Summary

■ Beating the region: house prices in Chelmsford have grown by 21.5% over the last three years – faster than both the East of England and South East averages. Price growth in Essex over the last few months is catching up with the regional average.

■ On track for value growth: Crossrail is not expected to reduce travel times from Shenfield and Brentwood, however the new infrastructure should still help drive price growth because of increased capacity and more frequent services to London.

■ Local premiums: there are large house price premiums for homes near rail links, with new build prices in villages with stations such as Ingatestone nearly double prices in more rural villages such as Sible Hedingham on a per square foot basis.

■ Stock levels rising: Chelmsford and Braintree have experienced high levels of development recently, with housing completions rising 52% year on year over the past three years in Chelmsford and 20% in Braintree.