Back to Balham

A friend once told me that you always end up where you first started when you move to London. She couldn’t be more right in the case of Geoff.

Three weeks ago, Geoff, Mike and Ben moved into a new house in Balham, a suburb south of Central London. Geoff stayed there when he arrived in London 5 months ago (see blog entry here).

After a lengthy search, numerous property viewings and some price negotiations, the Balham house was settled and the guys couldn’t be happier.



It’s a great house, sunny, spacious with tonnes of living areas, a small backyard and of course a BBQ. Some of its more unique features include an automatic fireplace (flick the switch and you got fire) and a glass conservatory dining room with a painted mural scene.



The location is another great thing. A five-minute walk to the Tube (very important because no one has cars here) and a minutes walk to supermarkets, shops, boutiques, pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants and the markets.

Geoff and I tested the closest restaurant just down the street called Dish Dash that serves up Persian food in a cosy and intimate setting.



But none of this came without the trials and tribulations of finding a rental property in London.


I noticed the other day the SMH published an article on the difficulties of finding a rental property in Sydney these days, but I don’t think it quite compares to London. The guys learnt lots, to say the least, in their search for the Balham house. Here’s a few pointers for those who are thinking of making the move over:

• Be clear with the agent about what you want in a property, otherwise they will waste your time taking you to unsuitable properties they are trying to get off their books.

• Don’t trust an advertisement which doesn’t show you photos. The property is likely to be in a dodgy area, not what the advertisement says it is and undergoing renovations, which are ‘promised’ to be completed in 3 days (and you know it definitely won’t be completed by then)

• Don’t expect anything near good customer service from a London real estate agent (I don’t think they are very familiar with the phrase)

• Finally, London properties are expensive, but keep in mind that it is because most of them a fully furnished (which is really the best thing if you are a foreigner here)

In fact the Balham house is more than fully furnished, the landlord provides items such as crockery and a mixed assortment of original artwork (small pieces of photography, hand drawings etc), though the tenants decided to add a few of their own…


So after a long search and living out of suitcases for months, it’s time to call Balham home.