Where to move in Dulwich

[LostThePlanner]

Hello, we’re looking to move to Dulwich around Aug to be close to our daughter’s school who’ll be starting reception at JAGS. We’re new to the area and currently live in Bromley. We’re open to both buying and renting. Please can you suggest which are some nice areas we should consider? Budget for purchase £700k - £750k; budget for rent: £2500 per month. I want to be able to walk and drop her to the school and avoid driving. Thanks in advance for suggestions.

I’d need more information!
How many bedrooms do you want/need?
Do you want a flat or a house?
Outdoor space?
Do you need to be near a station?
What would you consider walking distance? 10 mins? 20 mins?

@RockCrushesLizard thanks for the response. We ideally need 3 bedrooms but could potentially also make do with 2 bedrooms. Flat vs house is not a consideration as we’re ok with either. Same with open spaces - great if we get it, not a deal breaker if not. I would say walking distance would be up to 15 mins for me with the little one in tow. Don’t need a train station nearby as I’ll take the bus after dropping her to school to get to work and DH works from home.

You won’t get many 3 beds within walking distance of JAGS for your budget. Lots of families come in from Bromley, is staying an option? Otherwise, I’d take a wider look at (good) public transport and bike options.

Yeah, I'd just commute from Bromley tbh. You'll get so much less for your money in Dulwich/ East Dulwich that it will be a real compromise on quality of life.
Or another good option is to live in Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Crofton Park, Ladywell - sort of Dulwich adjacent areas that will be much more in budget

That’s a tight budget for the area so there won’t be much to choose from. If you do a search in Rightmove for anything within 1 mile of the school that will give you an idea.
E.g https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/167347871
very close to jags, bus stops and north Dulwich station
Or https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/165262877

Could any of these work?
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171786872#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171608630#/?channel=RES_BUY (reno)

At best a flat on this budget.

Um, that really isn’t much for Dulwich! And Jags is a pain to get to on public transport too. I agree with everyone else that you are better off staying in Bromley and putting DD on the school bus.

If you definitely want to move closer, you’ll be looking at a two bedroom flat, and should look at areas like East Dulwich/Peckham or Herne Hill/Tulse Hill. Which are still not really walking distance tbh.

Hi @LostThePlannerthe issue you have is that the Pre-Prep is further into Dulwich so a flat in under 15 min walking distance to there would be harder to find.

It's absolutely doable to live in East Dulwich and go to JAGS Pre-Prep but a 20-25 min walk is more realistic. Once they move up to the Junior school at 7 it would be a shorter walk. This is manageable and lots of people do it, often with the kids on scooters because then you can tow them if they get tired.

We live in a flat and have somehow managed to survive, depite the horror so many MNers seem to have of living in one, and you're never far from a park, green space or playground in the area. Commuting to JAGS from Bromley is a time and energy consuming PITA that will add no value to your lives and you can't use the school coach service for Pre-Prep (age 4-7).

At the upper end of your budget, here are a few properties that might work:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/170114636#/media?activePlan=1&id=media7&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/170578970#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171294881#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/168018650#/?channel=RES_BUY

With your budget I would also suggest looking further away. Assuming you’re intending her to go to Jags senior too, then for future school journey purposes I’d look at places on a direct train route to N Dulwich (right by Jags) and/or on the school coach routes which are here https://foundationschools.vectare.co.uk although obviously these may change a bit over time. I believe JAPS kids are allowed on the school coach from year 3.

@EDLocal thank you, yes there are no coaches for pre prep and I don’t want my 4 year old spending 2 hours in commute. And indeed we don’t mind living in a flat if the upside is that she’ll get a bit more time sleeping in the morning and playing in the evening.

thanks for the links, I’ll take a look. Based on the comments so far indeed 10-15 mins may be unrealistic so expanding that to 20-25 mins 😊 appreciate all the insights!

There's this one that's also on Hillsboro Rd:
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/165262877#/?channel=RES_BUY

It's worth considering the Silvester/ Pellat/Landcroft/ Rodwell Rd area for 2 bed half houses/flats within budget, possibly with the option of adding a home office outbuilding for your DH, although some of the gardens are too small for that.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/170593373#/?channel=RES_BUY

If you were open to being further down to the Goose Green end of Lordship Lane, you could look at properties close to the 37 bus route (Crystal Palace/ Worlingham Road/ Oakhurst Grove/Tintagel Crescent.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169971566#/?channel=RES_BUY
The 37 can be a bit sporadic but it's very handy for a short hop getting to and from JAGS when little legs are tired.

On the Herne Hill close to Dulwich side:
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171852665#/?channel=RES_BUY