By Natalia Gameson
Buying a home in London and the South East is no mean feat for the struggling
first-time buyer. House prices in London are currently averaging £319,182*, while properties in the surrounding commuter belt are around £217,212*. So, to help you bag some bricks and mortar in the most expensive corner of England, we’ve rounded up some of the best new properties priced under £250,000.
*According to the latest Land Registry house price figures
1. Mono, Bromley, Kent, by Linden Homes
Located off Bromley Hill in Downham, Mono is now in its final phase - prices start at £214,995 for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. This gated development is near Beckenham Place Park, part of the very attractive South East London Green Chain Walk, but is close enough to walk into Bromley and Lewisham.
Buyers will be able to handpick their internal fittings, and most of the apartments feature balconies - a boon for those longing for outside space. Gated parking is available for residents with wheels.
Journeys from Mono will take commuters into central London from Bromley North and Grove Park stations in around 20 minutes, while a DLR connection can be picked up at Lewisham, a short bus ride away. Call Linden Homes on 01883 334451 for more information or view more details online.
2. Forest Place, Walthamstow, East London, by Barratt Homes
Barratt has just started work on Forest Place, a regeneration project that will provide 184 apartments on land previously occupied by an electrical-goods factory. In-keeping with the site’s heritage, an Art Deco-style office building - dating from the 1930s - will be restored and used by the local council.
A landscaped formal garden will run through the scheme’s centre, and an impressive entrance via electronically controlled gates is planned.
Forest Place is now in its second phase and apartments are available for occupation now. First-time buyers will love the price tag – studio pads start at around £155,000, while one-bedroom apartments cost from £196,995 and two-bedroom apartments cost from £239,995.
Many dwellings include a balcony, and there is private parking. Amenities will include a gym and concierge for residents, and a new local school and playing fields.
Transport links are good, with underground and overground connections to Central London in around 20 minutes.
This is a great chance to get on the ladder in London, and Walthamstow promises to be a good investment, being close to Stratford - home of the 2012 Olympics. Plus, Barratt is offering help with stamp duty and deposits on selected plots. Contact the sales office for more details on 020 8531 5127 or read more online.
3. Bauhaus, Croydon, by Durkan Estates
We recently crowned a Croydon scheme with our March Development of the month title, and regeneration has certainly taken off in the town with a vengeance. Durkan Estates’ new Bauhaus development comes with a low price tag, with one-bedroom flats going for £169,995 and £220,995 for a two-bedroom equivalent.
The Bauhaus project is one of a few refurbishment projects kicking off in the area, but this time it’s an existing 12-storey office building that’s getting an overhaul via conversion.
The exterior will take on the modern lines and brown and grey colours of the German post-1919 Bauhaus movement (which translates as ‘house for building’). Inside, all flats will feature under-floor heating and fitted wardrobes in a fairly sizeable living space.
You won’t be able to move in until autumn 2009 when the development is scheduled for completion, but on the plus side, properties are usually cheaper to buy off-plan, so it’s a good way to knock a few pounds off your purchase.
Equally, Croydon is only 15 minutes away from the likes of London Bridge and Victoria station, so is a good option for those who want a London lifestyle on a budget.
Call Durkan Estates on 01992 781400 for more information.
4. Holborough, Kent, by Berkeley Homes
By most first-time buyer standards, an eco-friendly property may seem an unobtainable luxury. However, some affordable energy-efficient homes are now hitting the market to suit the eco-conscious fledgling buyer.
Berkeley Homes’ Holborough development in Kent is built on the site of the former Holborough quarry, part of the village of Snodgrass. The houses and flats on site are made from sustainable timber and are fitted with the innovative ‘Super E®’ technology. This Canadian system works to improve air quality and reduce heat loss to slash fuel bills for the user.
The flats themselves feature two bedrooms, which boast larger-than-average windows to make the most of the available natural light. An en-suite bathroom and a virtually open-plan kitchen/lounge area is refreshingly broken up by two small partition walls. The rooms are a bit on the small side, but then the flats are reasonably priced at £170,000.
Commuters can reach central London in around 90 minutes, which is set to be shortened significantly with the completion of the Channel Tunnel rail link station at Ebbsfleet in 2008.
Call Berkeley Homes on 01634 244666 or visit the Holborough website.
5. Poynings Place, Kent, by Charles Church
Horsmonden is a pretty little village on the Weald in Kent, and a good setting for Charles Church’s new development, Poynings Place. The scheme features a variety of attractive property designs, and the two-bedroom Rockley house type is priced at an affordable £199,950, so it would be a good match for first-time buyers looking for a slice of country life outside London.
The terraced properties feature a cloakroom, good-sized living room and separate kitchen on the ground floor, and the two bedrooms on top are kitted out with useful built-in wardrobes to save on storage space.
Horsmonden doesn’t boast a train station of its own, but the nearby Paddock Wood station, a ten-minute drive away, runs trains to London’s Charing Cross in around 50 minutes.
The Poynings Place sales office is open from Thursday to Monday between 10am and 5pm - call 01892 724598 for more information.