New research by buying agents Garrington Property Finders has revealed the top 10 commuter towns where property prices are rising faster than those in London.
Top of the table is Brentwood in Essex, where prices have shot up 16% in the past year to £457,314 – enough to buy 19 years’ worth of rail season tickets at today’s prices.
This compares to London, where house prices have risen 11% over the same period.
Canterbury in Kent saw similarly dizzying rates of price growth (16%) with an average terraced house in the city rising in value by £35,899, enough to pay four terms’ worth of fees at The King’s School – founded in 597 and thought to be England’s oldest school.
Meanwhile, detached homes in Hertford rose in value by 15% – with their average gain of £83,553 being enough to snap a brand new Range Rover Vogue SE.
However the greatest gain of all was made in Theresa May’s constituency of Maidenhead, with detached homes in the Berkshire town piling on £91,131 in a year, enough for two and a half years fees at nearby Eton College.
Jonathan Hopper, managing director, buying agents Garrington Property Finders, comments: “Every year tens of thousands of Londoners move out of the capital to the surrounding commuter belt, driven by a desire for better value, more space and a wider choice of schools.
“But in addition to the usual shopping list for would-be commuters – good transport links, good schools and so on – many buyers will also have one eye on the potential for price growth when choosing a location.
“Our research shows just how ‘hot’ some of the home counties hotspots have become, with price rises outstripping those in London. The combination of both better value and better rates of capital appreciation is a compelling one, but the picture across the commuter belt is very mixed – and buyers need expert intelligence to identify the areas with the greatest potential.”
Commuter towns where property prices outpace London’s
| Rank | Town / city | Property type | Average price | Price rise | Value gained | What the gain buys |
| 1 | Brentwood | Semi | £457,314 | 16% | £64,289 | 19 years of train fares |
| 2 | Canterbury | Terraced | £258,789 | 16% | £35,899 | 4 terms at The King’s School |
| 3 | Hertford | Detached | £648,732 | 15% | £83,553 | Range Rover Vogue SE |
| 4 | Fleet | Flat | £230,692 | 15% | £30,811 | 6.5 years of train fares |
| 5 | Maidenhead | Detached | £748,507 | 14% | £91,131 | 2.5 years at Eton |
| 6 | High Wycombe | Flat | £216,065 | 14% | £26,971 | 1 year at Wycombe Abbey school |
| 7 | Reading | Terraced | £309,651 | 13% | £35,916 | BMW 420i Convertible |
| 8 | St Albans | Semi | £613,935 | 12% | £65,344 | 17 years of train fares |
| 9 | Oxford | Flat | £265,422 | 12% | £29,346 | 1 year at St Edward’s school |
| 10 | Farnborough | Flat | £237,105 | 12% | £25,878 | Audi Q3 1.4 SE |
