{"id":18575,"date":"2018-11-08T07:14:52","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T07:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/?p=18575"},"modified":"2018-11-08T07:15:42","modified_gmt":"2018-11-08T07:15:42","slug":"where-are-the-best-places-to-live-in-essex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/where-are-the-best-places-to-live-in-essex\/","title":{"rendered":"Where are the best places to live in Essex?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">London life is unrealistic for many. Inflated property prices are a city-wide epidemic and buyers are often forced to choose between microscopic proportions in the city centre and exhausting commutes in the suburbs. Even if homeowners have managed to get on the property ladder somewhere in London, many find that the noise and chaos of the city eventually becomes too much, and they long for the countryside.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luckily, Essex is right on the northeast border of Greater London, and offers a comfortable lifestyle without venturing too far away from the capital. With rolling countryside, attractive towns and amenities for every household, this understated county has something for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The best for commuting: Basildon<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Close proximity to London means that many Essex residents still work in the city. Although there are good transport links <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homesandproperty.co.uk\/property-news\/buying\/the-best-essex-commuter-villages-where-to-look-for-goodvalue-country-homes-from-200k-with-trains-to-a109571.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from around the county<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Basildon probably offers the best of both worlds. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The town has a good selection of shops, schools and green spaces, meaning that young families can easily make a home for themselves. Plus the train takes a mere 37 minutes to Fenchurch street.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basildon might not be the prettiest town in Essex, but this has helped to keep prices down across the county and considerable development is planned over the next decade or so. Average house prices are currently just under \u00a3290,000, with many of these \u00a0being flats (costing in the region of \u00a3180,000). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The best for TOWIE life: Brentwood<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite what TV may have you believe, not all of Essex is about golden tans, bright white teeth and hair extensions. However, if that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re after, you only need to know where to look.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It might be right on the cusp of East London, but moving to Brentwood is like stepping into a different world. In addition to all the high street brands you could desire, you\u2019ll find the town centre packed with independent boutiques (many owned by the actual cast of TOWIE). Expect fashionable nightclubs, trendy restaurants and <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average prices in Brentwood are just under \u00a3480,000, with apartments typically costing \u00a3260,000 and detached homes fetching around \u00a3830,000. Although you can get a sizeable property for the price, it\u2019s a good idea to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ablesurveyors.com\/blog\/why-do-you-need-more-than-mortgage-valuation-buying-home\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have the property surveyed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make sure you\u2019re making a sound investment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The best for families: Colchester<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Known for being the oldest town in Britain, Colchester offers residents a rich history as well as plenty of modern conveniences. The charming old quarter is particularly pleasant to walk around and you can find theatres, galleries and museums to keep everyone amused at weekends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schoolguide.co.uk\/best-schools-in\/Colchester\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an excellent selection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of state schools and private schools, Colchester draws a lot of families away from the chaos and competition of London, but being just 49 minutes away from Liverpool Street means that it\u2019s still possible to commute to city jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average house price in Colchester is around \u00a3325,000, with family homes typically costing around the \u00a3380,000 mark.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The best for countryside appreciation: Dedham<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A little north-east of Colchester you\u2019ll find Dedham, a postcard-worthy village nestled on the riverbanks of the Stour. If you\u2019re keen to escape to the country but don\u2019t want to feel isolated, its proximity to Colchester and London (60 minutes on the train) makes Dedham an ideal choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The landscape is just as pretty as it was in the early 1800s, when it was captured in paint by the famous artist John Constable, earning the area its name of \u201cConstable Country\u201d. The steady flow of appreciators means that the village offers a handful of independent shops, gastropubs and tea rooms to keep visitors and residents busy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Picture-perfect views come at a price and average house prices are around \u00a3630,000 in Dedham.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The all-round winner: Chelmsford<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s easy to see why Chelmsford was the winner of The Sunday Times\u2019<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/chelmsford-essex-best-places-to-live-ttr85mj07\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Best Places to Live List in 2018<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as there\u2019s literally something for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its proximity to London means that it\u2019s a desirable commuter location, while easy links into the East Anglian countryside attract those in search of more rural living, too. Hylands Park and Baddow Hall Park are some of the best green spaces and Bond Street, High Chelmer and the Meadows all offer fantastic shopping opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First-time buyers can easily get on the property ladder thanks to the wealth of 1-bed apartments and starter homes, and there are plenty of detached suburban properties to allow families room to grow. The rate of development in Chelmsford means that it\u2019s relatively easy to find homes for all budgets.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>London life is unrealistic for many. Inflated property prices are a city-wide epidemic and buyers are often forced to choose between microscopic proportions in the city centre and exhausting commutes in the suburbs. Even if homeowners have managed to get<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/where-are-the-best-places-to-live-in-essex\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":8637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[7,14,16],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":null,"_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/essex-green-large_trans-gekjVNKLjms5GyYnDqz8ju6RuiKQN4mJUmXkEGhDBF8.jpg","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/where_are_the_best_places_to_live_in_essex_","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18575"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18575"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18576,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18575\/revisions\/18576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18575"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=18575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}