tooting, having lived in both (tho I know not everyone agrees 😊)