Chelmsford Houses come in all shapes and sizes from small one-bedroom flats in the town centre, to large secluded mansions in outlying villages such as Danbury which are home to ex-England footballers and cricket captains.

With its close proximity to London, and being in the centre of the county of Essex, there are thousands of new and old Chelmsford houses to choose from. With the area be classed as one of the best & happiest places to live in the UK, good transport links to London & the South East, fantastic modern amenities, beautiful surrounding countryside, plus a forward looking pro-active Borough Council, Chelmsford is high up on anybody's list when considering moving to central Essex.

There is, however, always plenty of choice of properties for sale in Chelmsford, from new houses to buy on the Beaulieu Park Estate to 2 or 3 bedroom houses in Broomfield. Despite the recent drop in Chelmsford house prices, the property market remains relatively strong, although obviously nowhere near the peak four years ago, and estate agents report steady rather than spectacular sales.

As a consequence, the lettings market in the town has become stronger over the past couple of years and there are several letting agents and estate agents in the town offering Chelmsford houses to rent. As the austerity measures take effect, more people are looking to rent properties and the competition for flats and houses has grown steadily.

Buying or Renting a Property in Chelmsford

When buying a house in Chelmsford, or anywhere for that matter, it is important to consider a wide variety of aspects related to the area. The history of house prices in the town are probably more important now than they have ever been as homeowners try to recover from the boom and bust era of ever increasing house prices, followed by a huge collapse of property values in some areas. With Chelmsford being a strong commuter belt area, houses will always be sought after, but like all areas of the country, has suffered a downturn since the heady days of 2007.

Other aspects to consider when either buying or renting a property is the level of crime rates in the area, the rates of Council Tax you will have to pay, and the quality of local schools for your children. With the seemingly ever increasing rates of burglaries, robberies and violence, although official crime figures show a different story, it is unfortunately something that has to be considered very carefully in this day and age. In addition, Council Tax rates are always a major talking point among homeowners and renters, and whilst most rates around the country have been frozen this year, the amount due by all residents will make a large dent in most peoples household budgets. Plus, how good are the local Chelmsford schools and can they offer your child the right education that they are looking for or need?

Chelmsford Houses - Latest Prices

The most recent figures published for the last quarter of 2010, saw the average price of a house in Chelmsford fall by annual rate by -0.2%. Whilst sales overall remained strong at 618 for the period between October and December 2010, the annual fall did not compare well with other parts of Essex. For example, Braintree saw an annual increase of 8.2%, Rochford 8.7%, Tendring 8.4%, Uttlesford 8.5%, & Brentwood and massive 9.6%. Nearby Maldon, on the other hand, fell 3.3%, which was by far the most of any area.

Latest Chelmsford House Prices Data - Published up until end of 2010

Average house price £256,461
Detached £372,238
Semi-detached £248,152
Terrace £201,404
Flat £137,320

Chelmsford Crime Figures

Chelmsford is a relatively safe place to live and compared to the whole of Essex, the level of crime is classed as ‘average' according to the latest Police report.

The average number of crimes committed over the past twelve months to November 2010 was just 30, with a high of 38 in September 2010, and a low of just 17 in January 2010. The majority of these crimes were either anti-social behaviour or violence related.

Latest Chelmsford Crime Figures - Up until end of November 2010

Chelmsford Council Tax Rates 2011-2012

The table below shows the amount of Council Tax you are required to pay depending on which of the different parishes within the Chelmsford Borough Council controlled area that you live. These are divided into Bands A-H, being the valuation of your property in 1991, details of which you find at the end of the table.

Valuation Value of property band on 1 April 1991
Band A Less than £40,001
Band B £40,001 to £52,000
Band C £52,001 to £68,000
Band D £68,001 to £88,000
Band E £88,001 to £120,000
Band F £120,001 to £160,000
Band G £160,001 to £320,000
Band H More than £320,000

Chelmsford Schools

Another major consideration for those families with young or early teenage children is the quality of the schools in the area that they are moving to. Fortunately, Chelmsford schools are some of the best in the Essex and the choice of options for parents is wide and varied.

Along with some Primary Schools highly rated by Ofsted, the Chelmsford education system really comes into it own when the kids move to secondary school. On offer is a specialist sports college, like Great Baddow High School, The Boswells School, which is a Performing Arts College, and King Edward VI Grammar School, which specialises in Science.

Chelmsford is also home to the ‘Outstanding' New Hall School, which is the UK's largest and fastest growing Catholic School. Founded in 1642, it has pupils from 35 different countries and boasts facilities including a national standard athletics track, along with a swimming pool and two sports centres.