Trying to buy a house in this area is near impossible

[jimbo1964]

Not sure sure about Honor Oak. The Overground is pushing prices up. And the high street is already considerably more appealing than a few years ago.

[dwe]

Ok 2 other areas (off the top of my head) that are more affordable - Penge and Sydenham.....

ED has everything really in situ, a gentrified high street, with decent bars and shops, but it wasn't always the case. The current house prices there are reflecting this.

Penge however has little gentrification, but excellent transport links to both the City and Victoria, as well as into Shoreditch etc. It also has a decent amount of housing that is not that different to the housing in ED.

[ratty]

EDLove Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Ratty - why?

For a number of reasons really. Firstly, when I lived in East Dulwich someone was shot on my road and at the same time a young lad was stabbed to death on a bus in front of a bus load of passengers. Did not feel very safe then.

Most of my neighbours were burgled, my wife was flashed at outside our front door, a friend of mine was mugged leaving our house one evening about 20 yards from the door. All on Abbotswood Rd.

I got chased and threatened with stabbing by a gang of young lads just for wearing a Stussy T Shirt.

Lordship Lane on a Saturday night is full of a-holes

But also, because when I hear it from a lot of people in ED I sometimes wonder whether they really mean it feels a lot more white middle class.

Just me being honest.

[Earl Aelfheah]

ratty - I don't agree. ED is a relatively relaxed familly area. It's not white and middle class - despite the impression this forum may sometimes give, it is still an incredibly diverse area. It is also true that it can be less threatening than some other neighbourhoods of SE London ...I have lived in Camberwell / Peckham for many years - areas which I like a lot - but experienced a lot more daily aggravation / antisocial / criminal behaviour.

[Earl Aelfheah]

But both are further out of town and you pay a premium for being close to London. ED, compared to other areas within 5 miles of the centre, is still relatively cheap.

dwe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Ok 2 other areas (off the top of my head) that are

> more affordable - Penge and Sydenham.....

>

> ED has everything really in situ, a gentrified

> high street, with decent bars and shops, but it

> wasn't always the case. The current house prices

> there are reflecting this.

>

> Penge however has little gentrification, but

> excellent transport links to both the City and

> Victoria, as well as into Shoreditch etc. It also

> has a decent amount of housing that is not that

> different to the housing in ED.

[dwe]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> But both are further out of town and you pay a

> premium for being close to London. ED, compared to

> other areas within 5 miles of the centre, is still

> relatively cheap.

>

> dwe Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Ok 2 other areas (off the top of my head) that

> are

> > more affordable - Penge and Sydenham.....

> >

> > ED has everything really in situ, a gentrified

> > high street, with decent bars and shops, but it

> > wasn't always the case. The current house

> prices

> > there are reflecting this.

> >

> > Penge however has little gentrification, but

> > excellent transport links to both the City and

> > Victoria, as well as into Shoreditch etc. It

> also

> > has a decent amount of housing that is not that

> > different to the housing in ED.

You honestly think that premium is due to 5 minutes less on a train?

[ratty]

I would say it's not incredibly diverse. Tower Hamlets is incredibly diverse I would say, East Dulwich, for central london (zone 2) is far from it imo!

Lived there for 20 years so must have some idea surely? Watched it get less and less diverse year on year!

[Whittler]

I wouldn't be too sure about Honor Oak, Forest Hill, Penge, Sydenham being 'a lot' cheaper.....the areas along the Overground line are all zooming up in price. Or should i say catching up?

http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10750

[dwe]

Firstly, I think Sydenham and Honor Oak are quite a bit cheaper, and Penge significantly so.

The second point is one that I would agree with - as ED becomes expensive the surrounding areas will eventually become more expensive as large numbers of people are priced out of purchasing in ED or decide that the value for money in surrounding areas is "better" for them.

This is surely how the housing market has been for years?

No one has a right to live in a particular area.....

[Otta]

ratty Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I would say it's not incredibly diverse. Tower

> Hamlets is incredibly diverse I would say, East

> Dulwich, for central london (zone 2) is far from

> it imo!

