Commuter towns within 45 minutes of the capital are expected to register big price gains this year. Most families after a manageable commute and a good-value home also want a quick dash to the station and an easy school run.

Dreams are made of this

It’s not just great schools and travel links that push up property prices.

According to online estate agents Zoopla, homes near popular farmers’ markets are drawing in foodies and pushing up house prices even more too. Zoopla has found that homes near farmers’ markets are more than 26% higher than prices in the wider county area.

Michael Dineen meets Storey Homes' managing director, a quantity surveyor whose attention to detail is proving invaluable to the small housebuilder

For house hunters looking for an alternative location to the capital to invest in, a tour of Storey Homes latest development De Montfort Place, in Bedford, is worth investigating. According to recent figures by the Office for National Statistics homes in the commuter belt town are increasing at a rate of 16 percent a year.

Storey Homes, along with the Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson marked a milestone in the building of 25 affordable homes at De Montfort Place in Bedford on Thursday 27th October, with a "golden brick" ceremony. The development in Warwick Avenue will consist of 152 new homes at the former De Montfort University site.

LONDON commuters have to juggle a lot of factors when making quality-of-life judgements about where to live - not least whether a cheaper house further down the line compensates for the hassle of a longer journey into town.

WhatHouse? takes a look at this chic boutique development from Storey Homes and finds out some of the style details room by room…

Milton Keynes based Storey Homes has appointed Mark Plowman as its new construction manager to oversee all its residential developments.

Price rises may be slowing in the capital, but a look around in the Home Counties still shows much better value for money for house-hunters...