London Properties

[MicrosoftBob]

It must be getting out of control where I know someone paid nearly 600k for an ex council house in Hemel

[Martin@AS Financial]

London can mean anything within whatever is an acceptable commute for you.

Crossrail is bringing many more areas to within 45 minutes of central London. You can look at areas like Ealing or a little further out (and cheaper) like Hayes, Langley or Slough. Yes some might think they are a little more deprived but a house in Slough is probably a third the price of a flat in Ealing, yet the Crossrail journey will only be around 10 minutes more. So your potential profit is probably better in the outer areas. Reading is a good bet too.

Northern parts of Kent are also going up in value. Think Ebbsfleet station, which has a 17 minute train ride into Kings Cross.

Midlands with the HS2, another contender for biggest price rises over the next 10 years?

Central London itself does not make for a good investment right now. Stories of a city property bubble are rife and development is at a high, so supply will increase and it's entirely possible that overseas investment is at risk, which is the only thing bucking up the prices there. City professionals won't buy £1m standard flats in central London, not when they can buy far grander properties within a 30 minute commute.

The ripple effect is moving outwards.

I live in Ealing and thoroughly recommend it. When Westfield shopping centre opened, it took a bit of a nosedive but is now on the up again.

Between Ealing and Hayes is Hanwell where you can still buy for a reasonable price. It is also on the Crossrail link which bodes well for the future.

[ChimpMaster]

I live in Ealing and thoroughly recommend it. When Westfield shopping centre opened, it took a bit of a nosedive but is now on the up again.

Between Ealing and Hayes is Hanwell where you can still buy for a reasonable price. It is also on the Crossrail link which bodes well for the future.

I studied at a small private school in Ealing so much of my youth was spent there, along with socializing there through most of my twenties. It was a really nice place when I was younger but become a hole for a while after that. I would say it's on the up now though.

Having said that, I would refer back to my earlier comment in that Ealing is already very pricey when compared to other LondonCity-commutable towns. Hanwell... not so sure I'd want to live there!

[Martin@AS Financial]

I studied at a small private school in Ealing so much of my youth was spent there, along with socializing there through most of my twenties. It was a really nice place when I was younger but become a hole for a while after that. I would say it's on the up now though.

Having said that, I would refer back to my earlier comment in that Ealing is already very pricey when compared to other LondonCity-commutable towns. Hanwell... not so sure I'd want to live there!

Did you used to go to the North Star when you were in Ealing?

Turtle Bay has just opened and the food there is incredible.

Hanwell has certainly improved over the years. It's pretty family orientated now as you get a lot more for your money compared to Ealing / Chiswick.