>

> Lived there for 20 years so must have some idea

> surely? Watched it get less and less diverse year

> on year!

Totally agree!

[Sue]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ratty Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I would say it's not incredibly diverse. Tower

> > Hamlets is incredibly diverse I would say, East

> > Dulwich, for central london (zone 2) is far

> from

> > it imo!

> >

> > Lived there for 20 years so must have some idea

> > surely? Watched it get less and less diverse

> year

> > on year!

>

>

> Totally agree!

xxxxxxx

I agree too.

Can't remember whether the census figures are analysed down that far, from memory I think it's just for the borough ie Southwark, but it would be interesting to see if that perception is true.

I believe Tower Hamlets is the most diverse borough in London, or at least was. Or maybe Newham. Can't remember.

[Otta]

Penge and Sydenham both have a lot of housing that is nicer than anything in ED to be honest. And the fact they're not gentrified is a plus point for some if us.

Alas they are both now getting the overspill from ED and the inevitable is starting to happen.

[????]

Tower Hamlets is borough, East Dulwich is not. Personally, I think ED has moved from a predominantly white working class area to a more middle class white area over my 20 years, it's hardly Brixton or Peckham. I think you could argue it's more socially diverse now, although the balance has tipped to more middle-class. Basically it's always been fairly 'white' and now it's more middle-class white....

[simonethebeaver]

Have the people talking about cheap Sydenham, Honor Oak etc looked at prices recently? The cheapest 3 bedroom Victorian house (as these are often the houses people want to buy) on the market in Sydenham is ?449,000, and it's the very edge of Sydenham that is Catford. The next one up is ?625,000. Things are going for over asking there as well as here. In SE23 the cheapest on the market is ?490,000 for a repossession that already has an offer of over ?550,000.

Yes, these are cheaper prices than ED, although they are outliers to more expensive houses and will probably go for more than asking, but they are way, way higher than a year ago, and still a lot of money to anyone on anything like the average UK salary.

A standard 3 bed in the roads off Honor Oak parade is ?625,000, and those are not big houses.

[Otta]

I dunno, half the kids in my primary class were not white and I honestly felt like I knew of more black families living in the area growing up.

Of course that doesn't prove anything, but from my perspective it seems more white now. But yes, it was never Brixton or Peckham.

[Otta]

In fact, it was exactly half. See for yourselves.

[????]

I think my kid's classes now look pretty similar though......

[Otta]

I believe you, but I'll wager that won't be the case in 5-10 years time.

Aaanyway, getting slightly off topic.

[ratty]

Indeed, a new thread is needed. How middle class and White is East Dulwich now compared to in 1994 when ratty moved there?

[Mick Mac]

When I was told tonight that Finsbury Park was more expensive than East Dulwich, I knew ED was nothing special and that this thread was pointless.

It's the market stupid.

[se84]

I was just reading the Guardian Saturday magazine and the "let's move to" section this week looks at Forest Gate. I'd barely even heard of it before, but having looked at some estate agents' websites it turns out you can buy a three-bed terrace with a garden there for about ?220k! It's a 13 minute train journey into Liverpool Street and it's getting Crossrail in 2017, which will get you to Tottenham Court Road in about ten minutes.

Is there any reason why the property prices there are so significantly cheaper than here?

[SteveUK1978]

Yes, Forest Gate is rough. Sure with Crossrail etc it will change in time (like ED has) but it's got a long way to go.

[StraferJack]

Bit callous mick

I wonder what, say, your mortgage is like compared to people buying a house now

Of course north london and other areas are significantly more expensive but that's missing point a bit. If houses in an historically cheap part of town are out of reach for most people just saying "it's the market" doesn't solve anything

[Otta]

Forest Gate not as rough as it once was, and has some roads with beautiful housing, large double fronted detatched houses which probably go for about the same as a two bed flat in ED.

[StraferJack]

Not. A. Lot. To. Do

In forest gate tho. I lived that way and you have to travel a loooong way of an evening