Moving to Stroud Green or Ladder...

N4geek · February 2012

Hello We are new to the Stroud Green area and we have began looking at buying a property. In our online search we keep getting shown houses in the Harringey Ladder. we are not familiar with the ladder but it seems we can possibly buy a house on the ladder over a flat in Stroud green. They seem to be in close distance but wr are unsure whether a house on the ladder would be better or just to try and live in the area we want . Any thoughts on the ladder? Anyone live or lived there? Any help on the area would be much appreciated. David.

vetski · February 2012

Hi, I don't and have never lived on the on the Ladder - but what are your requirements? A house on the Ladder will most likely have a garden, many of the flats in SG don't unless they're ground floor. I think you will generally get more square footage bang for your buck on the Ladder. If you want to be near FP station the Ladder's quite a walk (even from the Endymion Road end) - better in summer, when you can go straight across the park, but in winter you'd have to go round if it was dark. If Manor House/Turnpike Lane station is your preference, they're closer to opposite ends of the Ladder. All the Ladder roads are one way (alternating up and down), and despite the speed bumps are often rat runs. Sorry none of the above is definitive - but there are pros and cons to both areas. When we were looking around here many years ago, we decided against the Ladder because it was important to us to be within 10 mins walk of FP tube, but clearly many people live on the Ladder quite happily!

andy · February 2012

www.harringayonline.com will give you ladder evangelists by the bucketload<div><br></div><div>You will find us all very pro stroud green.</div><div><br></div><div>Frankly, at least one friend decided to move to Walthamstow after looking at the ladder.<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>

Idoru · February 2012

I'm kind-of on the Ladder - Turnpike Lane. I like it well enough. There's a good number of pubs/restaurants on Green Lanes to visit. The roads have always been pretty quiet when I've been walking along the Haringey Passage, although that's not very often. The 29 bus to Finsbo Park stn is pretty frequent. I tend to go out in Stroud Green a lot and never had a problem getting there or back. The last tube is around 10 to one and the 29 runs all night. It's also easy to walk to Crouch End. <br><br>I'd look at things like how/if it affects house or car insurance and what it means for your journey to work. If you've got a car, is the parking easier in SG or the Ladder? Differences in council tax too. <br><br>Good luck with your search!<br>

Bridget J · February 2012

Hi there,<div><br></div><div>Having lived in SG and having had various friends living on the ladder and lived around these areas for 43 (gulp) years I would move to a flat over a house in the ladder, I would stay in a one bed flat without a garden rather than move there to be honest!</div><div><br></div><div>The ladder seems really cut off and it doesnt have the same villagy feel as it does here. It feels rougher and more built up with less green spaces and varied places to go out. There are draconian parking restrictions too something like 8am till 8 everyday! You can get spacious flats with gardens in SG in fact I have a lovely 3 bed with garden which feels like a house, it's is a 3 min walk to the tube and is surrounded by lots of great restaurants and now a fantastic coffee shop. There are also better pubs around here. Well Im sure you know that too. Most people I know who moved to the ladder didnt stay. Maybe spend a few evenings there and as much time as possible to get a feel. Stay in a B&B would be ideal and commute etc and get to know the area! Impossible I know. I wouldnt advise anyone to live on the ladder I really don't like it, sounds irrational aswell!</div><div>Goodluck with it all, which ever you decide.</div>

Mirandola · February 2012

We bought a couple of years ago and dithered between the two. Green lanes has the Salisbury and many ace food shops ( <a href="http://veggiereggiesfoodblog.blogspot.com/">http://veggiereggiesfoodblog.blogspot.com</a>

and, like you say, the ladder's a lot cheaper than SG. <div><br></div><div>In the end we bought in the lower West side of SG (and are glad we did) because it still felt good value and because we could cycle to work and we liked the variety of areas you could walk to: posh Islington, Kentish Town, King's Cross at a pinch, as well as Crouch End and Highgate. </div><div><br></div><div>Plus we both have full time jobs. A big garden wouldn't have gotten* much use. </div><div><br></div><div>I never felt remotely threatened on the ladder, but then I never felt threatened in Somers Town. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>*Not all americanisms are bad. </div>

ChangN4N6 · February 2012

The ladder is quite nice and the hill is fun in the snow - I took my girlfriend there on a sledge a few weeks ago. . The full houses are good and more affordable. There is a canal and it's close to the park and quite buzzy area of Green Lanes. There is a good spanish restaurant nr the station. Further south is prob better or nr Harringay station. SG is mixed. The bigger houses are on the Harringey side and in Tollington Park - more expensive, and many in flats . I lived in TP with my in laws - nice area tho it was a very rowdy flat! Highlights are the French cafe and Vitors the barber. Moray Road area has the excellent Fonthill pub (best for sport for miles) and Image and Red Rose, two very best shops in N London, But the locals are a bit miserable. Over the other side of SG areas like Lorne Rd are wide and have lots of flats, not all in a great state, it has to be said. Prices in Lorne are lower than surrounding streets as there is a hygene problem which often causes unexpected and unattractive smells. Its worse near SG Road. Best area and reasonable price wise is nr Crouch Hill station . Chang

Ali · February 2012

<P>Whe Location Loaction did Finsbury Park the people on it found here as to expensive. They ended up in the area to the East of Turnpike Lane tube, there are affordable cute houses there although a gang land shooting did happedn near there a few weeks ago.</P> <P>If your thinking longer term and kids you might want see the other threads on here about that</P>

