Commutable in Essex to Liverpool Street

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

not my area at all so I can't advise her, but my friend is changing job to work in Liverpool Street and wants to live in a nice area in Essex with nice schools and houses with family. Can anyone advise? She doesn't want to be more than 45 mins in the train.

You can get a train from Liverpool Street to Gidea Park, Shenfield and Brentwood.

Kelvedon is nice and around 45 mins into the city

Best station for connections and the future Crossrail would be Shenfield (around 20/25 mins to Liverpool St), or one stop further out Ingatestone or Billericay (30 mins to Liverpool St), further out Chelmsford or Wickford or Rayleigh. Shenfield/Billericay/Ingatestone pricey though.

consider also the walk to the station at each end, and the chances of the job moving from, say, the City to the Wharf.

Shenfield is good as it's a fast train into London (just stops once). But property is expensive, particularly within walking distance of the station.

I'd say it depends on your friend's budget. Travel from Shenfield and further out is expensive too so it's worth looking at the cost of that alongside the mortgage/rent costs.

Also, end of the Central Line from Woodford to Epping. Quite a slow journey but cheaper on the tube than overland.

Brentwood and Shenfield.

Thanks all. Are there any nice villages near commutable train stations

Shenfield is more villagey. Brentwood is definitely a town. What is your friend's budget and what does she need to get for it?

I think Rayleigh offers a good balance of house price and commute time. Excellent schools, both primary and secondary.

Or she could live by the sea? Bit further out and more expensive but oh so tempting!

Ingatestone is a nice village with a station. I don't know what the journey is like.

Budget probably about 850K. Needs 4 bedrooms 2 or 3 bathrooms large garden.

Rayleigh and Southend are far more affordable that Brentwood / Shenfield / Billericay. Your friend might want to consider the Fenchuch St line to widen her Sth Essex options.

Good budget! I'd be heading for Brentwood.

You can get 5-6 bedrooms in Rayleigh for that!

Ok thanks so much for that. Yes she's lucky with that budget. I'd be on half that!!

Brentwood is at the start of the new Crossrail. It's where I would look.

Shenfield is the eastern terminus, with Brentwood the next station going west.

Gidea Park for nice
Or Romford (bits of it are nice )

Romford is meant to be 29 minutes to Liverpool St once we have Crossrail

Wanstead is nice. Live between its two Tube stations, Snaresbrook and Wanstead, and catch any tube train home from Liverpool Street Station. 30 mins on the Tube.

Brentwood or Shenfield. Excellent reliability on travel connections to CW as well as the City. £850k will go further in Brentwood than Shenfield. Literally no bad schools at either Primary or Secondary and both towns are in Grammar catchment. Also wide variety of independent schools. This is not the same if you are looking at Gidea Park or Romford areas. If you want villages look at Ingatestone or Blackmore but the commute to the nearest station ( Ingatestone) at either end will be greater.