My husband will be working in London, W14 9EB if this helps with any recommendations.
Thanks!
Posted: 2008-03-22 01:48:34
Considering a move to London....
All In London Forum
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Schmebi
Hi...it is possible that my family and I may be relocated to London from the States. It would be my husband and I and our two daughters, ages 6 & 2. Does anyone have any recommendations on where we should begin looking for a place that would be family friendly? We would be working with an annual salary of 160K. I am so overwhelmed and I have no clue how to begin this task. Any suggestions?
My husband will be working in London, W14 9EB if this helps with any recommendations.
Thanks!
My husband will be working in London, W14 9EB if this helps with any recommendations.
Thanks!
All In London
Hi Schmebi,
Welcome to AIL's Forum!
Yes a move to London can be a bit unnerving when you have no idea where to start – the city is just so big!!
That’s a good annual salary to allow you to move to many areas without too much restriction, although in comparison to housing that I visited in eth US you may be a little underwhelmed with what youa re able to get for your money!
I guess the first question is what do you like and what’s important for you? Do you like greenery? A laid back atmosphere? A bohemian vibe? Busy with a good nightlife? Posh and fashionable? There are many areas all over London that offer all of these things to varying degrees.
The postcode that you gave for your husband’s work is located in Kensington. This is a very nice area of west inner London, right in the middle of everything with some major tourist attractions nearby as well as green spaces, parks, good shopping and bars etc This might be a good place to start your search as then it would eliminate a time-consuming commute from your husband’s day if it saves him having to commute across the capital.
You can have a read up on the area in our regions section here:
Kensington Region Guide
... you can read about many of London’s districts and regions here: All In London’s Region Guide - each of these give an overview of the main regions as well as details of amenities in the area.
Other areas that you may wish to take a look at include: Fulham, Maida Vale, Hamptead, St John’s Wood, Richmond and Notting Hill.
Feel free to post back if you’ve got further question or would like to suggest some criteria for the area you’d liek to move to.
All the best,
AIL Staff
Welcome to AIL's Forum!
Yes a move to London can be a bit unnerving when you have no idea where to start – the city is just so big!!
That’s a good annual salary to allow you to move to many areas without too much restriction, although in comparison to housing that I visited in eth US you may be a little underwhelmed with what youa re able to get for your money!
I guess the first question is what do you like and what’s important for you? Do you like greenery? A laid back atmosphere? A bohemian vibe? Busy with a good nightlife? Posh and fashionable? There are many areas all over London that offer all of these things to varying degrees.
The postcode that you gave for your husband’s work is located in Kensington. This is a very nice area of west inner London, right in the middle of everything with some major tourist attractions nearby as well as green spaces, parks, good shopping and bars etc This might be a good place to start your search as then it would eliminate a time-consuming commute from your husband’s day if it saves him having to commute across the capital.
You can have a read up on the area in our regions section here:
Kensington Region Guide
... you can read about many of London’s districts and regions here: All In London’s Region Guide - each of these give an overview of the main regions as well as details of amenities in the area.
Other areas that you may wish to take a look at include: Fulham, Maida Vale, Hamptead, St John’s Wood, Richmond and Notting Hill.
Feel free to post back if you’ve got further question or would like to suggest some criteria for the area you’d liek to move to.
All the best,
AIL Staff
Posted: 2008-03-26 14:33:54
Schmebi
Thank you so much for the reply! What is most important to us is to be in a safe area, especially since we have two small children. We have a dog as well so to be able to be near parks where she can go too would be great.
I have noticed by looking at listings that places are very small. This will definitely be something that we will need to adjust to ;) Where would the best place be to find listings? With a realtor? classifieds? I ran across a site called Gumtree that seemed to have quite a lot.
As far as schooling (I am not sure on this yet)I believe we will need to send our daughter to an American school as I do not believe we will not stay permanently. Do you have any knowledge about these?
I know this may be a strange questions, but, to your knowledge, do many Americans bring their autos with them to the UK? Or, would this be a complete waste of time anyway given the traffic and the great public transport available?
Another silly question....how do people go grocery shopping when they have two small children and no car? Any insight would be hlepful!
Thanks again!
:wave:
I have noticed by looking at listings that places are very small. This will definitely be something that we will need to adjust to ;) Where would the best place be to find listings? With a realtor? classifieds? I ran across a site called Gumtree that seemed to have quite a lot.
As far as schooling (I am not sure on this yet)I believe we will need to send our daughter to an American school as I do not believe we will not stay permanently. Do you have any knowledge about these?
I know this may be a strange questions, but, to your knowledge, do many Americans bring their autos with them to the UK? Or, would this be a complete waste of time anyway given the traffic and the great public transport available?
Another silly question....how do people go grocery shopping when they have two small children and no car? Any insight would be hlepful!
Thanks again!
