Reggie Perrin may have done his best to make fun of commuting but the vital combination of country house with a manageable rail journey into work is still one of the most sought-after lifestyles. Recent research shows that commuter hotspots are bunched together along the railway line from Liverpool Street into Essex.
Number-crunchers in Savill’ research department decided to identify stations where at least three quarters of the travellers held season tickets. And what they found was that the top favourites were stations like Kelvedon, Dunton Green, South Woodham Ferrers, North Fambridge, Cressing and Hatfield Peveral. In effect there is a golden corridor strung between Chelmsford and Colchester, its gilt edges also reaching west towards Cambridge and east towards the picturesque Essex coast and marshes.
The reasons? It is handy for the City, the train delivers you into the right side of town at Liverpool Street, and Cambridge adds another tremendous pull with its science parks, shops and world-famous charm. In times of plenty, agents here claim that up to 65% of buyers are incomers.
Savills’ figures also show that commuting househunters are cleverly seeking out the smaller stations to travel from, in order to avoid heavy traffic jams and clogged car parks at bigger city centre stations. This is despite the fact that trains are usually less frequent from smaller halts. Dunton Green and Hildenborough, for example, are favoured alternatives to Sevenoaks, Worplesdon is sweeter than Guildford, and Cooksbridge offers convenience compared to Lewes.
Wherever they go, commuting housebuyers carry big budgets, more often than not harvested from a house sale in Clapham or Islington. This affords the incomer the once-in-a-lifetime chance to have a house of their dreams. The sale of a four-bedroom terrace in Wandsworth, for example, might easily fund the purchase of Baytrees House, Great Horkesley, Essex (Savills 01245 293233) at a guide price of £1.17m. Or The Grange, Woodham Mortimer, Essex at £1.495m (Savills 01245 269311).
Bay Trees House, Great Horkesely, Essex, at £1.17m
Commute: 5 miles to Colchester, 49 mins to Liverpool Street.
What you get: 4 bedrooms, two-bedroom cottage, barn, cart shed, garaging, six acres.
The Grange, Woodham Mortimer, Esssex, at £1.495m
Commute: 8 miles to Chelmsford, 36 mins to Liverpool Street.
What you get: 5 bedrooms, attics, barn, workshop, tennis court, over 3 acres.
But many of us are choosing to move much further afield these days, in search of a good house and deep countryside. “While season ticket numbers are up just 3.6% in Essex, they rose by 44% in Somerset and by 464% in Cornwall over the last three years,” says Lucian Cook, head of Savills’ residential research. “Suffolk also saw a rise of 48% and Norfolk 27%.” The possibility of part-time commuting, matched with days working from home, has made this so much more feasible.
A key question on many people’s lips is how has the commuter belt performed during the recession. Knight Frank runs a Prime Property Commuter Index which shows that price falls have been lower in the prime regions - commuter top spots dropped by around 11%. In this uncertain semi-recovery over the last three months the commuter belt outperformed everywhere else, with average values increasing by 0.8%. Houses in the plum £1m to £2m bracket increased over the summer by 3%. There is no stopping the power of the commuter.