Real Estate

Why these are three of the best towns for commuters to buy in


Vibrant, charming and comparatively affordable, the great British market town is a perennially popular option for home buyers considering leaving London.

They will pay a premium of more than £40,000 to live in a classic market town compared with homes in the surrounding county, says a new Halifax study.

But homes in good-sized market towns have increased in price by an average of £915 a month over the past five years — making them an apparently excellent investment even in a troubled market.

VIDEO: the best market towns for London commuter home buyers

This week we look at Hertfordshire, a large county, covering 634 square miles to be exact.

Although Herts does not have many market towns, it does have some of the best.

Buying in Tring

Affluent and comfortable Tring, with its good-looking High Street and plentiful independent cafés and restaurants, is the home counties’ answer to Crouch End.

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£850,000: a lovely four-bedroom house in Western Road, close to Tring High Street. Call Cesare & Co (01442 738063)

The town is encircled by the Chiltern Hills, perfect for walkers and cyclists, with the National Trust’s Ashridge Estate, a very splendid 5,000-acre oasis of woodlands, commons and gorgeous scenery.

The Natural History Museum at Tring, an offshoot of the London museum, and the award-winning Tring Brewery are both worth an outing.

Simon Halling, a senior negotiator at Cesare & Co estate agents, says Tring attracts buyers because it is good-looking with good schools and a good commute. “Tring is a beautiful place to settle down.”

Halling adds that the local market is still strong in this small town with little room for expansion.

“Stock is finite and it is a matter of supply and demand. And the thinking is, it is a good time to buy because vendors’ expectations have become more reasonable.”

Key areas: in The Grove, close to the station, a three-bedroom house will cost around £500,000.

Tring Triangle is the very pretty old town centre, where a period two-bedroom cottage would cost around £350,000.

And the “West End” is where buyers hunt for Victorian and more modern family homes. Expect to pay from around £700,000 for a four-bedroom detached house.

Need to know: Tring

Market forces: there is a weekly market on a Friday and regular farmers’ markets at weekends in Tring’s expansive former livestock market.

Commuting: trains to Euston take from 38 minutes. An annual season ticket costs from £5,356.

Schools: across the board there are “good” reports from Ofsted for local schools in Tring with St Bartholomew’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School collecting a rating of “outstanding” in its report from the schools watchdog.

Buying in Bishop’s Stortford

Set on the River Stort, Bishop’s Stortford combines some fine timbered buildings with a modern town centre including Jackson Square shopping centre, a good range of high street names and plenty of restaurants and bars.

Bishop’s Stortford is not the most beautiful market town — but it has fantastic amenities.

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£425,000: a three-bedroom 16th-century cottage in Basbow Lane, Bishop’s Stortford. Call Mackay (01279 949042)

Culture is supplied by the Rhodes Arts Complex, with a cinema, theatre and a dance studio, and there are town centre golf and tennis clubs for the sporty.

The National Trust’s Hatfield Forest is just to the east, while Stansted airport is five miles away for holidays — although happily, the town is not under the flightpath.

“Bishop’s Stortford is up and coming,” says Justin Godfrey, head of office at Savills. “You have got trendy wine and cheese shops and gin bars which you would not have seen 10 years ago. It has got some really good schooling, too, and an easy commute.”

Like our other featured towns, the market has been slow over the past year or two, and prices have remained static.

Key areas: these are the streets around the station where a four-bedroom Victorian semi-detached house would cost between £750,000 to £800,000.

A modern flat in the town centre would cost between £275,000 and £350,000.

Godfrey says buyers also favour the north-west corner of town, still only 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from the station, where houses are spacious and gardens large.

A four-bedroom detached house here would cost in the region of £1 million.

Need to know: Bishop’s Stortford

Market forces: a sprawling market takes over the town centre on Thursdays and Saturdays, and there are monthly farmers’ and crafts markets.

Commuting: trains to Liverpool Street take from 38 minutes. Annual season ticket: £5,440.

Schools: mainly very strong. Schools with top marks from Ofsted include St Mary’s Catholic School and The Bishop’s Stortford High School, for seniors, and for younger pupils, there’s Windhill21 and St Michael’s CofE Primary School.

Buying in Hitchin

Historically Hitchin has been overlooked in favour of St Albans, Hertfordshire’s most obvious commuter destination.

But its pretty, historic town centre, affluent feel, cracking single-sex secondary schools and good-value property make Hitchin a smart choice.

James Beard, co-owner of Stonegate Estates, estimates that prices in the market town are about 25 per cent less than in St Albans, and holding up. “Property is still selling without a doubt.”

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£300,000: a two-bedroom flat in a fine period building in Brand Street, Hitchin. Call Country Properties (01462 511918)

Hitchin is a big town with plenty of pubs, restaurants and shops, though there are quite a few chain shops, and there’s great walking to be had in the Chiltern Hills.

Key areas: commuters buy in the town centre where a modern two-bedroom flat costs £250,000 to £350,000, with a cute two-bedroom Victorian terrace for about £420,000.

The alpha address is Highbury Road. Expect to pay up to £1 million for one of its lovely early Victorian homes.

A solid four-bedroom family home in a suburb such as Purwell will set you back £500,000 to £600,000.

Need to know: Hitchin

Market forces: a collectables and general market on Fridays plus a general market on Saturdays and Tuesdays. There is a boot sale on Sundays, and a monthly crafts and farmers’ market.

Commuting: King’s Cross takes from 30 minutes. Annual season ticket: £5,440.

Schools:​ Hitchin Boys’ and Hitchin Girls’ Schools, for seniors, are Ofsted “outstanding”. Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School, William Ransom Primary School and St Andrew’s CofE Primary School also get the top rating.



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