Hi all,
My wife and I are looking to move to Surbiton and dont know the area at all apart from what we can see driving around. I was wondering if people would be kind enough to make some suggestions on suitable areas to look in for our requirements:
- 3 bedroom house with reasonable sized rooms and a garden. Probably looking around £325-350k
- Close to a train station as I commute to Waterloo everday
- We are early thirties and go out quite a bit so a nice area with nice shops and resteraunts would be great (or easy bus ride to Kingston?)
- Close to good schools
- Good family area where the majority of houses are family homes rather than flats
- Access to nice outdoor areas e.g. parks etc
So pretty much what everyone else is looking for then!! What attracts us to Surbiton is access to Waterloo, close to the rivers, close to Kingston, biggish houses, seems pretty quiet. Cheaper than Chiswick where we currently rent (and love but obviously cant afford)
Many thanks in advance
Wayne
Comments
Not much to add to what has already been said, but there is massive variability in prices in all of these areas:
Berrylands: Full of 1930's semis and very family orientated. These houses are likely to be closer to £500k around the tennis club area, but there are examples to be had around £350k in the less sought-after roads.
Ellerton/Bond Road etc are generally a bit more expensive, but there is a greater variety in the type of house available.
The Maple Road (central) area is much less family orientated as it is mostly flats. The rare house that does come on the market seems to be priced nearer to Chiswick levels than Surbiton!
The Cranes Park/Villiers Avenue area is another that might be worth a try. Typically the houses are much larger, but there are a few semis that may be available around the target prices, especially the other side of Villiers Avenue.
Unfortunately, £350k for a house in Surbiton is alwys going to involve plenty of compromise, but I hope you find what you are looking for.
Hi just found this site, so thought I'd reply.... I would suggest the roads off Ewell Road towards Tolworth. I'm thinking Ellerton, Ditton, Douglas, Bond etc (look on a map to see them).
Nice Victorian houses genrally, vary in price but you could probably get one around the £350K mark, 10 minutes walk to the station (and thus the pubs/restaurants) and easy to get into Kingston.
Very safe area, full of familys etc. I would personally live here rather than Berrylands
Sorry but you can forget finding anything other than a flat for that price on most of those roads. Except perhaps Bond Road whichi is not all that nice or at the very top of Douglas or Ellerton (the bottom end of those roads is much nicer!) You will certainly need to think more 500k plus for a 3 bedroom house on Ditton Road.
I agree that 'nice finished' houses will be far above £350K on most of these roads and indeed £500K is a real possibility.
In my original message, that's why I put the price will vary... there have been houses on recently for the lower prices, yes they are are the wrong end of the roads and will need work (in some cases a lot), but potentially you could end up with a nice place. I actually live in this area, and am really happy with it.
Going back to the original poster it's all about what you want / can afford. Berrylands will be cheaper, but you've got to like that style of house or be prepared to compromise.
Question: why don't you Anonymous posters create an account and log in? It would then be easier for everyone to follow the threads...
I'd agree with Stuart. Berrylands ticks all of your boxes with the exception of the shops and restaurants.
The central part of Surbiton is much more expensive (the type of house you are looking for in 'The Mall' would be £600k+) because it is mainly flats meaning that the few houses that are there command a large premium. Great area, though as it is right on the river, 10 minute walk from Kingston and only 15 minutes into Waterloo on the fast train.
Worcester Park could be another option. It is only a few miles away, but in zone 4 for travel (Surbiton is in zone 6) and is MUCH cheaper than Surbiton. Maybe worth checking out?
Hi Wayne
I used to live in Berrylands which has an abundance of properties as you describe, probably in the right price range. It's quiet and from my experience full of families. Don't know about the quality of the schools but Berrylands station is on the Waterloo line. You'll get a more frequent and faster service from Surbiton station but it can be a bit of hike. However there are plenty of buses hurtling along Surbiton Hill Park to get you there.
Berrylands isn't overly endowed with going out opportunites, but there's a smattering of eateries on Ewell Road. As for greenery, there's a park whose name escapes me - but this is trumped by the Hogsmill River which you can follow down to Ewell, or head across the playing fields to New Malden where you can't move for tasty Korean food.
Downsides? There is a sewage treatment plant nearby that on occasion causes a nasty smell. We found that the benefits of the area outweighed the negatives though. I'm sure others here will have a difference of opinion on this matter but you've got to weigh-up what's important.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Stuart
P.S. It's also close to the A3 for escaping by car.
Thanks everyone, that gives me a starting point. I will probably have to compromise but its a start
Cheers!
Seriously Wazzaa, for the money you are talking about there is an area of Tolworth between Elgar Avenue and the A3 that pretends to be Berrylands but really isn't - estate agents will tell you that it is Berrylands of course (bless them). Architecturally the houses are pretty much the same and it is a nice enough area, if you have children then crucially they will get you into the favoured primary schools (Grand Avenue and Christ Church) but with a price tag of around £100-£150k less than 'proper' Berrylands. The roads to look out for are Beresford Avenue, Lyndhurst Avenue, Woodside Close and Warren Drive. If you can stretch to the other side of the A3 then you will get even more for your money on Southwood Drive etc.
Personally I would avoid anything on the other side of the Broadway...nuff said.
Alternatively, if you are on a budget then you could look at West Ewell or Worcester Park where things are significantly cheaper but there are some nice neighbourhoods - just watch out for the school catchment areas if you have youngsters.
If you can get away with the Ellerton Road/Bond Road/Douglas Road in your price range then I would recommend it. I would be surprised to see anything under £400k in that area unless it was a total renovation job but worth a shout as it is a nice area.
Good luck and happy house hunting!