London To Colchester In Less Than Three Months: Colchester To London In Around An Hour
28 Nov 2012

Until August 2011, Ken and Valerie Smith were dedicated Londoners. Valerie was born in the capital and the couple had lived there for years. But with the economic downturn that has hit so many people across the UK, came news of imminent redundancy. Ken knew that he had a limited time to sell their home on the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London and downsize. One of the first locations the couple considered was Colchester.

Valerie began to look on the internet to see what homes were available. The couple went into their search with an open mind and were ready to consider new and older properties.

It was during one of these web searches that Linden Homes’ Northfields development caught their eye. Ken says the homes offered an original, contemporary design and a very refreshing change:

“We’d seen lots of new homes built to look like Victorian properties. Northfields was different. The large and numerous windows were the first thing to get our attention - coming from a light and airy London apartment, they really appealed to us. The design was very attractive – lots of cedar wood cladding and plasterwork outside – Valerie says it is reminiscent of Bauhaus; these homes certainly had a very European feel about them.”

The Smiths liked the Northfields homes instantly. But first they had to begin the arduous task of selling their old home.

(Linden Homes does offer a Part Exchange scheme* – where they will effectively take on your old property; have it valued and marketed; deal with the estate agents and remove some of the stress of moving house. The scheme means you avoid being caught up in a fragile property chain and you don’t have to pay estate agent fees).

So keen were the Smiths to sell their old home that Ken says they both clearly remember the day the estate agent called and told them they had a buyer:

“We were on holiday in Germany – in northern Bavaria in a forest – when the call came through and we realised it meant that we would be able to buy our home in Northfields. I still remember my call to Doreen in the Linden Homes sales and marketing suite – telling her we could go ahead. It was such a relief.”

A couple of days after returning home from Germany, Ken and Valerie drove to Colchester to speak to Doreen face-to-face and find out how they could proceed.

“It was the end of May. The property we wanted was still being built – but Doreen set the wheels in motion very diligently. Three months later we moved into Northfields. I remember our moving day: The weather was appalling! There was a last minute hitch – nothing to do with Linden Homes – while we waited for our solicitor to find some vital documents. We arrived quite late but Doreen and the sales team gave us a warm welcome and it all went pretty well overall. Since we’ve moved in, the team at Linden Homes have been very helpful and have always responded very promptly.”

“We really like it here – Northfields is an attractive development and Linden Homes has planted trees to create boulevards and plan to include a recreational area, as part of the development. We’ve met some of our neighbours and we like Colchester – it’s friendlier and slower-paced than London. We still go up to the city though – we’ve got friends and family there; I need to go in to London two or three times a week for work and it’s only about an hour into Liverpool Street station: It’s a good train service.”

Colchester railway station is within walking distance of Northfields and the properties available at the development include one and two bedroom apartments as well as two, three and four bedroom houses.

For more information about Northfields in Colchester, please call the sales and marketing suite on 01206 844755. The suite is open daily from 10am until 5pm.

-ENDS-

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.