Where should we move to in Essex or Kent?

[Stokey]

We're thinking about selling our London house and moving to the country so that I can stop working and spend more time with the kids (aged 2 & 4)

Dh would still commute to London (city area) and would like to be within an hour. We'd need a minimum 3 bedrooms and a decent-sized garden. I'm a sucker for period properties.

Budget would be around £500k - Where would you look?

Shenfield. It'll be a crossrail terminus and already has good services into Stratford and Liverpool Street.

Tonbridge. Trains straight to Canon street.

Colchester? 50 minutes to Liverpool Street on the right train.

The villages around Maidstone are nice. Maidstone is good for local shopping, and Buewater, lakeside etc aren't too far away either. Good train links to Victoria or Charing cross. Good schools.

Eynsford. Shoreham.

Leigh on Sea, 40 mins to Fenchurch St.

Period in Leigh is 1930s

Bishops Stortford

Billericay, Shenfield or Brentwood.

For that budget def Brentwood or Shenfield. You would get a lovely Victorian semi and be 30 mins into Liverpool Street.

Chelmsford nice too but less period housing stock, cheaper though and 40 mins into Liverpool Street.

Colchester or villages surrounding. 50 mins by train to Liverpool street. Lovely town, good schools, nice countryside and the coast on your doorstep. We made the move 9 years ago and have never looked back!

Stokey,

I assume you are in Stokey right now?

Leigh is an hour and a little bit. A really easy drive to visit friends

I'm in Billericay (in a house worth half your budget, admittedly!) and there are some lovely houses in your budget range. Shenfield and Brentwood are nearby and would be contenders also.

Diving me too! (Waves to Diving)

Hey!

Also in billericay and SIL just bought a 3 bed detached house, in the naice area, within your budget.

Oooo fellow Billericians! Waves!

Also great schools in Billericay!

Hello Apply too! Yay Billericians!!

Thorpe Bay is a gem with some lovely big properties. You could get an amazing house with the sea at the bottom of the road and still only be an hours commute from fenchurch st:

Villages near Marks Tey in Essex (it's stop before Colchester & you don't get traffic problems to/from the station.). Take a look at houses around Chappel, Fordham and Great Tey. You should be able to find a 4 bedroom period property within budget.

Chislehurst or Bromley.

Look near Marks Tey and Kelvedon stations, there are lovely villages such as Kelvedon, Coggeshall and Feering. This house is nice, only a five minute drive to Marks Tey. www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46745342.html

Thanks for all the advice, I'll start looking. We're not actually in Stokey anymore as moved to Walthamstow but may take advantage of crazy prices here to cash in and get smaller mortgage. My previous landlords in Stoke Newington moved to Leigh on Sea and we have friends near Colchester.

I moved from Shenfield quite recently. Shenfield's a little quicker on the train but the shops are pretty crap. Although there is a v nice, friendly cafe on the high st., and the charity shop is good.

We found we could get more house for our money if we could stand having slightly fewer trains.