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Original poster

I have £700K to spend - please recommend somewhere to live?!!!

74 replies

needkirstyandphil · 01/02/2009 18:43

I have £700K to spend (or about £1800 a month rental)- would you recommend where you live (or please recommend elsewhere you like!)?! The considerations are:

  • detached house with off-street parking and garden, 4 bedrooms
  • commuting distance to London (max of 45 mins on train) and preferably walking distance from house to mainline station
  • good school for 2 DSs (one to start in Reception this September). Have money aside for private, but need to be able to get a place at late notice (hopefully easier in these bad financial times!)
  • preferably a walk to local shops of some kind (so car is not needed for emergency milk/nappies etc!)

Just accepted an offer on our house and am totally confounded by where to move to! I need Kirsty and Phil!

OP posts:
OneTrickMummy · 01/02/2009 18:48

You're going to have to be quick - don't applications have to be in in Feb, for Sept Reception? eeeek!

MrsMattie · 01/02/2009 18:50

Barnet? I live in the borough. Great schools, leafy, family-oriented, and for 700k you could get a lovely 4 bed house (don't know about detached - depends which area you choose). Totteridge, Finchley, Mill Hill all nice areas and on the tube.

Mercy · 01/02/2009 18:54

Tbh you could afford pretty much anywhere in Greater London as I'm sure you know.

Where do you live atm? WHat are your preferences?

CarGirl · 01/02/2009 18:56

Weybridge

OneTrickMummy · 01/02/2009 18:57

Search Findaproperty.com for SW London between 680k and 750k.

Detatched is the hardest criteria to fulfill.

peanutbutterkid · 01/02/2009 18:57

What about planning to rent why you keep looking, takes some pressure off.

Which London station do you need your husband to end up at?

CarGirl · 01/02/2009 18:59

www.homesandproperty.co.uk/searchresults.aspx

Original poster
needkirstyandphil · 01/02/2009 19:02

Onetrickmummy - yes, we are going to be late applicants in the state system. Apparently we put down our preferences and get allocated whatever is closest.

Believe it or not I do have a back-up plan and have a firm place at a private school, but I am putting out this thread as I am having a last-minute panic! I keep looking on rightmove and what we can get for our money in a huge radius from London, and then thought I would just ask MNers in case someone causes an epiphany!!!

MrsMattie - I've lived in Finchley before and it was fun but I am definitely looking for somewhere slightly less built up possibly with more of a country-ish feel. Don't want to feel like I am on top of our neighbours any more!

OP posts:
CarGirl · 01/02/2009 19:05

Weybridge takes you into Waterloo, Hmm I think 30 minutes on the fast trains, some good state schools and great independent schools.

Mercy · 01/02/2009 19:12

ok, so you want outer London really?

St Albans, Richmond, Kew, Sheen type places?

(btw I've no idea re prices. you could buy for that price I don't think you could rent for £1800, not where I live anyway)

Ohforfoxsake · 01/02/2009 19:19

What about Teddington?

goldenpeach · 01/02/2009 19:22

East London:
Epping is very nice. Lovely detached houses with a country feel, pretty high street, forest...., tube

Wanstead, lovely detached houses by golf course, tube, decent high street

Teydon Bois, nice detached houses, tube.

(you'd get something lovely there for around 500K)

Southish, I love Chiwisk, you need more money than in East London, though, tube, nice high street with good restaurants.

If you want to be in commuterland Aylesbury is pretty, some parts of Bedfordshire, Hitchin in Herts...

When researching options outside of London I borrowed two excellent books from library: Escape from london and Guide to commuterland.

Ewe · 01/02/2009 19:24

What about Epsom? 40 mins to London Waterloo or Victoria, good schools both private and state.

If you're prepared to be a drive from the station you could get five beds like this or this although the second one is only 0.6 miles to train so could walk it. If you are a good negotiator in a tough market you could go for this gorgeous house, lovely!

Ewe · 01/02/2009 19:28

The private prep schools are Downsend, Kingswood House, St Christophers and Ewell Castle Junior schools if you wanted to look up. My siblings went/go to Downsend which IMO is very good (will more than likely send my DD too).

pinkteddy · 01/02/2009 19:31

East Barnet or Cockfosters? Cockfosters has some beautiful houses with big gardens and on the Piccadilly line, near Trent Park, very good state schools. East Barnet very green, very good schools, villagy feel but near towns (Barnet and Southgate), lovely houses, very good overground links to city.

