The UK’s “most desirable” towns to live in have been named, and multiple places on the list can expectedly boast extremely pricey properties. Cobham in Surrey is one of these.
The leaderboard was comprised by The Telegraph, which commissioned estate agent Savills to use Census data in order to choose places that scored the highest across several factors.
These included the percentage of residents who hold managerial jobs, their level of qualifications, the state of locals’ health and the costs of buying a home, which cost, on average £1,402,000, according to experts.
Buying agent Richard Winter, who runs his own company, told the newspaper that some clients will buy a house in Cobham that they have not even seen.
He claimed: “I have clients moving from Singapore who’ve done just that – it just is a lovely place to live.”
Mr Winter added that a river running through the town and good coffee – Fego, a coffee shop, regularly has large queues – make Cobham a place within the commuter belt where people who can afford it want to live.
Painshill, an 18th-century landscaped garden with follies, grottoes, a waterwheel, a vineyard, and a tearoom, is on the western edge of the town.
Locals can also enjoy a round at the Silvermere golf course.
The quintessential English Home Counties settlement also comes complete with a Waitrose and a village hall.
Rightmove says of house prices in the area: “House prices in Cobham have an overall average of £1,158,311 over the last year.
“The majority of properties sold in Cobham during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £1,776,214. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £698,939, with terraced properties fetching £543,793.
“Overall, the historical sold prices in Cobham over the last year were 16% down on the previous year and 10% down on the 2022 peak of £1,285,671.”
Listed on the site is a two-bedroomed terraced house that cost £97,500 in 1997. In November, it went for £570,000.