My GF and I are going to be first time buyers in few months - we are looking to buy in one of the North suburbs. As St Johns and Swiss Cottage are too expensive - I dont want a massive mortgage, I looked at West Hampstead. Does anyone have any opions / experiences to share?Thanks!! PingPong

West Hampstead - Dive city chap. It's a stones throw away from Kilburn and that says it all.Zbigniew Brzezinski

It's underrated in my opinion: great restaurants, fantastic transport links and beautiful buildings with nice high ceilings.And you don't get that hampstead village snobbery.Everywhere borders somewhere less inviting: there are bits of Islington I wouldn't touch with a long long stick!If you're looking at reasonably-priced North-ish, look at the areas around Highgate and Crouch End

what does that mean sorry?

I live in West Hampstead and love it - very vibrant area with a combination of quiet mews roads and well kept terraced houses / flats. The place feels very villagy / welcoming, especially at the Fortune Green end, and has some smart restaurants and good bars as well as a decent cafe culture with street tables. Some amazing independent shops too (delis, bookshops).Transport links couldn't be better either - Silverlink, Thameslink, Jubilee Line, Met Line (Finchley road) mean its 15 mins into Farringdon, 12 mins to Bond Street, 10 mins to Kings Cross.I've lived in Clapham, Docklands and Finchley but vastly prefer NW6. You will pay a premium though: its actually more expensive in parts than Swiss Cottage, and you'll push £400k for a 2 bed anywhere in West Hampstead. Being Camden, council tax is a killer too...