Which London commuter town?
Discussion
ReallyReallyGood said:
OP, have you considered Hampton Wick?
You might get something in Kingston or Teddington, but you'll struggle for something decent in Hampton. You might get something in St Margaret's for £900k. My cousin has just bought a place there and its 4 beds, reasonable garden, I think it cost £830k.
SE still much cheaper than SW and if you pick your area just as nice. Agree with Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, etc., but if you want to stay within the M25, Bickley, Chislehurst, Petts Wood area is nice, a lot of house for £900k (Petts Wood East would get you something really nice - 4 bed detached with trains into London Bridge, Thameslink, Victoria). 30 mins door to door, think of how much extra family time that buys you, plus savings of only living in Zone 5.
Also, Oxted was a really good shout.
Also, Oxted was a really good shout.
NiceCupOfTea said:
SE still much cheaper than SW and if you pick your area just as nice. Agree with Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, etc., but if you want to stay within the M25, Bickley, Chislehurst, Petts Wood area is nice, a lot of house for £900k (Petts Wood East would get you something really nice - 4 bed detached with trains into London Bridge, Thameslink, Victoria). 30 mins door to door, think of how much extra family time that buys you, plus savings of only living in Zone 5.
Also, Oxted was a really good shout.
What about Brockley/Bromley? Sidcup? I have only passed through these areas but I've heard they're all quite nice.Also, Oxted was a really good shout.
I am in Surbiton myself, and have had similar plans as the OP. I think I started a similar thread on here, but I always come to the same conclusion, that there is too much money about for the few good places that there are within commuting distance of London.
I love the part of Surbiton that I live in, but it is only a zone 6 suburb. It is crazy that £900k can't buy you a decent house right on the fringe of London.
The money coming down from central London is driving it. If people are going to move out as far as Surbiton, they want to live in the 'good bit', so you quickly get to a situation where that good bit is over twice the price of the rest of the area where they will not look.
It is the same further out - someone already pointed out that Guildford is part uber-expensive commuter town, part the opposite.
I love the part of Surbiton that I live in, but it is only a zone 6 suburb. It is crazy that £900k can't buy you a decent house right on the fringe of London.
The money coming down from central London is driving it. If people are going to move out as far as Surbiton, they want to live in the 'good bit', so you quickly get to a situation where that good bit is over twice the price of the rest of the area where they will not look.
It is the same further out - someone already pointed out that Guildford is part uber-expensive commuter town, part the opposite.
BrabusMog said:
What about Brockley/Bromley? Sidcup? I have only passed through these areas but I've heard they're all quite nice.
I don't know Brockley but it's a fair bit further in. Bromley generally is pretty nice but there are less salubrious areas. If you don't mind driving to a station, Keston, Biggin Hill, etc. are also nice.Sidcup is OK, MIL lives there, although the area near the station isn't very nice. Cheaper to buy in though.
NiceCupOfTea said:
BrabusMog said:
What about Brockley/Bromley? Sidcup? I have only passed through these areas but I've heard they're all quite nice.
I don't know Brockley but it's a fair bit further in. Bromley generally is pretty nice but there are less salubrious areas. If you don't mind driving to a station, Keston, Biggin Hill, etc. are also nice.Sidcup is OK, MIL lives there, although the area near the station isn't very nice. Cheaper to buy in though.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I can't think of any small towns that have a reasonable selection in the town centre these days. As you say, the moneyed towns like Cobham, Esher, Sevenoaks etc are a bit bland, the next level down like Tonbridge and Epsom just feel run down. I think you have to go to a big regional town centre to get any type of variety these days like Guildford or Kingston. The trouble is that the good stuff is hidden in a sea of s**t, and you have to make sure you are out by 6pm because they have developed their 'night-time economy' to attract every violent teenager within a 10 mile radius.
Surbiton's offer is very poor. There are plenty of younger people with money to spend cramming themselves into flats in the town centre, not wealthy but cash on the hip. How has one end of the high street become so run down that someone is selling mobile phone accessories out of a hole between two shops, and Chicken Cottage has opened next door to KFC ffs. Just what the buyers of all these £1m semis must be looking for...
Du1point8 said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
BrabusMog said:
What about Brockley/Bromley? Sidcup? I have only passed through these areas but I've heard they're all quite nice.
I don't know Brockley but it's a fair bit further in. Bromley generally is pretty nice but there are less salubrious areas. If you don't mind driving to a station, Keston, Biggin Hill, etc. are also nice.Sidcup is OK, MIL lives there, although the area near the station isn't very nice. Cheaper to buy in though.
BrabusMog said:
I always thought Hampton was more expensive than Teddington, I could be wrong as I don't live in that area, just my preconception.
It probably was in the past, but Teddington prices have just gone mad in the last few years. It is a nice place, I suppose, but a pretty poor train line into town.ManFromDelmonte said:
Without wanting to sound like a horrible snob, I don't consider 'the chains arriving' as a positive thing. I'd be interested in any of the little gems around. I've yet to find any.
Have you been to Cafe Class by the station? not posh by any means but a great dining experience
BrabusMog said:
Du1point8 said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
BrabusMog said:
What about Brockley/Bromley? Sidcup? I have only passed through these areas but I've heard they're all quite nice.
I don't know Brockley but it's a fair bit further in. Bromley generally is pretty nice but there are less salubrious areas. If you don't mind driving to a station, Keston, Biggin Hill, etc. are also nice.Sidcup is OK, MIL lives there, although the area near the station isn't very nice. Cheaper to buy in though.
Southeastern to canada water to canary wharf
Southeastern to london bridge
Many more like that ranging from 30-38 minutes to central London.
okgo said:
Hampton Wick is not anywhere near Hampton don't forget.
Hampton is not an option, s
t trains and pretty scummy actually. Teddington is more than Kingston and Surbiton, not too far off Richmond now.
Hampton Wick, Surbiton and Kingston all seem a similar price to me now. That is to say that a small cottage in a decent part of any of them is £700k+, even though you could find a similar house in a s**t part of any of them for far less.Hampton is not an option, s
t trains and pretty scummy actually. Teddington is more than Kingston and Surbiton, not too far off Richmond now. Unfortunately, everyone seems to be looking for the same thing, so if you see something cheap, it is likely to be cheap for a reason.
kingston12 said:
Surbiton's offer is very poor. There are plenty of younger people with money to spend cramming themselves into flats in the town centre, not wealthy but cash on the hip. How has one end of the high street become so run down that someone is selling mobile phone accessories out of a hole between two shops, and Chicken Cottage has opened next door to KFC ffs. Just what the buyers of all these £1m semis must be looking for...
Another reason why I moved closer to town. Much more choice around Wimbledon and Putney - where people a) don't need to get in a car to go shopping b) will pay a bit more for quality produce. The dross have moved further out as Hipsterfication spreads out from Cla'am and Wandsworth!Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff