Chelmsford or Brentwood

Maxgringas · 10 October 2016 at 2:14PM

Hi there,

Wife is starting new job in Whitechapel and we are looking to move from Redbridge to either Brentwood/Shenfield or Chelmsford.

We have 3 kids 4,2 and 7 months old baby. Ideally we would be close to good primary and secondary schools. Would somebody know how much a 3-4 bed house would cost? Our top budget is 700k.

I've heard very positive feedback from Chelmsford, how long is the commute from there to Liverpool Street? Annual cost?

Thanks

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays · 10 October 2016 at 2:20PM

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/seasonticket/search

PJD · 10 October 2016 at 2:56PM

Chelmsford is a lovely place, - would definitely want to live there over Brentwood, given the choice

elverson · 10 October 2016 at 3:13PM

Rightmove will give you an idea of the prices.

e13 · 10 October 2016 at 3:21PM

Traffic in Brentwood is truly dire, haven't spent much time in Chelmsford to say the same thing. I wouldn't want to have to drive to the station in Brentwood.

AndyBSG · 10 October 2016 at 3:41PM

There's good and bad points for both places.

e13 wrote: »

Traffic in Brentwood is truly dire, haven't spent much time in Chelmsford to say the same thing. I wouldn't want to have to drive to the station in Brentwood.

Chelmsford Town Centre is just as bad as Brentwood in all honesty, but has better road links once you're out of the Town.

Brentwood is a bit more upmarket/exclusive and has more of a village feel than Chelmsford. However, house prices are reflected and quite a bit higher than Chelmsford. The other drawback is that although Brentwood is nearer to London the train journey isn't that much quicker as you get more 'express' trains from Chelmsford while the ones from Brentwood tend to stop at all stops.

The other issue is that you need to be a bit more careful about where you buy in Chelmsford. Chelmer Village, Beaulieu Park, etc are very nice new build areas and the outskirts like Galleywood, Baddow and Writtle are also lovely but places like Melbourne are really not very pleasant.

In short, to buy the right place in Chelmsford you probably need a bit more 'local knowledge' not to end up buying in the wrong part.

You'll definitely get a lot more for your money in Chelmsford than you will in Brentwood though.

This is 4 bed detached within walking distance of Chelmsford station for 600K

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42045333.html

As is this 3 bed detached for 560K

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-43871460.html

In comparison you'll be hard pushed to get a comparable 4 bed in walking distance of the station in Brentwood and even 3 bed's will be much smaller than ones you could get in Chelmsford like this one

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56069077.html

Rush hour trains from both Brentwood and Chelmsford to Liverpool Street are both around the 30-40 minute mark but you have to factor in time to get to the station and an annual season ticket is going to cost you around 4.5k from Chelmsford and 3.5K from Brentwood.

Also, the Chelmsford/Liverpool street line is pretty unreliable.

You could also look at somewhere on the C2C line into Fenchurch Street as season tickets are cheaper and trains are more reliable so somewhere like West Horndon, Benfleet, Leigh On Sea or Upminster may be worth looking at(avoid Basildon or Laindon).

Upminster would be more expensive but has the advantage of still being within London Underground zones so much cheaper commuting costs.

pimento · 10 October 2016 at 3:44PM

The big decider for me would be that Brentwood is on the TFL rail line while Chelmsford is 'run' by Abellio Greater Anglia who are a complete shower and you just can't rely on them to get you to work with any certainty.

[Deleted User] · 10 October 2016 at 3:48PM

If you want to work on the train, you're more likely to get a seat at Brentwood (as the train starts from Shenfield, 1 stop before), than at Chelmsford.

hazyjo · 10 October 2016 at 4:09PM

I used to live in Brentwood and hated it. Trains were horrendous and I didn't like the whole accepted drug culture (coke). Police turned a blind eye. You're in a very different boat to me though and would probably love it.

Shenfield was MUCH better with fast trains (stopping Stratford en route) to Liv St.

As above, don't rule out the C2C line. Cheaper than somewhere like Billericay as that line's pricier.

I would also throw Bishops Stortford (good schools), Sawbridgeworth and Hertford into the mix (and possibly Ware or Stansted Mountfitchet). Don't know about schools in all though.

I'm in North Chingford which is also nice and you might want to consider it, although maybe a bit more London than some of the others, although you do have Epping Forest on your doorstep and Connaught Waters (massive lake) if you're quite outdoorsy.

I'm moving to Leigh-on-Sea (C2C line) this/next year. £3,232 a year to Fenchurch Street. I want to be by the sea, and it's a lovely town.

Jx

hazyjo · 10 October 2016 at 4:15PM

Cherry_Gale wrote: »

If you want to work on the train, you're more likely to get a seat at Brentwood (as the train starts from Shenfield, 1 stop before), than at Chelmsford.

Hardly anyone gets the slow trains from Shenfield, they'll all get fast which don't stop at Brentwood, so you'd definitely get a seat.

I paid several hundred extra in my first year to go via Shenfield and hop back one stop to Brentwood. In theory, it would save me time. In reality, I found myself waiting at Shenfield for 20+ minutes before giving up and getting a cab (with loads of other angry commuters) - cost me way more in the long run! The slow train was just that - slow! Even slower than it should've been - and often actually non-existent. My friend at work uses that line and it's not as bad as it was, although she got in at 10.30 twice a couple of weeks ago due to train probs.

Jx

hazyjo · 10 October 2016 at 4:17PM

PS (sorry thread hogging!)

My other work friend comes in from Chelmsford - they do have fast trains although it's a VERY busy line. She starts at 8am so misses the worst. If you're driving to the station, traffic is hell.

Jx

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Chelmsford or Brentwood

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