I want to move out of London. My budget is £250-300K. I still need easy commuting access to London. I would prefer to be towards the Hemel Hempstead area. I require a 3 bed family home in a pleasant area. Recommendations/advice please? Thank you.

I have a 4 bed overlooking the grand union canal... yours for 435k

As much as I'd love to, it's outside of my budget. I can only afford up to £300K, maybe £325K at a push.

St Albans is nice

Any part of St. Albans in particular? Are the train links into London good? Are houses relatively good value? Many thanks

St Albans is nice but you will only get a small flat for that budget in a reasonable area. Hemel is improving. You should look at Apsley Lock. This is just outside of Kings Langly (ie the postcode still keeps the price within range) but is far enough outside of the rougher parts of hemel to still be a nice part. Very up and coming now. short walk to station. 30 mins to Euston. There will be places going there if you ask around. For that budget you should be ableto get a 3 bed penthouse or a small house

You'll get a nice place in Swindon for that which is an hour to Paddington. Well worth a look if you don't mind the travel, a lot cheaper than Reading, not as congested and much safer.

Good plan, if you want to live in a plastic town surrounded by shell suits

It's Britains best kept secret, no shell suits there, compare it to any of the big surrounding towns and it wins hands down. The property prices there will shoot up within the next 5 years, you heard it here first.

Why spend all your money on a season ticket? May not be an issue if always travelling but it's a fair slog in from Swindon. I guess you're on the right side for Heathrow. But it's unlovely.There are nice places within the M25 that fulfil your criteria, especially E & SE.I've just bought a 2/3 bed place for £320k in a smart area in Zone 5. 20-25 mins to the City or W End.

If you like Swindon, you could also try Slough or Milton Keynes. It has to be Apsley Lock. Herts base means you can travel into London, round the M25 if you need to (just a few mins from junction20 of M25) and right near M1. You can head north or south very easily. Nice walkways by a canal. easy access to supermarket. good train links. very pleasant surroundings without paying quite the overblown prices you will see in some of the villages. Don't listen to plastic town Swindon man. Buy a Nissan Micra, move to Swindon and make sure you get all your clothes from Oxfam.... you see the pattern. Swapping London for Swindon is like swapping a Porsche for a Nissan. Yes, there may come a time when you want to buy something more practical as your circumstances change but if you have been used to a Porsche, you would probably at least go for a BMW/Merc/or some sort of stylish family car so that you had some pride left.

Interesting. I guess if it's pride your looking to retain you should focus on Luton - that's a nice Herts town.

Luton is in Bedfordshire.

You're quite right.

D@mn right I am! I'm a pop a cap in yo a55 if you disrespectin ma hood.Westside.

I pity the foo who pops a cap in ma a55, I pity the foo!

Luton's OK but I'd like something a little closer to the M4 - any ideas?"Dis beat is technotronic."

"Well there's the dancefloor, get on it"

Strange, I go through these places a lot and its mostly tired houses with net curtains and scabby shops. I guess it has potential, if your one R.Gervais