Commutable Towns and Cities close to London

bouicca21

^^^^

Think about where you need to get to, then think about how to get there.

zagubov

London's not really one city. It's best thought of as if it was four or five cities with their own radiating networks of suburbs and commuter towns serving different sectors of the central area.

robatwork

blue_max_3 said:

The thing is, if it's about 50 minutes away (and I have found almost any commute is about an hour no matter where it is!), property has already factored that in the price. I once thought I'd look at the end of a tube line, but found the prices actually rose in price as it was a more desirable place to live.

Indeed the end stations on the tube are some of the most desirable parts of "London" - Amersham, Wimbledon, Stanmore all very (nice and) pricey. And can take 50 minutes on the bone shaker from Uxbridge to get to Holborn. The OP will need to revise his 50 minutes upwards a bit to take into account walking/driving to station, waiting for train, commute to Euston/Waterloo then walk/tube to destination. Luton's a good shout for value and short journey but as all have said we need to know where in Lahndan he's working.

Peony2016

It depends where in London you’re travelling to. If you’re looking north of London, Stevenage has good links to St Pancras, Finsbury Park, City Thameslink, Farringdon, Blackfriars, London Bridge and stations further South, so it’s fairly easy to find connections on that line to get you where you need to go.
Also depends on your budget. Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City are good for commuters but a bit more expensive than say Stevenage, Bedford or Luton.

Consecca

Thanks to everyone who has posted so far with thier suggestions.  
Seems like people are asking for more information, particulary where I would be commuting to.  That would be London Bridge station.  I'm going to rule out Luton, and East Croydon.  Yes they are closer but who would want to move there, not me thanks, not the nicest of places!

I currently live in Flitwick so Bedford is out too because that would make my commute longer than it already is.
Currently I have £10k saved so I am really pleased with that and think I am doing well having saved that much, and I'm only 38, but I know I will need to continue saving, my target is 30k.

I don't expect my journey to be any shorter than 50mins which is what it currently is, or was should I say before Corona put a stop to that.  So long as it does not become any longer of course and that my season ticket does not become more than te £4,400 aprox that I currently pay each year.  
Sidenote: I have heard Withim near Chelmsford looks like an attractive, and more affordable option for my kind of deposit range.

D.L

What's your budget? How many bedrooms minimum? And are both flats/houses ok?

penners324

Wouldn't touch Luton with a barge pole. 1 of the villages nearby though is a different issue.
Leighton Buzzard and surrounding villages, Milton Keynes and surrounding villages...

numbercruncher8

Reckon it depends on your salary.
With £10k as a deposit that really limits the options as maximum LTVs restrict the purchase price to £100k which rules out almost everything.
On £30k the maximum becomes a lot higher, but borrowing depends on how much you earn.

The fact of the matter is, if you want to own, need to commute to London and have less than say, £200k to play with you are going to have to take a compromise on something. You can buy, it won't be in the nicest spots.

Also it makes more sense to go direct to where you need to go. A season ticket from say, Braintree to London is the best part of £5,000. Additionally that only gets you into Liverpool St, so it would take another 15 mins or so to get to London Bridge and you need to take another tube or bus.

blue_max_3

I imagine that saving £20k is going to take you a while. You might be better looking at your options nearer the time. There are sure to be many changes as a result of the virus. 

wjr4

If you’re considering Withan, I recommend renting there first to see if you like the area. I don’t live too far away from there and I wouldn’t choose to live there. Have you looked anywhere on the C2C line?