House Hunters International - London

Actual date of this event: 26 & 27 March

Introduction:
Luke and I had pretty low expectations for house hunting because London is a pretty expensive place to live. We were pleasantly surprised and walked away in the end with some amazing choices! Before our viewings, we had to get on the same page with what we wanted in a home.

What We Were Looking For:
2 bedrooms
1 bathroom
Parking for one vehicle
Kitchen with good storage
Outdoor Space that does not require us to maintain
LOCATION - needs to be within 10 minutes walk to the train station
LOCATION - needs to be within 10 minutes walk to grocery store(s)
LOCATION - needs to be within 10 minutes walk to a gym

After seeing over 20 different places, we had at least 5 that we would have been happy living in. We had 3 homes that were all terrific and exactly what we wanted and were looking for. All three had very similar features.
-2 bedrooms
-2bathrooms
-good kitchen storage
-allocated parking in an underground garage
-bike storage in garage
-combination washer/dryer
-super close distance to all three necessities
It was such a difficult choice to make, but luckily we both had the same top choice. To help our decision we had to get picky.

House #1 - Wimbledon Central
-Closets in both bedrooms
-bedrooms decent sized, but not the biggest off all homes
-2 hallway closets
-balcony big enough for a small table and two chairs
-located on 4th level of an apartment type building
-mid-range price of the three
-split hot/cold faucets
-great view up Wimbledon Hill where fireworks displays take place
-furnished with the option to pick and choose which furnishings we want to keep (we saw these furnishings)
-located pretty much in the heart of Wimbledon Central
-Distances: 3min walk to train station, gym underneath building, grocery store across street from building
-Why we love this home: It has great views out the windows. It felt warm from the sun while inside. Its location is the closest option to our three main things we need.

House #2 - Montague
-open floor plan with kitchen, dining room, and living room
-stove located on a island that faces the living room and dining room
-extremely large private terrace
-closets in both bedrooms
-large bedrooms
-lowest priced of the three
-unfurnished with the option to add furnishings (we did not see these furnishings)
-located on the 3rd level of an apartment type building
-located on the main drag
-located directly in between two different tube lines that go to different areas of London
-Distances: 10min walk to train station, gym across the street, 8min walk to grocery stores
-Why we love this home: We love the open floor plan which is rare to find in all of the UK. We also love the large terrace. It is in between the two tube lines which the other two are about a mile walk from the second tube line.

House #3 - The Oaks
-large bedrooms
-wardrobes in both bedrooms
-furnished with the option to pick and choose which furnishings we want to keep (we saw these items)
-more homey than the other two options
-located on the 2nd level in a neighborhood-like building
-highest priced of the three
-no outdoor space expect french doors that open for fresh air
-located directly between Wimbledon Central and Wimbledon Village (the two main areas of Wimbledon)
-located 0.3 miles to Wimbledon Common (an extremely large park good for jogging and walking)
-Distance: 4 min walk to train station, 3 min walk to gym, 3 min walk to grocery store
-Why we love this home: It is between the two areas of Wimbledon. It is the closest to the Common which is the best place for jogging in Wimbledon. It is in a more residential area of Wimbledon rather than in the hustle and bustle.

Which house do you think we chose?

Update: Click here to see which house we chose

-Debbie-