Original poster
needkirstyandphil · 01/02/2009 19:31

This is great, keep it comin'!

Peach- east London is out of the running as the PIL live in the north west and we couldn't face making that drive even more of a flog! I will look at Aylesbury now. Great book tips.

Mercy - I think we need further out than Sheen, Richmond, Teddington etc as impossible on our budget to get somewhere detached with off-street parking. That's actually why we're moving from where we are (Twickenham area). Otherwise we would stay!!!!

Peanut yes we're definitely doing the rental thing for a bit to take pressure off and see how the market slides and hope to get more for our money at the end of the year...!

OP posts:
tumtumtetum · 01/02/2009 19:38

Ooh lots of people near me!

I too would recommend the wonderful London Borough of Barnet for all your housing needs

High barnet v nice and near lots of green spaces, easy access for M25 if that's of interest and on tube.

Friern barnet lane and roads off it v nice too - as is all round totteridge/whetstone. Totteridge prob a bit pricey though.

Outside as someone said Hitchen is nice and I have always had a soft spot for ware.

St Albans lovely but v pricey...

Ewe · 01/02/2009 19:46

For renting in Epsom you would be able to knock something like this down to £1800 or this is nice and a bit more modern.

I negotiated almost £400 off of my rent here in Epsom earlier this year so it's def a renters market - wherever you go for make sure you negotiate hard!!

MollieO · 01/02/2009 19:47

Can recommend Maidenhead area,lovely villages on the Thames and quick (21 mins on fast train) to London. Cookham is particularly nice - shops, including fab French delicatessen, restaurants, train station, good schools and near good private schools in Maidenhead.

Original poster
needkirstyandphil · 01/02/2009 19:54

Ewe - some fab homes - thank you! 700K is what we can afford in 6-12 months if the market slides, otherwise it's more like 600K tops for now I will do more Epsom research.

Peach - Aylesbury probably a bit far as 59 mins on train.

Peanut - husband can use any London station as he goes in infrequently. Marylebone would have been perfect for me but sadly my work cannot be factored in as unlikely to do it once DS1 is in Reception We had been looking at Waterloo, Marylebone, Paddington...

Yes, I fear St Albans too pricey.

Does anyone have experience of working WHEN firstborn starts school? I really want to keep the sanity that part-time work gives me, but I just cannot imagine a nanny etc picking him up from school when he's just over 3.5 yrs, doing his homework with him, til I get home at 6pm??? Am I being too soft?! Sorry, I digress....

OP posts:
verylapsedrunner · 01/02/2009 19:55

Windsor, but to be honest unlikley to get detached with off road parking for that. Example of the "golden triangle" i.e. walking distance of town & station www.primelocation.com/uk-property-for-sale/details/id/SAWD229183 or (need to drive to station) www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-16825687.html?locationIdentifier=OUTCODE^2379&minBedr ooms=4&maxPrice=700000&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&pageNumber=1&backToL istURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2Ffind.html%3FsearchType%3DSALE%26locationIdentifier%3DOUTCODE%255E2379% 26radius%3D0.0%26displayPropertyType%3Dhouses%26minBedrooms%3D4%26maxBedrooms%3D%26minPrice%3D%26max Price%3D700000%26maxDaysSinceAdded%3D%26_includeSSTC%3Don%26x%3D86%26y%3D7%26sortByPriceDescending%3 D%26primaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26secondaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26oldDisplayPropertyType%3D%26ol dPrimaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26oldSecondaryDisplayPropertyType%3D%26newHome%3D%26retirement%3D%26a uction%3Dfalse%26partBuyPartRent%3Dfalse

verylapsedrunner · 01/02/2009 19:56

Ops, apologies for long link

MollieO · 01/02/2009 20:04

Cookham,Maidenhead etc go to Paddington.

Original poster
needkirstyandphil · 01/02/2009 20:04

Ewe - did you get £400 off per month or week?! Great to hear that as I wasn't sure if any room for bargaining on rents.

Thanks Mollie) I will look at Cookham.

Runner - I fear Windsor is under flight path? I am done with planes after 9 yrs in west London!!!

OP posts:
MollieO · 01/02/2009 20:07

Not sure about state school options but Ridgeway (Maidenhead) does very good extended day and holiday cover - 7.30am - 6.30pm term time and 8am to 6pm holidays.