What are the Home Counties and why would you buy there?

The home counties are the counties of England that surround London.

The counties are not exactly defined but Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey are usually included in definitions as they border London.

Other counties slightly further from London such as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, East Sussex and West Sussex are not always regarded as home counties, although their popularity as areas to reside in are on the increase due to their proximity to London and their connection to the London economy.

The home counties offer a perfect combination of English countryside, pretty regional towns & villages, and excellent links to London, which deems them ‘Commuter Belt’ locations.

Many of these regional towns and cities offer their own unique and quintessentially British qualities with vibrant high streets teaming with boutiques, coffee shops, grocery stores and award-winning restaurants.

The Oxford-Cambridge Arc is a region of innovation excellence, contributing over £111 billion to the UK economy. These university cities are steeped in history and are extremely desirable locations for buyers.

The home counties are highly sought after destinations for London professionals with a desire for semi-rural living, providing an excellent work/ life balance.

With direct road and rail links to London, the home counties are a perfect place to live.

Prices vary depending on the county, and prime property in these areas commands a premium, however, the variety of real estate and development opportunities is vast.

The added value of living in the home counties is the ability to step back from city life and enjoy those outdoor pursuits that aren’t possible if living in London.

Cycling, fishing, horse riding or just driving around country lanes on the weekend offers a fantastic way to decompress from the working week in the city.

In 2020, covid19 had a major impact on property prices in the home counties, with many Londoners choosing to move out, work from home and enjoy the benefits from living outside the city.

This pushed values upwards and breathed life into some lesser known towns and villages, creating a more vibrant cosmopolitan community.

Whilst many areas benefitted from this influx of newcomers, more rural counties have seen property prices stabilise and even fall from the height of this phenomena.

However, the home counties remain strong markets to both buy and invest in, holding value and increasing significantly in recent years.

Remote working has created an employment economy whereby more and more people are choosing semi-rural life over city life, whilst keeping within a commutable distance from their head offices and places of employment.

According to Savills research in October 2024 Land Registry Data shows the largest falls in prices was in coastal areas of the south and southeast which in turn ‘may be driving stronger growth in the commuter markets of outer London and parts of the Home Counties’.

As we enter Q4 2024 homes in or close to London are back in demand as employers backpedal on work from home arrangements introduced in response to the pandemic and commuting times once again factor heavily into people’s decisions on where to live.

The gradual return to office-based working has brought the commute time firmly back into focus, so we’ve seen greater client demand for the established commuter towns on the outskirts of London.

Carlos Mendes from Investec Private Banking has said: “The Home Counties are often referred to as a collective, but our research shows that there is a significant variation in the availability and price of prime property in these areas”.

Prime property in theses sought after commuter-belt regions is scarce, with fierce competition vying for a piece of home counties real estate always a threat.

Using a buying agent like OQO to actively source and negotiate on your behalf will give you a real advantage if you are trying to secure a property in the home counties.

OQO has excellent connections in the home counties, enabling us to tap into these markets and acquire premium properties on our client’s behalf through leveraging our relationships in these regions.

If you are thinking of relocating to the home counties or beyond, contact OQO now.