Kidbrooke

cantersaddick said:

Rob7Lee said:

Where about's are you looking?

Trying not to be too specific for a few reasons.cant really afford to be picky, dont know the area very well, also dont want to get set on one particular place as chances are they wont still be on the market in a couple of months when we are actually in a position to put offers down. Our main requirement is to be walking distance to the station (or a station, but we are basing it around Kidbrooke station for now) have looked at a few between the A2 and Rochester way (some nearer Eltham). A couple further south nearer the south circular. Haven't been able to go and have a look round due to lockdown and to be honest we only "discovered" kidbrooke as an option in the last month or so. More after a general feel for the place, connections busyness etc.

 If I were you I would look at some other areas if you want to be close to a station. Have you actually driven round the area as to me there is not much there. To be honest I dont know the area that well ( born & bred in Bexley & went to school in Welling so my area of knowledge is slightly further out). However, I drive that way on the way to The Valley & have clients in Blackheath & the surrounding areas so often take the A20/A2 route and I wouldnt say it would be my first choice of area to live in. 

Problem is the 2 train stations you need to commute into are on 2 different lines. I live in Swanley, which is on the Victoria line, and it's a bugger if you want to get into London Bridge. I'm not sure if there are many areas that would serve both lines. 

@golfaddick the Bexleyheath line (which Kidbrooke is on) has services to both London bridge/Cannon Street/Charing Cross and Victoria 

O-Randy-Hunt said:

If you're proper charlton you've got to get one of these bad boys. Pick up them train numbers without ever having to leave the flat.

But going by the experience of my parents' place, that's similarly close to a different station, you're going to get woken up by the station tannoy if you've got the windows open in the summer.

I have driven through Kidbrooke on my way to The Valley for 35 years.  The Ferrier was an absolute eye opener for a young lad from Beckenham - for some reason I retained vivid memories of the curtains / cardboard stuck to the windows.  It is certainly a different place now and I have taken my kids to the clip and climb there and the kids play area so they love it.  A gym down the road and train station/main road on your doorstep - what is not to like.

Only thing is, I reckon the housing market will take a pasting if there is a huge recession and massive uptick in unemployment so you may want to hold off more than 2 months. 

Tricky one on timing but I see very little in the way of upwards pressure on the housing market so suspect today's bargain will be cheaper tomorrow at the moment. 

I stuck a speculative offer in on a house near me a week back at 25% less than asking price and whilst it was knocked back they would have been happy to talk at the 10% reduction mark on a house I thought looked reasonably priced/pitched based on what it would have sold for in Jan/Feb.

Covered End said:

cantersaddick said:

Covered End said:

cantersaddick said:

golfaddick said:

cantersaddick said:

Rob7Lee said:

Where about's are you looking?

Trying not to be too specific for a few reasons.cant really afford to be picky, dont know the area very well, also dont want to get set on one particular place as chances are they wont still be on the market in a couple of months when we are actually in a position to put offers down. Our main requirement is to be walking distance to the station (or a station, but we are basing it around Kidbrooke station for now) have looked at a few between the A2 and Rochester way (some nearer Eltham). A couple further south nearer the south circular. Haven't been able to go and have a look round due to lockdown and to be honest we only "discovered" kidbrooke as an option in the last month or so. More after a general feel for the place, connections busyness etc.

 If I were you I would look at some other areas if you want to be close to a station. Have you actually driven round the area as to me there is not much there. To be honest I dont know the area that well ( born & bred in Bexley & went to school in Welling so my area of knowledge is slightly further out). However, I drive that way on the way to The Valley & have clients in Blackheath & the surrounding areas so often take the A20/A2 route and I wouldnt say it would be my first choice of area to live in. 

Problem is the 2 train stations you need to commute into are on 2 different lines. I live in Swanley, which is on the Victoria line, and it's a bugger if you want to get into London Bridge. I'm not sure if there are many areas that would serve both lines. 

You're absolutely right about the 2 different lines and it's the main reason we have come across this area. Neither of us want to compromise on commute.

Not much there has come up a few times and is precisely why I started this thread. Useful information thanks. We are planning on visiting the area and viewing one (currently empty) place in the next week or so to get more of a feel for the area. 

We've looked at other areas on and off in the last year, including places like st Mary cray as well as awful options like Bromley and Croydon! 

Bromley wins by a country mile & I'm being serious.

Long way off in terms of what you get for your money unfortunately. Prices in bromley are significantly higher (30-40k) for roughly like-for like. Particularly anywhere near a station even a bus ride away.

Higher commute costs although quicker to Victoria for me. 

Not so near family. But yes still looking at Bromley.

Yes you pay more, as it's a better area with far better amenities.
It has almost everything.
Pubs, bars, restaurants, shopping centre, new cinemas, bowling alley, theatre, trains to Victoria and LB, close to woods & Chislehurst, Keston etc.

I've never regretted moving to Bromley, even though in laws were trying to get us to move to Welling or Bexleyheath as it was a bit cheaper.

