Top 10 locations for exiting Londoners: move just two stops out the capital in any direction for better value homes — and a seat on the train

Young Londoners are moving out of the capital in search of homes they can afford — but they are not moving far, just a couple of stops down the line.
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Anna White20 December 2017

The average house price in London is now almost 15 times the average wage, driving people out of the capital to take their first step on the property ladder or move to a bigger family home.

The number of Londoners leaving has risen 80 per cent compared with five years ago, with thirty-somethings the most likely to make the move. But they are not going far.

Most move just one or two stops down the line to a more affordable destination.

In particular, buyers who make a hop over the Greater London boundary can still cling to the capital while remaining close to friends, their favourite haunts and those all-important commuter stations.

New research has tracked the 10 most popular property routes out of the city this year, all of which involve buyers heading from one London borough to a neighbouring local authority a bit further out.

The most common move was from Bexley in south-east London to Dartford in Kent, where the average house is more than £30,000 cheaper.

The second most common move was from Redbridge in east London to Epping Forest in the London borough of Waltham Forest.

£221,500: 728 new homes at Langley Square in Dartford, London’s most popular move 

Relocating from Enfield in north London to Broxbourne is another well-trodden path — and the most cost-effective in the study by Savills, as the average house price falls from £464,754 to £361,893.

“The main driver for their move is a 70 per cent increase over the decade in London prices — three to four times more than the levels of growth seen across Britain,” says Frances Clacy, analyst at Savills.

“The leavers are taking their favourite haunts with them as new businesses, bars, restaurants and shops sprout up in their new areas.”

Within the Savills top 10 property routes out of London, the destinations Reigate and Banstead, Elmbridge and Tandridge will suit those looking to make a more dramatic lifestyle difference.

The majority of Kingston’s movers, typically first-time buyers and second steppers, head to Elmbridge borough in Surrey, which offers a village scene or a London vibe, depending on where you settle.

£1.5 million: the generous-size townhouses of Staplands Manor await buyers heading from Kingston to Elmbridge in search of a big family home

“Cobham has a village feel with country life opportunities such as riding and shooting,” says Simon Ashwell of Savills. Esher has a London feel: “Edwardian terraces cluster around the station and the high street is littered with popular restaurants and coffee shops, and it has its own cinema,” says Ashwell.

First-time buyers leaving Kingston are also drawn to the town of Weybridge, where two-bedroom new-build apartments cost from £300,000.

TOP 10 ROUTES OUT OF LONDON

1 Bexley to Dartford, Kent (average house price: £317,044)

One-, two- and three-bedroom flats are available at Langley Square, Dartford, by Weston Homes. This riverside development will deliver 728 apartments priced from £221,500. Dartford is a 45-minute train journey from London Bridge.

2 Redbridge to Epping Forest (average price: £516,013)

Just five miles north of buzzing Walthamstow is The Broadway in Loughton, Epping Forest. Prices in the six-storey apartment block, built by Higgins Homes, begin at £395,000 and a stamp duty refund is on offer.

3 Sutton to Reigate and Banstead (average price: £467,418)

For serious upsizers, Savills is selling four new townhouses at Alexandra Gate in Reigate, spread over three floors with five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Prices from £1,599,000.

£1,599, 000: homeowners in Sutton can trade up to a five-bedroom townhouse at Alexandra Gate, Reigate. Through Savills (01483 796824)

4. Enfield to Broxbourne, Hertfordshire (average price: £361,893)

Created by developer Be, Prime Place in Cheshunt comprises 88 new homes. Three-bedroom houses start from £469,995, with four-bedroom houses from £534,995.

5. Barking and Dagenham to Thurrock, Essex (average price: £280,343)

Next year Bellway Homes will launch Renovo in Thurrock. This collection of lakeside flats, all with balconies, and houses, all with gardens, sits in parkland with a children’s play area. It’s a 20-minute train journey from the Intu Lakeside shopping centre and 30 minutes from east London. Prices to be released.

6. Kingston to Elmbridge, Surrey (average price: £866,553)

Staplands Manor is a new collection of six, three-level townhouses located between Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames. Part exchange is available on these mini mansions, which are built by Vanderbilt Homes. Prices from £1.5 million.

7. Hounslow to Spelthorne, Surrey (average price: £419,549)

Two- and three-bedroom apartments and three-, four- and five-bedroom townhouses are available at Park Avenue, a Crest Nicholson development in Lower Sunbury, Spelthorne. The site is just a short walk from the Thames. Prices range from £699,950 to £1.45 million.

8. Barnet to Hertsmere, Hertfordshire (average price: £559,338)

St Margarets Park is a new Crest Nicholson development with 26 apartments and houses in a gated community in Bushey, Hertsmere. Prices start from £429,950 for a one-bedroom apartment to £879,950 for a three-bedroom house.

9 Croydon to Tandridge, Surrey (average price: £489,119)

Highfield is a small development of 20 semi-detached and detached family homes on the edge of the village of Lingfield in Tandridge, built by the luxury developer Millgate. The properties range in size from 1,703sqft to 4,236sq ft and start from £775,000.

10 Waltham Forest to Epping Forest, Essex (average price: £516,013)

One- to five-bedroom homes are available in the new Countryside scheme, Oaklands Hamlet. On the outskirts of Chigwell in the district of Epping Forest, the site includes a new country park and a cycle track, and is next to Hainault Forest Golf Club. It’s the best of both worlds — there are views of Canary Wharf in one direction and open fields in the other. Prices for these homes begin at £624,995.

From £624,995: one- to five-bedroom homes at Oaklands Hamlet, near Chigwell
countryside.visualbank.co.uk

I GOT SO MUCH MORE FOR MY MONEY

For marketing executive Hayley Dunn, 27, leaving Greater London improved her daily commute. She sold her first flat in Enfield and bought a two-bedroom apartment at Prime Place in Cheshunt, Broxbourne, for £375,000, putting down a deposit of £115,000 and raising a mortgage of £260,000.

“Moving outside the M25 was never part of my plan but I couldn’t believe how much more I could get for my money. My monthly mortgage repayments are just £90 more than I was paying before,” she says.

An easier life: HayleyDunn quit Enfield for a bigger flat and a better commute in Cheshunt

Prime Place is a mile from Cheshunt Overground station with 24-minute trains to Liverpool Street. “And I always get a seat,” says Dunn.

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