:wave:
Posted: 2008-03-27 00:42:53
doonhamer32
Hi Schmebi :wave:
While living in Kensington will eliminate your husband's commute, you will, as you have found, get not a lot for your money! By moving a little further out (west) you may find your buying power substantially increased. I suggest you check wich tube lines run near your hasband's new work place (www.streetmap.co.uk for location of stations, then www.tfl.gov.uk for tube map). Use www.yell.co.uk to run a search for "estate agents" (UK speak for realtors)in your chosen area/postcode and visit their websites to browse avaliable properties - that way you get a good idea of what you can get in any given area. After that, you post back here with some more specific questions - easy!!! :thumbsup:
While living in Kensington will eliminate your husband's commute, you will, as you have found, get not a lot for your money! By moving a little further out (west) you may find your buying power substantially increased. I suggest you check wich tube lines run near your hasband's new work place (www.streetmap.co.uk for location of stations, then www.tfl.gov.uk for tube map). Use www.yell.co.uk to run a search for "estate agents" (UK speak for realtors)in your chosen area/postcode and visit their websites to browse avaliable properties - that way you get a good idea of what you can get in any given area. After that, you post back here with some more specific questions - easy!!! :thumbsup:
Posted: 2008-03-27 15:39:16
Sooz
Hi there :wave:
We used to live in St John's Wood where there is an excellent American school. This is quite a pricey area (we were only on the outskirts and in a tiny flat!) so not sure you would get too much space for your money, but maybe try looking at places like West Hampstead, Finchley or perhaps even Muswell Hill/Crouch End. The latter two aren't particularly near to a tube line and are therefore better value for money even though they are lovely locations and very family friendly. So if you can do your commuting by car/bus/cycling/etc.. then these could be good options.
Although I don't recommend using them to actually buy/rent a place necessarily, i would always try www.foxtons.co.uk as they have an EXCELLENT website for property. You can type in some postcodes/areas and your price range and they come back with really comprehensive listings information.
I think Doonhamer32 is right though - take a look at some maps and tube maps and decide which areas are options for you - then post back with specific areas... we should be able to help a bit more then.
Hope you find something suitable!
Good luck
:thumbsup:
We used to live in St John's Wood where there is an excellent American school. This is quite a pricey area (we were only on the outskirts and in a tiny flat!) so not sure you would get too much space for your money, but maybe try looking at places like West Hampstead, Finchley or perhaps even Muswell Hill/Crouch End. The latter two aren't particularly near to a tube line and are therefore better value for money even though they are lovely locations and very family friendly. So if you can do your commuting by car/bus/cycling/etc.. then these could be good options.
Although I don't recommend using them to actually buy/rent a place necessarily, i would always try www.foxtons.co.uk as they have an EXCELLENT website for property. You can type in some postcodes/areas and your price range and they come back with really comprehensive listings information.
I think Doonhamer32 is right though - take a look at some maps and tube maps and decide which areas are options for you - then post back with specific areas... we should be able to help a bit more then.
Hope you find something suitable!
Good luck
:thumbsup:
Posted: 2008-04-04 20:33:34
piccidilly
Hello Schmebi,
I just found this web-site so I don't know if you have already moved, or in the middle of it but I am an American currently living in London. When my husband was relocated the company set us up with a Realtor and assistance. If your not that lucky, may I highly suggest you find a school that will accept your children first, before leasing a flat. The American School in London is very particular. One of my children was not accepted even though the other one was. This also happened to my husbands boss and she is a very influential woman with $$$$$$. She ended up sending her kids to a boarding school. We ended up living in Cobham for 2 years, near another American School. A 30 minute train ride into Waterloo. Both of these schools are private. The tution costs are £6,060 - £11,760 (double that amount for dollars.)Again, my husbands job paid for our kids to go to school. They both graduated a year ago and we moved into the city so we could be close to where my husband works. I wanted to be centrally located, so we live close to Victoria Station.
As far as cars, you don't want to bring yours with you. The expense is too great. Ask at the school that your children are applying to if they have a book of classified items for sale. I know the school my children attended had this book that came out every month. At the end of the school year the people that were moving back to the States had massive sales of items they no longer needed. Cars included.
Things change as you live in the city. I live 5 minutes away from the grocery store and shop almost every day. I travel every where by foot. tube or train. My husbands company gave him a car for us to use if we choose to travel outside the city.
Good luck with your move- its a wonderful but scary experience. If you have any other questions, please post and I will try to respond.
I just found this web-site so I don't know if you have already moved, or in the middle of it but I am an American currently living in London. When my husband was relocated the company set us up with a Realtor and assistance. If your not that lucky, may I highly suggest you find a school that will accept your children first, before leasing a flat. The American School in London is very particular. One of my children was not accepted even though the other one was. This also happened to my husbands boss and she is a very influential woman with $$$$$$. She ended up sending her kids to a boarding school. We ended up living in Cobham for 2 years, near another American School. A 30 minute train ride into Waterloo. Both of these schools are private. The tution costs are £6,060 - £11,760 (double that amount for dollars.)Again, my husbands job paid for our kids to go to school. They both graduated a year ago and we moved into the city so we could be close to where my husband works. I wanted to be centrally located, so we live close to Victoria Station.
As far as cars, you don't want to bring yours with you. The expense is too great. Ask at the school that your children are applying to if they have a book of classified items for sale. I know the school my children attended had this book that came out every month. At the end of the school year the people that were moving back to the States had massive sales of items they no longer needed. Cars included.
Things change as you live in the city. I live 5 minutes away from the grocery store and shop almost every day. I travel every where by foot. tube or train. My husbands company gave him a car for us to use if we choose to travel outside the city.
Good luck with your move- its a wonderful but scary experience. If you have any other questions, please post and I will try to respond.
Posted: 2008-04-23 12:02:03
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