Top commuter towns and
villages for home buyers to have on their radar this year
Londoners looking to buy a commuter home
this year should start their search with these top six destinations.
For buyers whose 2019
New Year resolutions include moving out of the capital, the sheer number of
options within an hour of central London can be
dizzying.
Whether you dream of
living beside the sea, want better schools, or value picture book looks, this
is where you should start your property hunt:
1. Best for: budget buys
beside the sea
Southend-on-Sea, Essex
Check average house prices in
the SS1 postcode here
This old school Essex resort tends to be overlooked in favour of better-known
Brighton, but its fast commute of less than an hour to Fenchurch Street, plus
high-performing grammar schools and beaches make it a great choice - even
though the seafront itself is a bit grotty.
The most popular location is inland, at
Leigh-on-Sea, where independent shops and cafes, along with period housing,
make this spot a magnet for exiled Londoners.
2. Best for: super-fast
commuting
St Albans, Hertfordshire
Check average house prices in
the AL1 postcode here
This cathedral city has long been a commuter superstar, with services to London
taking around 20 minutes.
Add to that brilliant schools, a beautiful and
historic city centre with loads of nice pubs, bars and restaurants to explore,
as well as a good mix of high-end chains and independent stores and a good
market, and St Albans ticks all the boxes for commuters.Property here isn’t
cheap, but in this case you get what you pay for.
3. Best for: family life
Winchester, Hampshire
Check average house prices in
the SO22 postcode here
This is another lovely, historic cathedral city, but its location on the
western fringe of the South Downs makes it a more affordable option than St
Albans. However, you will spend just over an hour on the train every morning.
If that isn’t a deal breaker then the suburbs of
St Cross (quaint, leafy, lovely period houses), Fulflood (Victorian streets
close to the station), and Hyde (quality family homes close to the River
Itchen), are the three names to know, although the joy of life in a small city
is that you can walk everywhere.Winchester looks gorgeous, its crime rate is low,
schools are great and there is plenty of open space – the water meadows are
particularly delightful.
4. Best for: brilliant
schools
Canterbury, Kent
Check average house prices in
the CT1 postcode here
The grammar schools of Kent have drawn generations of ambitious parents out of
London, and Canterbury has a great selection led by Barton Court Grammar School
and Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys. Crucially Canterbury’s non-selective
secondary schools are also good.
Add to that a 51-minute commute, thanks to High
Speed 1, a lively town centre with good facilities and some stunning Georgian
homes within the ancient city walls. Beyond the city centre buyers flock to St
Dunstan’s, close to the station and popular with artists and writers.
Canterbury has a strong local arts scene, too, with the Marlowe Theatre and the
Gulbenkian arts centre, while the Kent Downs are just to the south for country
walks.
5. Best for: affordable
Surrey
Check average house prices in
the KT13 postcode here
If you aspire to a Surrey address but can’t afford Guildford or Weybridge, then
Addlestone is one to consider. It is not as chichi as the county’s better-known
options but its schools are good, it has plenty of green space in the form of
the very pretty Chertsey Meads, while trains to Waterloo take around 50
minutes.
The high street is well-equipped with local
shops and chain restaurants. Better yet, Waitrose recently arrived in
Addlestone – a sure sign of a town on the up – and there’s a new cinema.
Housing ranges from Victorian to new build, and
you could pick up a four-bedroom house for about £550,000. In nearby Weybridge
you’d pay £800,000 to £900,000 for a similar property.
6. Best for: vibrant
village life
Charing, Kent
Check average house prices in
the TN27 postcode here
If you hanker after a photogenic village, Charing is big enough that you won’t
feel too far out in the sticks, but small enough to feel like “proper”
country.
Right on the lip of the Kent Downs, the centre
of Charing is extremely pretty, with a high street full of timbered and
weatherboarded buildings, plus a parade of useful shops. On the outskirts are
two country pubs, The Bowl Inn and The Wagon & Horses. Charing Church of
England Primary School has a “good” Ofsted report.
Like many villages, Charing’s charms have been
slightly marred by a halo of uninspiring 20th-century housing built around its
traditional centre, but this is almost its only flaw - and for commuters that’s
usually overridden by the presence of a station with links to London in just
under an hour.
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