Best value commuter locations revealed

London's commuter towns can be a great value place to live, beating central London's high prices and offering homeowners much more space - but with varying journey times and house prices, which one offers the best value?

A new survey by Haart estate agents finds Chatham is the best value place to buy, with an average house price of £144,100 and a 40 minute journey time to the capital with a relatively good value season ticket available.

Chatham also has the added attraction of strong potential for property price growth in the near future, benefiting from the £97 million government-funded Thames Gateway regeneration scheme to build 200,000 homes and create 150,000 jobs.

Towns between 20 minutes and one hour away from central London were considered in the report, with a final figure based on average property prices, time and travel costs combined.

Chatham's total commuter cost was £246,500, £20,300 ahead of next closest town, Slough. Also in the top five were Stevenage (£282,700), Redhill (£303,400) and Surbiton (£315,528).

Russell Jervis, managing director of Haart estate agents, commented: "With property prices continuing to rise in the city, London workers who are finding it difficult to get on the property ladder, or simply want to get more for their money, are moving out into the commuter belt.

"However, commuting costs and time spent to get to work are both vital factors to consider when purchasing a house. Buyers need to weigh up these factors when choosing a location. This model identifies the most affordable areas in and around London with a ‘commuter cost weighting’ to help potential buyers make their decision."

In twentieth place for value was the popular Kent town of Sevenoaks, considered low value for money despite its 30 minute journey time to Charing Cross due to average house prices of £388,000.
XXX