A recent housing market trend shows a lot of people are leaving London with many more predicted to follow suit in the coming months. The numbers are significant enough to catch the attention of the top UK estate agents, who think it’s a result of the lockdown. And one reason people state is the lack of space and other comforts city-centre properties don’t offer, with many having small outdoor yards.
Aussie Man & Van was operational throughout the lockdown, and we heard first-hand experiences of why people want something different. Due to the proximity to London, the nearby commuter towns might see more new residents who need easy transport access to the capital but would prefer a different lifestyle.
What is a Commuter Town?
Commuter towns have always given an additional housing option for people who work in London but want cheaper or an alternative property option. These towns are close to London, where people can commute easily without having to spend too much travel time. A typical journey can be anywhere from forty-five to ninety minutes for a one-way trip, but some people do travel for longer.
In addition to more affordable properties and reasonable journey time in and out of London, commuter towns tend to have a quality of life benefit. You can usually find a town that has a lot of excellent amenities with bigger houses with decent gardens. Lots of commuter towns also benefit from the influx of wealthier earners who use local services and businesses.
Recent housing market data highlights a collective desire for different types of properties further away from London. Lockdown gave everyone a different perspective, namely what can or can’t happen within your current house or flat. The allure of the city-centre luxury apartment is now giving way to detached houses with a front and back outside areas.
Ultimately, it’s down to what sort of work you do and your relationship with the capital. If you can move further away and reduce your visits to the city, a commuter town might be an ideal fit. Aussie regularly relocates people to nearby commuter towns, and we hope to share some of our experiences and knowledge with anyone who’s considering this option.
Top Five Commuter Destinations –
When it comes to choosing where you want to put your roots down, you’re spoiled for choice for towns within a suitable travel distance to London. There’s no official figure for how many places qualify as villages and smaller cities would also be in the mix. Instead, we have put together a top-five list of towns within a train journey of less than one hour.
Canterbury –
- *Average house price – £323,419
- **Travel time to London – fifty-five minutes
- ***Season ticket price – £6,476
Reading –
- Average house price – £401,327
- Travel time to London – twenty-five minutes
- Season ticket price – £5,620
Beaconsfield –
- Average house price – £1,015,090
- Travel time to London – thirty minutes
- Season ticket price – £4,280
High Wycombe –
- Average house price – £405,535
- Travel time to London – thirty minutes
- Season ticket price – £4,676.00
Basingstoke –
- Average house price – £307,630
- Travel time to London – forty-five minutes
- Season ticket price – £5,584
This represents a range of average house prices and costs for annual train season ticket prices. However, you’ll need to do more research on each area in-line with your specifications. To do this, we suggest creating a wish list, which will detail what you’re looking for in a property. It should include room numbers and things like a back garden, storage space, etc. Furthermore, you should expand this list to include things you need from the local area, like healthcare provisions and amenities.
*Housing price information source is Zoopla; **Train ticket costs from National Rail; ***Journey times from Google Maps.
Post-Lockdown Housing Market –
At Aussie, we believe in thorough preparation and planning will always put people in a favourable position. The likelihood of a successful relocation or storage experience is far higher if you spend time organising well in advance. And it’s an ethos we apply to everything we do as well because we understand the benefits of putting in additional checks when it comes to performing our job.
That’s why we’re constantly looking for trends in the housing market and across our own industry. Trends help us plan for any increases in specific jobs, helping us prepare things like vehicles and team members. We’re also fortunate to work with an incredible network of partner companies, where we pool this information together.
The previous phase of the lockdown saw a lot of people move out of London to return to family homes, usually outside of London. And at that stage, there was little indication of how long this period would last. People would then book our removals service to transport their belongings to them. This has also given rise to the number of people now considering a permanent move out of the capital.
It’s also making people appreciate things like outdoor space and simple things like using a back garden. This is something city-centre apartments don’t offer, which is one reason why results for housing searches are showing a change in behaviour. Companies like Savills and others are providing feedback that shows a shift towards moves outside of London, specifically to more rural areas. It’s clear that’s priorities and mindsets are changing, with an additional need for a better quality of life.
Using Self Storage Between Moves –
Self storage offers a safety net for people when a gap in their moving dates suddenly occurs. And this is something that happens during mortgage negotiations with multiple sellers. It’s often the case where one delay has a knock-on effect, leaving someone with nowhere to store their belongings. The good news is Aussie has a range of storage options to ensure your possessions are safe and secure while you work out the details.
Aussie Man & Van has a range of services that includes three storage options. Our Container Storage package is often the choice for people who need long-term storage. However, there are limitations on how often you can access these units. If you need regular access, our Self Storage package would be more suitable. We also have a unique AusBox package, which is an affordable choice for people with fewer items to store.
We have a range of storage packages to choose from, making it possible to accommodate everyone’s requirements. This applies to domestic and business customers, and we have a variety of storage unit sizes for you to choose from. And should your circumstances change, we can always upgrade or downsize your storage unit accordingly.
Choosing the Right Removals Service –
At Aussie, we always approach each removal inquiry to get lots of information about what you’re moving with. We base your free, no-obligation quote on a stringent assessment process. From doing this, we’ll know the volume of items relevant for your relocation and which removal package and vehicle size are the most suitable.
Aussie has a fleet of vehicles available, which means we can accommodate all types of relocation. Our Man & Van service is ideal for smaller moves within the same city or town. The volume of items, furniture and appliances will influence the size of the vehicle we assign. The smaller vans are better for loading in busy streets with lots of stationery cars.
If you have larger items of furniture and appliances or a more significant volume of things, we will suggest using our Removals service. One of the benefits of this service is being able to move everything in one trip. When discussing removal options, our team will always provide you with the most affordable and efficient and package.
Aussie’s National Moving service gives us the ability to relocate you anywhere in the UK. This also means we have the capacity to collect you and move you to London. Furthermore, this also applies to our European Removal service. We can relocate you from most towns and cities on the continent through our network of partner companies.
Always Search for Excellent Customer Service –
Aussie is the ‘can-do’ removals and storage company that will take on any relocation job, delivering the best possible service. And due to our high standards and attention to detail, we are fortunate to have a loyal group of customers. Furthermore, we receive hundreds of new customers via referrals from happy clients who recommend us to their family, friends, and colleagues.
Customer service is of paramount importance to the Aussie team. We work hard to create and deliver the best removals packages in London. In addition to the tried and tested removals services, we have specialist packages that you won’t find anywhere else. For us, more options equal a better standard of service.
We believe that a happy customer will feel complete satisfaction with every stage of their relocation. That’s why we’re always available to chat to if you need us, regardless of whether you’re seeking quotes or calling to confirm everything the day before the big move.
Aussie Man & Van London – We Go the Extra Mile –
Moving to a new home is never easy, and you’ll need to accept any good advice when you find it. At Aussie, we have been operating in London for nearly twenty years. And many of our team have experience in this industry that stretches beyond that. We consider our crew to be experts in everything and anything removals, and every suggestion we make is made with our customer’s interests in mind.
For us, a successful relocation stems from the thorough organisation and leaving nothing to chance. This includes choosing the right day of the week to undertake your relocation, in addition to any individual specifications. We believe this everything in this blog article will help you start your search for the ideal town to move to. Moreover, you’ll know what removals package is the best-fit for your needs.
If you’re planning a relocation from London to a nearby commuter town, please contact us today. We’ll happily go into more detail about, or range of services and can also give any additional relevant advice.
