Katherine and Adam Wright were living in Balham in south west London when they began to think about leaving the capital and moving west.
Katherine still owned a house in the Oxfordshire village of Blewbury, where she’d lived from 2004 – 2008. Their plan was to sell this and buy something bigger – maybe in the same area.
The Wrights had looked on the Rightmove website and spotted Linden Homes’ Cholsey Meadows development. It was just five miles away from the Blewbury house, so during a visit to the area, Katherine says they decided to stop off and have a look at Cholsey Meadows:
“We’d seen other developments but were very tempted by Linden Homes’ Part Exchange scheme*. We thought that it would tie in neatly with us selling the Blewbury house.”
Linden Homes’ Part Exchange Scheme is designed to simplify the moving process: Linden Homes becomes the guaranteed buyer of your existing property, freeing you up to buy your new home. Linden Homes deals with the estate agents on your behalf and means you’re not vulnerable to the risk of a brittle property chain breaking. Katherine and Adam were impressed by scheme – and by the homes at Cholsey Meadows, but the time just wasn’t right:
“We saw Cholsey Meadows during phase one – there were no homes in our price range at that point. It’s just as well though as it wouldn’t have been the best time to move because I was about to have a baby.
“We didn’t have long to wait though – in May we had a call from the sales and marketing team saying that phase two was about to be released and that there were three bedroom homes available. At this time, our baby daughter Ellie was just eight days old but we decided to go down and have a look.
“The homes weren’t yet complete – but we got a good idea of the space available from the show home. I really liked the high ceilings and the light, airy feel. I also appreciated the fact that the show home wasn’t decorated to try and be fashionable – it was done up like a real home.”
Although the couple loved the house, they were still concerned about the commute from Cholsey Meadows to west London. So they timed the journey home:
“We drove back to London and worked out that it would take Adam about an hour door to door, to get from Cholsey Meadows to Brentford, where he works. It was definitely do-able. We decided to go down the next weekend and reserve one of the homes we had seen.”
The home they had in mind was an end of terrace three bedroom house: After living in London for several years, Katherine and Adam had wanted to avoid having too many neighbours, too close. But fate took an unexpected hand:
“We had our hearts set on the end of terrace house because we thought it would be quieter and more private. So we couldn’t believe it when, as we were driving down, we had a call from the sales team to break the news to us that in the last half an hour another couple had bought the house we were hoping to reserve. They asked if we still wanted to come but told us there was another, very similar home available next door and suggested we see it. We were pretty upset to have missed the end of terrace house but we decided to look round the mid terrace version.”
“We continued our journey to Cholsey Meadows and I’m so glad we did: When we saw the house we realised that it was exactly the same as the end of terrace home inside: It had same layout, the same square footage – just mid terrace – and it even had a slightly bigger garden. And we recognised that being mid terrace in somewhere quiet like Cholsey Meadows is very different to being mid-terrace in south west London. We decided to go ahead and buy it.”
Katherine and Adam used the Part Exchange scheme too, to make the move simpler:
“We had to exchange by 11th October because our lease on the rented home in London ran out on the 12th. Despite some legal hold ups, the sales team made sure that the build was complete and the exchange happened on time.”
On moving day, Katherine, Adam and baby Ellie arrived at Cholsey Meadows and the sales team were there to welcome the family:
“They had got a packed lunch ready for us – with sandwiches and fruit and tea. We’ve settled in really well now. I have to say I don’t miss London much – although I do enjoy walking down Baker Street to Selfridges at this time of year on my way home from work – I teach at a girl’s school in London. I love seeing the Christmas lights shining out from the shop fronts... but I’ll be able to do that again when I return to work next year.”
For more information on Cholsey Meadows in south Oxfordshire, please call the sales and marketing suite on 01491 659012. The suite is open daily from 10am to 5pm.
*conditions apply
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For further information, contact Claire McCowan or Tracy Mannion at Remarkable Public Relations on 01962 893 893 or Claire.mccowan@remarkablegroup.co.uk
References to “we”, “us” or “our” are to the part of the Vistry Group (including Linden Homes, Bovis Homes, Countryside Homes, Drew Smith, Vistry Ventures or one of Vistry’s joint venture companies) from which you are intending to purchase a new home. References to "you” and “your” are to the prospective buyer or buyers of a new home from us.
All images are used for illustrative purposes only and are representative only. They may not be the same as the actual home you purchase and the specification may differ. Images may be of a slightly different model of home and may include optional upgrades and extras which involve additional cost. Individual features such as windows, brick, carpets, paint and other material colours may vary and also the specification of fittings may vary. Any furnishings and furniture are not included in any sale. Please check with our sales consultants for details of the exact specifications available at the development(s) for each type of home and the associated prices.