Detritus · February 2012

<p>Two of my friends bought a house in Raleigh Rd about 15 years ago. They worked full time and were out pretty much every night so they didn't interact much with the area but they found it convenient for travel into Town. They had a good sized house and it was much cheaper than Crouch End. They sold it at a moderate profit and moved to a palace out in the countryside (Hatfield). They didn't look at Stroud Green as there wasn't much to look at 15 years ago.</p><p> </p>

emine · February 2012

If you really, genuinely need the extra space of a house, go for the ladder. If you don't need the space, I'd go for Stroud Green every time. I looked at a few places on the ladder but I knew if I decided to live there instead, I'd feel overwhelming envy and regret every time I went to Stroud Green. <div><br></div><div>I don't have much interest in things like property prices - a house over there may increase in value more than a flat in SG, which is already very expensive (or maybe not) so I suppose that has to be a consideration but I prefer to think about things like quality of life in the immediate term. </div><div><br></div><div>But as Andy says, we have a SG bias here. Though we are right.</div>

Papa · February 2012

We had the same choice. House on the ladder vs flat with a garden in Stroud Green. <br><br>In the end it came down to the fact that we like living in Stroud Green, it's the best place in London and location-wise you can get to a lot of other very good places very easily, whether by tube, foot or bike. Our friends, favourite restaurants and pubs are here and I love the local feel, where I know shopkeepers, people and restaurant owners etc out and about to say hello. This is a big part of where my quality of life comes from and I'm glad we decided to keep it. I'm sure the ladder would have turned out to be great too in time.<br><br>As for future house prices, who knows - Britain would be a better place if the past decade's rapid property inflation never came back and don't forget that was the product of a huge unprecedented credit boom. <br><br>However, if you do want to put a cold hard commercial hat on, bear in mind that while the ladder is desireable and you have houses, Stroud Green is gentrifying (I hate that word) faster, very much in demand and the logical next step for those priced out of adjacent more expensive areas, which it is surrounded by in all directions (except the ladder).<br><br>A tip for a good way to work out if places you are looking at are good value is to price by square metre (divide total price by floor space) and to look at what prospective rental yield is (price divided by what it would rent for over a year). A safety net is if you were forced to move and couldn't sell would prospective monthly rent cover your monthly mortgage payments (100% of it at least for repayment or 125% per cent at least for interest only).<br><br>It is possible to get the same space as a house in a flat, but you have to look harder.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

Four Eyes · February 2012

I've lived for 4 years on the Ladder and about 5 in Stroud Green. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The ladder has access to good (24 hour) shops on Green Lanes, big Sainsbury's and some good pubs (Salisbury, Old Ale Emporium, Garden Ladder), but transport wise it's not so great - 10 mins walk up the hill to Manor House tube. Stroud Green on the other hand feels a bit smarter, has good pubs and restaurants, is a bit quieter, has more of a community feel about it and much better transport links, but is more expensive and you get less space for your money.<br><br>Not sure if that helps?<br>

norton · February 2012

Stay well away from the ladder, too many long dark allay ways, tight parking and quite steep roads a pain in the snow. We have a few friends who live there and all have been broken into. Iv'e lived in Stroud Green for 60 years and have never been burgled, also I think there is more general crime in the area, but it's up to you.<br>

ActionVerb · February 2012

We're going through a similar process at the moment, as we're looking to move out of our house-share in SG to a 2bed flat on the Ladder. The rents on anything pretty much West of the railway are significantly higher than on the ladder. For a 2-bed, you're probably looking at £1,400pcm as a starting point for something not in block or above a shop. Over on the ladder, it's closer towards £1,200. <div><br></div><div>Alternatively, if anyone knows of a 1.5/2 bed flat that might be available around mid-August on the SG side of things for a reasonable rent, then we'd be very interested!</div>

N4geek · February 2012

thank you all for taking your time to help me with this matter. I have taken in all of what you have said and appreciate you getting back to me. <div><br></div><div>From speaking to other forum sites with people living on the ladder they seem more than happy with there surroundings and life on the ladder. from the houses I had found online, all five have sold within three weeks, so I have not had a chance to view anything. Although it seems most people on here prefer SG, which I can see why, it will now be a waiting game to see what comes up on the market cross north london as there doesn't see to be much on the market at the moment.</div><div><br></div><div>again thanks for all your comments.</div>

vetski · February 2012

Yes, I spotted you on Harringay Online yesterday while I was browsing! Good luck with your search - and don't forget, even if you do end up on the Ladder, that's no bar to visiting SG and being part of the community here as well!

odd stewart · February 2012

This is exactly where we were in November 2010. We looked at several places on the ladder and thought it was a decent place to live. It is a 'first time buyer haven', which is EA speak but true. Ultimately we bought in Stroud Green, on Ferme Park Road. Looking back I think we would have slightly regretted buying on the ladder, but not majorly at all. Green lanes will take an age to 'gentrify', if you care about that. And the parking situation there is terrible. The fruit and veg shops and kebab shops are amongst the best you'll find, and the Salisbury is great. I love living here in SG though. The local feel is great (I find it more friendly than Green Lanes) and being so close to such good pubs, restaurants, supermarkets etc is important to us. We have no garden but are literally a minute from the Parkland Walk which we enjoy often. We got a 3 bed maisonette that was in disrepair and are still doing it up. We got more room because of the work needed and because the remaining time on the lease was the wrong side of 80 years. Also FPR is a bit cheaper than the side roads. It's worked for us, plenty of room in a nice area. A house would have been nice but I think the overall feel of SG and proximity to loads of good amenities (including everything Crouch End has to offer) won it for us. I'd imagine you'd be just fine in either though... Depends on what you want! Hope that helps.

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