Apart from the fact the place is littered with Palarse knobheads

Ultimately, location is just as important as is the house (and which way the garden faces) but you could pick an area and end up in a shit road. You could even pick a good road but with a house up the shit end. I wouldn’t hone in on one specific area that small just yet. 

Covered End said:

Off_it said:

Covered End said:

cantersaddick said:

Covered End said:

cantersaddick said:

golfaddick said:

cantersaddick said:

Rob7Lee said:

Where about's are you looking?

Trying not to be too specific for a few reasons.cant really afford to be picky, dont know the area very well, also dont want to get set on one particular place as chances are they wont still be on the market in a couple of months when we are actually in a position to put offers down. Our main requirement is to be walking distance to the station (or a station, but we are basing it around Kidbrooke station for now) have looked at a few between the A2 and Rochester way (some nearer Eltham). A couple further south nearer the south circular. Haven't been able to go and have a look round due to lockdown and to be honest we only "discovered" kidbrooke as an option in the last month or so. More after a general feel for the place, connections busyness etc.

 If I were you I would look at some other areas if you want to be close to a station. Have you actually driven round the area as to me there is not much there. To be honest I dont know the area that well ( born & bred in Bexley & went to school in Welling so my area of knowledge is slightly further out). However, I drive that way on the way to The Valley & have clients in Blackheath & the surrounding areas so often take the A20/A2 route and I wouldnt say it would be my first choice of area to live in. 

Problem is the 2 train stations you need to commute into are on 2 different lines. I live in Swanley, which is on the Victoria line, and it's a bugger if you want to get into London Bridge. I'm not sure if there are many areas that would serve both lines. 

You're absolutely right about the 2 different lines and it's the main reason we have come across this area. Neither of us want to compromise on commute.

Not much there has come up a few times and is precisely why I started this thread. Useful information thanks. We are planning on visiting the area and viewing one (currently empty) place in the next week or so to get more of a feel for the area. 

We've looked at other areas on and off in the last year, including places like st Mary cray as well as awful options like Bromley and Croydon! 

Bromley wins by a country mile & I'm being serious.

Long way off in terms of what you get for your money unfortunately. Prices in bromley are significantly higher (30-40k) for roughly like-for like. Particularly anywhere near a station even a bus ride away.

Higher commute costs although quicker to Victoria for me. 

Not so near family. But yes still looking at Bromley.

Yes you pay more, as it's a better area with far better amenities.
It has almost everything.
Pubs, bars, restaurants, shopping centre, new cinemas, bowling alley, theatre, trains to Victoria and LB, close to woods & Chislehurst, Keston etc.

I've never regretted moving to Bromley, even though in laws were trying to get us to move to Welling or Bexleyheath as it was a bit cheaper.

Apart from the fact the place is littered with Palarse knobheads

No doubt, although I've never seen them in over 30 years.
No one goes round wearing football shirts.

The mannequins in the window of the palace shop in the glades do. 

We lived on council estate in Lewisham and in 1983 my aunt and her husband moved to the Ferrier Estate.

First time I visited them there I felt like Hyacinth Bucket.

Carter said:

in 1999 I had a washing machine thrown at me off the top of a block of flats in the ferrier estate. Missed me and the guy I was working with by about 12 inches. 

In complete fairness apparently this was a regular thing there so we shouldn't have taken it personally 

Reminds me of an old pal of mine.

The estate we grew up on, we'd get up on the roof which was pretty easy back then (mid 80's) the handymans door leading to lift motor room was usually open, and we would have great fun dropping numerous items off the roof. It started with conkers and escalated on to things like oranges and potatoes - nothing too dangerous.

Then one day my pal Lee turned up with the biggest watermelon id ever seen and said he was gonna lob it off the roof. He did aswell. He then went back to the market and got about another half dozen and methodically got them up to the roof that evening ready to drop onto the oblivious community below in the morning.

So we all waited in the morning on our way to school to see if he would go through with it, nobody else really wanted to go up with him so we waited and then it begun...watermelons raining down from the sky and people running in all directions.

Needless to say the police were waiting for him and swiftly took him home to his mum who then battered him infront of us all - too much amusement.

His nickname from then on was obviously Melon,and it stuck. I even spoke to him last year and still call him Melon.

Curb_It said:

I don’t know from accommodation perspective or where you are looking but I would choose Kidbrooke over most of the places suggested on here. Being so close to Blackheath would be a big selling point for any younger person. You would most likely get off the train at Blackheath on the way home from work to go to one of the many pubs or restaurants that it has.  As mentioned it does have its own new smart new pub/restaurant. The Homebase has been turned in to an Aldi also.  Got a David Lloyd and it’s own train station on your doorstep.  And as mentioned easy to go see parents and not far from The Valley. 

It’s a good idea. 

He’s a first time buyer. It’ll be the street gym in Sutcliffe park and the drive through Mcdonalds.