Hi

Due to a limited budget (£130,000) I am looking to buy a one-bed flat in either South london (Croydon, T. Heath, Norwood etc) or SE London (Penge, Sydenham), preferably with good commute links.

I know that these places aren't exactly classy places, but with prices what they are, and the fact that I'm single, is all I can afford.

Any of them that you would recommend?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-6314473.rsp?pa_n=2&tr_t=buy

If you don't mind being very slightly further out, I'd say that Wallington is a nicer place than where you have mentioned. I think that trains take a bit more than half an hour to London.

We spent 18 months renting in Crystal Palace (Upper Norwood) and we have just baught our first place around the corner in Sydenham. Both places are great although you will get slightly more from your money in Sydenham (although prices are rapidly rising) yet still be in walking distance of all that Crystal Palace has to offer in the way of restuarants, bars and the park.
Sydenham, especially 'Upper' Sydenham nearer Sydenham Hill station is lovely. It is very grean with lots of large character properties and great links to Victoria and Blackfriars (15 mins). Prices in the area are rising very quickly due to lack of supply - people are holding on to the properties due to the forthcoming extension of the East London Line.
Crystal Palace Park is lovely as are Dulwich Woods. I could go on and on. I would recommend Crystal Palace and Sydenham to anybody, it is like a breath of fresh air after spending all day in town. Even the station is really pretty!
Like everywhere there are good and bad bits but if you pay a few visits you soon work out where ther best bits are.
I dont know much about Thornton Heath other than we were advised to avoid it. Anerley and Penge have potential and you will get alot more for you money but the are not as nice as Sydenam and Upper Norwood (Crystal Palace). Finally, I would advise against Lower Sydenham - it is quite run down and although the prices are low it is a cheap area for a reason!

Hope this helps

I'll second everything that Helen77 says. I've lived in the area for 18 months and am very happy with it. Live in a Victorian conversion about 3 mins walk from Penge West station and 2 mins from Crystal Palace Park. No stamp duty when I bought it as it's a deprived area - not sure if this is till the case.

I've lived in the area for 18 years now and generally agree with the above. What I'd say those is that prices in the areas listed here (and the better parts of north Croydon and Bromley) are good value but are increasing and so £130,000 won't buy you much.

I lived in one of the cheaper parts of central Croydon for 10 years and that was fine - never saw any trouble and was *very* convenient for lcoal services and travel to London . It can be a but too urban thuogh - lots of traffic, noise etc.

Parts of Thornton Heath are definitely best avoided, parts are OK. South Norwood's OK but doesn't have much infrastructure. Both have BR stations but not very fast transport otherwise and that's another reason why it's relatively cheap.

The tube's also going to be coming down the south east london rail (Anerley, Norwoord, W Croydon etc) too, of course, but not for a while.

I also agree Wallington is nice, but commuting can be a hike and it's a bit suburban for a young singleton (full of families because the schools are good).

The point about greenery is true across almost all of this area of middle South London . I've got four big parks within 20 minutes walk .

Marky - it's not true that it's all you can afford..... on another thread you say you have a house that you can't make up your mind whether to sell or not. Why are you thinking of living somewhere you obviously don't know and don't sound very keen on, when it sounds like you actually have lots of options open to you. You could actually probably choose to live anywhere you like within reason. Before you make any decision about location, you really should do lots of research.

Actually, that's true, micki.

If I had an equity in another property, I'd sell it and choose a more "desirable" area of London rather than keep it and limit my options.

I'm moving abroad soon, but if I'd stayed I'd planned on moving from a 3 bed in a lovely area in south London to a smaller place in a more sought-after (central) area.

This is what I don't get about "let to buy"? Why hang on to a previous property if it reduces your options in your new location?

Markky - I'm a bit confused by your questions. I've deduced that you've got a 3 bed terraced house which is worth less than £130k and therefore you must be moving to London from quite some distance then (I can't think of anywhere that cheap anywhere south). Why are you moving? A new job?

I don't go sarf of the river mate, bit dodgy down there!

Belvedere, which is 30 minutes from London Bridge by train, and in Zone 5 for travel, is a lovely little village with a shopping centre just a 30 minute walk away.

There, you can buy a 1 bed flat including a garden for under £120,000. For 130,000 you can actually find 2 bed flats, and so have room for expansion / storage.

Ary.

Belevedere is nice . It's reallly, really cheap for London. A friend bought a big four bed town-house there recently for £200,000 :O.

But, like many of the other cheaper areas mentioned here, it suffers from lack of infrastructure. It's far worse than places like South Norwood. The train service is not actually that frequent (particularly at night) and local shops are poor.

I also have the impression (which may be totally wrong) that it's the fringe of the BNP heartland and that's not to everyone's taste.

Again, it's where families go because it's quiet and has highly-rated schools.

Seems that I am a mine of information about the cheapo areas of London - all me and my ilk have ever been able to afford

well we are not so bad as to have a BNP person in power... in fact, I don't think we had one standing here at the recent elections... but in some of the shadier areas, like thamesmead, I have heard of racial incidents happening. No more than in most areas though, as the Police cracked down well on the spate of incidents taht happened some years back.

the trains are quite good here. Every 10-15 minutes at ruch hour, and 20-30 minutes off peak.

buses are good... but don't go all the way to the centre

Woolwich Arsenal, a few stops away, is due to be on the DLR network soon, and Crossrail is expected atound 2008.

I do miss living on a tube line though.

Ary.

my typing... I blame the cat!