Essex or Surrey?

[Nix01]

We were pretty much decided on Surrey, but have now seen a few amazing houses in Essex (Colchester way) and am now so confused.

What would be the pro's and con's of both counties?

Thank you.

Sorry, to be more specific it would be Farnham vs Dedham. DH has to commute to London and we have two small boys.

What's the approx budget...? Where in Surrey were you thinking of?

Ignore me- just seen your areas. Afraid I don't know them well!

Depends where in London your dh needs to be. Not having to get the tube after the train trip makes a big difference.

We were going to move to Surrey at one stage but ended up on Herts/Essex border because of job. Dh commute then got quicker even though we were further away.

We were hoping for around 500/600k, but the one I've fallen in love with is over 700k!

I think the areas are quite different. North Essex feels more rural and a little less accessible than Surrey, but more easy going and less competitive (imho).

Which part of London will your DH be working in? Trains from Colchester go to Liverpool St, those from Farnham to Waterloo. If driving, the A12 can be a bit of a bugger.

My parents live in Surrey, we live in near North Essex and I know which I prefer but it really depends on what sort of lifestyle you're after!

I was going to say that Surrey is by far the more expensive county to find property but it may come down to journey times into work etc where you end up