Top 5 London Areas

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With more and more investment pouring into London from the fields of technology, media and finance, it’s still the place to be for affluent young professionals looking to build a life. Whether you’re one of these young upstarts or a landlord looking to capitalise on the market, here are some areas that are holding their own in the competition to be the most desirable place to live in London, and a couple of upstarts vying for poll position…

Whether you acknowledge it or not, most of us aspire to the safety and security of the familiar. Being with like-minded people makes for a more pleasant and peaceful existence. And seeking out friends and colleagues with similar interests and aspirations can pay dividends in the future too, as you’ll have a shared pool of experience that you can all draw on to answer the regular conundrums that life tends to throw at us.

One of the most public displays of this mentality is where we choose to live, especially if you call London your home. From the wealth in the West, to the ever-expanding creative and technology industries in East London, Londoners know what they want and will defend it with passion. The young families of South London, for example, would never trade their lives with their peers in the North, despite the many, many similarities in the quality of life. It’s just one of the millions of quirks that makes London such an entertaining, challenging, and rewarding place to live.

But if you’re buying a new property, and against all odds have found yourself sitting on the fence, we’ve compiled a list of five of the hottest areas to live in London right now. Showing the range of culture, property, and prices, it will also be useful for anyone looking for a quality buy-to-let property, and those who have found themselves priced out of their preferred postcode but want something similar.


FULHAM

"Destination for young professionals that tend to have university qualifications”


A recent survey from the Lloyds Banking Group names Fulham as the number one destination for ‘young aspiring urbanites’ that the paper describes as ‘young professionals that tend to have university qualifications, are in well paid occupations and like to take full advantage of living in or close to the city, either for work or leisure purposes.’

And Fulham delivers, serviced as it is by decent public transport to get into town and on to work in a decent time, while maintaining a selection of beautiful green spaces, a decent nightlife, plenty of restaurants, and spectacular properties.

And the range of properties means that although the competition is fierce, there are properties that are regularly available, with flats fit for first time buyers going for between £550 and 700 thousand, depending on the quality and location. As for buy-to-let Landlords, the rental market is alive and well in Fulham, catering to a mixture of those who haven’t quite got the capital for a deposit yet, along with plenty of young professionals from abroad who want a taste of city life, but aren’t sure it will be a permanent situation.


WIMBLEDON

“Wombles, wide-open green spaces, well-heeled, intelligent families, good schools and the village”


Aside from a certain annual sporting competition, Wimbledon is famous for it’s wombles, wide-open green spaces, well-heeled, intelligent families, good schools and the village - It as a beautiful place that manages to balance the atmosphere and warmth of a small community with a defiantly cosmopolitan edge.

Well serviced by overground rail links at Wimbledon Station, Wimbledon Park and Raynes Park train stations, there’s also South Wimbledon that sits on the Northern Line, one of the London’s main arteries. You can be at Waterloo station in 25-minutes, or stay at home and explore the golf course, stables, or numerous picturesque pubs.

Wimbledon Town, is where first time buyers will find themselves looking, probably at flats located in classic Victorian terraced houses. South Park Gardens, for example, features some wonderful three-bed terraces that have sold for around the £700 thousand mark. Journey half a mile away to Wimbledon Village, however, and you’re looking at a very different, and much more expensive picture, with huge houses featuring basement conversions, home theatres, that will easily hit eight figures, Wimbledon has two very distinct sides to it.


WANDSWORTH

“Wandsworth has it all going on. Packed with a beautiful Victorian properties, close to everything a young professional could want.”


House prices in Wandsworth Town have risen by around 13% in the last year, adding an average of £90,000 on to the value of people’s properties. Nice work, if you can get it.

Due to its location, Wandsworth really does have it all going on. Packed with a beautiful Victorian properties ranging from two and three bed flats, to much larger family homes. It’s also close to everything a young professional could want. You’re within walking distance of the pubs and bars of Balham and Battersea, as well as parks, the common and some excellent schools.

At the higher end of the market, you’ll find people talking about Spencer Park, a very desirable area of detached Victorian houses set around a private park, with some houses boasting views of the common. Unsurprisingly, these house rarely come to market, but Homes and Property recommend advice that Lyford Road and the Toast Rack roads (Baskerville, Dorlcote, Henderson, Nicosia, and Patten), where there are large, red-brick semi-detached and terrace Edwardian houses, might prove more fruitful. These properties usually sell for between £1.5  million and just under £3 million.


PECKHAM

“The place for switched on young professionals making their first steps in the property market, boasting culture to rival Hackney.”


Put aside any clichés and unfounded opinions, because Peckham is here to steal your heart. The district I South East London is fast becoming – which means it will have fast become a nightmare to find a property – the place for switched on young professionals making their first steps in the property market. Boasting culture to rival Hackney, and property to match the likes of some areas in South and South West London, Peckham is a place where you can leave your charming two-bed flat you bought for just over £400,000, walk past bollards designed by Anthony Gormley, and head to Frank’s Campari Bar on the top of a carpark for some delicious BBQ squid and one of the best views in London.

Thanks to the arrival of the Overground, transport is far more efficient, and you can be in London or the City within 40-minutes. The most desirable roads, according to the Evening Standard, include Lyndhurst Grove, Lyndhurst Square, Lyndhurst Way, Holly Grove, Elm Grove, Blenheim Grove, Highshore Road, Talfourd Road, and Denman Road. Those looking for a bargain, and with it a project, would be advised to look at the properties around Queens Road where a three-bed terrace would sell for around £650,000. Charming.


HACKNEY

“Silicon Roundabout is home to some of the countries most forward thinking technology companies, and while the people who work there aren’t quite in the same league as their colleagues in California, there is some serious money being earned by some young and increasingly powerful people.”


Get of the tube at Old Street station and you’ll find yourself in a world of ones and zeros. Just a stones throw from the City, Old Street and nearby Shoreditch has been quietly building its own multi-billion pound industry for the last few years. Nicknamed ‘Silicon Roundabout’ the area is home to some of the countries most forward thinking technology companies, and while the people who work there aren’t quite in the same league as their colleagues in California, there is some serious money being earned by some young and increasingly powerful people.

The problem, however, is that Shoreditch and the immediate area has a derth of properties that are suitable for anyone looking for something beyond a shared flat that isn’t a heartless warehouse conversion. And besides, Shoreditch is still something of party area, featuring streets lined with late night pubs and bars. So those seeking to balance the East London aesthetic with a bit of peace and quiet are journeying further into Hackney.

Well connected by overground train services, Hackney Central and the surrounding area is quickly shedding any form of bad reputation, which is helped by the influx of popular brands including Burberry and Aquascutum, who have both recently opened shops there, and a crowd of some of London’s coolest creatives.

Property prices vary hugely across the area, which means you can pretty much find something to suit everyone’s needs. From beautiful two-bed flats to stunning converted Victorian townhouse which sniff around, and sometimes above, the £1 million mark.

Some of the most desirable locations are the quiet terraced streets around London Fields, which is situated a short walk from the brilliant Broadway market. This area recently leapfrogged nearby De Beauvoir to become more valuable, and it shows no signs of showing down. And contrary to popular belief that East London is to be experienced and then left in favour of somewhere more suburban, families are now staying.

London Area Guides

Find out more about London’s varied areas on our brand new website at brik.co.uk where you can find a plethora of area guides with a wealth of information.

*Data based on all properties via Zoopla and The Land Registry