Where in South Essex should I consider?

[startingoveragainagain]

I grew up in Essex but a lot has changed since then. I need to find somewhere commutable to Basildon and Chelmsford. I'll have about £400k, dogs and a cat.

Eastwood is fine and worth looking at. It's north Leigh. It is classified as Leigh in the postal address but is quite different in atmosphere and price vs the Leigh people are generally referring to which is by the Broadway & station. Eastwood is mainly 60s housing, it is much quieter and not great for train commuting which obviously suits some.

We looked in Hutton this year before buying in Billericay and I would say only a small
part of it is nice so be careful when looking. There are a lot of estates

Witham is a very typical small mid-Essex town. I find it a bit depressing to be honest, there's not much to it.

South Woodham Ferrers might be worth looking at, I have friends who live there and it seems like a nice place, with the river right on your doorstep.

Galleywood or Boreham might work if you want something around Chelmsford but more out towards the countryside?

Maldon is lovely, I'd like to live there if we didn't need access to the train... although there are a lot of new builds which are changing the feel of the town, as it's so much busier now.

Does this look about right?

I'd discount Brentwood cost wise. Also, I don't think Brentwood High Street is especially great for shopping and gets full of hen / stag dos at the weekend. Though you might see a TOWIE 'celeb' if you're lucky 😉.

Not Witham, it's not very nice. Kelvedon, Feering and coggeshall are much nicer and not much further out.

The stag/hen dos in Brentwood are a thing of the past. I don't really see many around anymore.
Harold Wood and Hornchurch would also be worth looking at.

OP, I thought you needed it to be commutable to Basildon, as well as Chelmsford? If so, Halstead and other areas north of Chelmsford is a long way from Basildon, unless you are only commuting to Basildon on occasion.

The ideal area surely has got to be somewhere between the two?

Really? Fair enough. We go for brunch most weekends with PIL and I feel like I see a good number around Slug and Lettuce way.

@mintich at what point does Hornchurch turn into Romford? Romford would be way too built up for me.

@Frecklespy yes I do, arguably possibly more frequently to Basildon, Chelmsford probably once a week.

Here are 234 houses and bungalows within a 10 ish mile radius of Stock. While Wickford may not be the best choice in terms of desirability, it does offer value for money. I lived in Wickford for nearly 25 years and it is a friendly place and I was sorry to leave. There have been a lot of new houses built and an influx of London escapees, so not quite the small town it used to be. The town centre is uninspiring but you can get everything there (unfortunately the two main supermarkets are currently closed - The Co-op shut down and has been demolished, though I believe it is intended that a new supermarket will be built in its place. Aldi is closed until November for refurbishment). There is an Iceland though.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E23310&minBedrooms=2&maxPrice=400000&radius=10.0&propertyTypes=bungalow%2Cdetached&includeSSTC=false&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

If you really want a nice location, then Rayleigh/Billericay would be ideal, but you won't get as much house as you would in Wickford.

South Woodham Ferrers is attractive. It is a relatively new town with most houses built from the 80s onwards but friends who live there do love it. Big Asda and Sainsbury's there.

Leigh-on-sea is desirable, lots of properties have character, but not cheap. Eastwood (North Leigh) will be cheaper but not as nice and no station. It is almost an extension of Rayleigh.

Ongar is lovely but a long commute from Basildon, ok for Chelmsford.

Basildon/Canvey Island - no

Benfleet - ok, not as nice as Rayleigh.

Chelmsford - nice parts and attractive town centre.

@Frecklespy I think nice location is key i'm definitely happy to go smaller for a nice spot, after all it is only me and the animals.

So what are the nicest bits of Rayleigh?

The nicest part of Rayleigh is Great Wheatleys (not to be confused with Little Wheatleys, which is a modernish estate and ok, just a different look and price bracket). Great Wheatleys has some big houses so you might struggle to find anything there.

Church Road less desirable as is Queens Road. But roads surrounding them are fine, i.e. Trinity Road, Bull Lane, Warwick Road.

To be honest, most areas of Rayleigh are fine. If you are keen on this area, post particular areas and I'll try to comment. I'm Rayleigh born and bred and lived there until I married. Still in touch with old school friends and mum is still there.

If you need to commute to Basildon more than you do to Chelmsford, I think you’d be mad to go way north of Chelmsford like your map. Just don’t do it to yourself. I feel like the snobs are trying to steer you deep into Mid Essex, but if you need South Essex, you need South Essex.

The problem will always be price. Agree that the nicest parts of Billericay are north of the railway line. £400k would get you a small three bed, probably a semi. Stock is gorgeous but way out of your budget (and most people’s budget).

You’d definitely get more house for your money in Wickford and Rayleigh but I don’t know them too well. Also have family in Corringham
and Hadleigh which might be worth a look?

@Jellycats4life absolutely not true that the nicest parts of Billericay are north of the railway line. Mountnessing Road, London Road, Western Road, Tye Common Road, Little Burstead and Great Burstead and roads adjacent are all very nice (and south of the railway line).

The only area which I would say is not so nice is around the Selworthy Close area of South Green. Some other parts, such as near the Tesco Express are mainly terraced houses, but nothing wrong with them particularly.

Some parts of the Queens Park estate (north of the railway line) are also questionable, but it all depends on how big the budget is and what you can afford. Personally I would rather live in Billericay than in Basildon, even if the area of Billericay wasn't the nicest.

OK @Frecklespy if you want to be specific, I was thinking of the South Green and Sunnymede areas and not literally everything south of the railway line (most of what you’ve mentioned are so close to the high street they’re prime property!). And it’s true that some bits of Queens Park/Brightside have got rougher over the years.

Are Manningtree or Mistley too far?

All of Billericay is nice and some of the comments above are snobbish. Selworthy Close is not very attractive to look at, but it's one cul de sac off a pretty road (kennel Lane), and its quiet and safe. And south green is less built up and crowded than th so called better areas of Billericay.

Thank you, everyone.

Safety will be a big issue for me, I had something not very nice happen many years ago, which has left me a little uneasy in certain situations.

So, i'll be looking for the nicest roads even if i'm living in a shoe. I think i'll focus on Rayleigh and Billericay and see where I go from there. Expect lots of 'is this a good road' posts!

I wouldn't choose wickford. It's a commuter town with very little going on imo. The high street is just charity shops and not in any way attractive.