Hi, darnock !
By far the best online service I found was Prime Location's website
where wide range of properties offered by a variety of different
agents can be found through:
http://www.primelocation.com
Type in your requirements - location, price range, number of bedrooms
or other features and it will present you with the matches. Click on
the maps to specify your suburbs if you do not know the names already.
The South London area is divided into South-West London and
South-East London, and Croydon and Bromley might also be suitable.
Each district within an area can be searched separately basically by
post code., and it is possible to search up to three at once.
For example, a search of 'SW1, SW2, SW3' (remember to use the ' and
commas) for all houses and flats within your price range found 26
properties starting with a one bedroom ground floor flat near
Knightsbridge at 300,000.
There were 125 properties in SW4, 5 & 6 with flats at the 300,000
mark, this time with two bedrooms.
Properties vary from new to gracious Victorian in various stages of
refurbishment. Click on "full details" for more information including
how to contact the agents - who of course will be able to advise you
of any other similar properties on their books. Maps, and information
on the demographics of the local area are also available for each
property. New flats and apartments are more common than new houses.
Mortgage information is also available on the site.
If you are not familiar with UK real estate, make sure you know the
difference between "Freehold" and "leasehold". Many flats are sold as
long (up to 99 year) leases. Also check for annual charges towards the
building's upkeep.
Registering with the site (free) allows you to sign up for emails
which will alert you as properties matching your criteria come on the
market, as well as allowing you to "bookmark" properties that you like
the look of for further consideration.
I found the site slow on a dial-up connection on a busy Sunday
(Australia) and there are some annoying pop-ups, but the service seems
very comprehensive.
Link Up Properties Nationwide have a website at:
http://www.linkprop.co.uk
You will need to register to access this site. They claim to be "one
of the UK's fastest growing National independent Estate Agents."
Search for London properties in the box to the right. In the results
look for the postcode for the areas you want (SE# and SW#) at the top
left of each listing. Homes are listed from cheapest to dearest and
there's a good range.
In SW4 they currently have a:
"Detached house with 7 bedrooms (1 with en-suite bathroom), family
bathroom, living room/kitchen or self contained studio, shower room,
kitchen/breakfast room, reception room and a conservatory. Outside is
a rear garden and off street parking on the forecourt. OIRE of 499,000
"
There are 360 degree video tours of some properties on this site, as
well as floor plans, though annoyingly you have to click on the link
to find out whether or not they exist for the particular property you
want to view.
This site can help you find a solicitor to help with conveyancing etc.
A very local agency is Homes Enter can be found at:
http://www.homesenter.co.uk/
They have tips and information for first time buyers, a conveyancing
service and a mortgage calculator. They are described as "An
established and reputable property services company in South West
London" and cover the areas near Hampton, Lower Sunbury, Richmond and
St. Margaret's. Properties in your price range seem varied and
attractive, and again range from new to period. Their range is
obviously not as extensive as those of the group agencies. They do
list a four bedroom houseboat in East Twickenham at 425,000 - if that
catches your fancy see:
http://www.findaproperty.com/cgi-bin/www.findaproperty.com/agent.pl?agentid=1309&opt=prop&pid=094714
This boasts:
Substantial Boathouse
Four/Five Bedrooms
Outstanding Views
Kitchen/Breakfast Room
Garden & Patio
Roof Terrace
Freehold Plot of Land with Summerhouse, utility room & work shed
Good luck in your house hunting.
Search terms:
"real estate" London south UK |
