The Top 3 Up-and-Coming Property Hotspots in Essex in 2016

Park way - Gidea Park

Why you should look to Essex for your next move

With the imminent arrival of Crossrail, Essex is more popular with house-buyers than ever before.  For property with potential, savvy buyers should head to one of these three up-and-coming locations.

As property prices in London continue to rise at an astronomical rate, more and more people are leaving the city in favour of nearby commuter towns. And with affordable homes, access to the countryside, good transport links to the capital and relatively cheap rail travel, it is the towns in the nearby county of Essex which are proving most popular. In fact, over a third of people buying homes in Essex are moving there from London.

This trend does not look set to change any time soon – if anything, the number of people moving to Essex is likely to increase significantly. When it opens in 2018, the Crossrail development will make traveling into London from Essex much easier with more frequent trains, quicker journey times and less crowding. In turn, this is likely to boost property prices in the area. So, if you are considering a move out of London, now is the time to do it.

We’ve put together three of the county’s up-and-coming hotspots, to help you find a property in Essex.

Chelmsford

Stone Bridge over River Can, Chelmsford
Stone Bridge over River Can, Chelmsford

Situated just 35 minutes from London by train, Chelmsford frequently makes it onto lists of the best commuter towns. And it’s not difficult to see why. As well as providing easy access into the capital, Chelmsford is a vibrant location in its own right, offering residents great shopping, sports and leisure facilities, plenty of green spaces and a wide array of dining and night life options.

Developers are catching on to Chelmsford’s potential, and new housing developments are starting to pop up. One such development is the Beaulieu estate expansion, just three miles from the centre of Chelmsford, which is made up of individually designed neighbourhoods and offers new build properties ranging from one-bed apartments to five-bedroom family homes.

The development will include plenty of amenities, and with exciting developments in the pipeline, it looks likely to have a positive impact on the area’s property market as more buyers view Chelmsford as an attractive proposition for their next property purchase.

To the south of Chelmsford is the prestigious Great Baddow. There you can find 6 bedroom homes for as little as £565,000, which is appealing to families who are looking for a quieter location with good schools.

Brentwood

High Street Brentwood - GeographOnce named the fifth best place to live in the country, you could do worse than setting your house-buying-sights on Brentwood. This suburban town is small but perfectly formed, benefiting from good schools, low unemployment, and an expanding high street and shopping area, as well as being surrounded by scenic, unspoilt countryside.

But the real draw of Brentford is its fantastic transport links into London. Situated 20 miles from Charing Cross, the town is near the M25, and has trains to Liverpool Street running every ten minutes at peak times. Brentwood currently has 11 buyers competing for every property that comes on the market, and its recent reclassification as a London Zone 9 area ahead of Crossrail’s 2018 arrival, looks set to increase the town’s popularity even further – with an annual travel card dropping in price by nearly £1,000! (Photo from Geograph).

Gidea Park

Park way - Gidea ParkRecent research has named Gidea Park as the top area in Essex for commuting, and it is hugely popular with first-time buyers who make up over 30% of the area’s market. Along with neighbouring town Romford, Gidea Park is perhaps set to benefit most from the launch of the Crossrail development.

With confidence high amongst residents and businesses alike, the local council is implementing a ten year regeneration plan which will greatly improve the town’s retail and leisure facilities. There is also a focus on developing new properties, with plans to create a significant number of new homes by 2020.

Whether you’re looking for a vibrant urban area, a sleepy suburban village or access to beautiful countryside, Essex has something to suit. The popularity of Essex as a commuter hub is only going to increase, and buying property in one of the areas above could turn out to be a solid investment for the future. (Photo from Geograph).

Each of these towns offer fantastic transport links, and each has its own character. The immediate surrounding countryside also offers further opportunities for commuters as well as those who work locally.

One Comment on “The Top 3 Up-and-Coming Property Hotspots in Essex in 2016”

  1. Gidea Park is in London, not Essex.
    In the London Borough of Havering in east London.
    Since 1965.

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