When buying a new home – or a first home – you may not realise, until you start researching, the possibilities and schemes that are available to help you actually make that move.
Linden Homes, for example, has schemes of its own – such as the Part Exchange Scheme – and it also participates in other, Government run schemes, such as Help to Buy.
There are other opportunities too, to make the process of buying new home easier – Linden Homes allows you, in some cases, to buy off plan. You put down a deposit on the home that is going to be built (having seen it only on the plans), secure your plot, wait until it is finished and move in.
One Linden Homes’ customer, Alex Haworth, has taken advantage of two of these opportunities and as a result now lives with her partner Chris, at Linden Homes’ Cholsey Meadows development near the River Thames, in the village of Cholsey in their brand new apartment.
Alex, a 23 year old trainee solicitor, put her deposit down on her two bedroom home in the spring – before the apartment was built. Because it was so early on in the build, Alex was able to have the pick of the plots and could monitor its progress. The Sales and Marketing staff kept her up to date with what was going on and she even had an opportunity to make her mark on the new home as it was took shape:
“We were able to choose the kitchen, the bathroom, the tiles and the floors; the choice that Linden has available is fantastic! This meant we were able to put our own stamp on the property. When we moved in our first house already felt like our home!"
Alex also used the Help to Buy scheme: The first part of Help to Buy (launched last spring) is a Government led equity scheme that is only available for new build properties and the scheme is run through participating house builders, like Linden Homes.
Alex, a first time buyer, decided to use the scheme to buy her Cholsey Meadows apartment.
She and her partner obtained a Halifax fixed rate mortgage and a 20% equity loan from the Government. She says it was the only way they could have afforded to buy the apartment:
"Without Help to Buy, we just wouldn’t have been able to buy our apartment. Now we have a two bedroom home instead of something smaller – and it is in exactly the right location for us. It also meant that we were able to avoid wasting our money in rent. It was really straightforward. Linden Homes were really helpful and Halifax was really good.”
After buying the apartment off plan and then having also used Help to Buy, Alex says she is confident that the new home is a sound investment:
"I think in the next few years we will see property prices rise and we will get the benefits,"
For more information on the houses and apartments available at Cholsey Meadows, or for details of the Help to Buy scheme*, please call 0844 417 3895 or visit the sales and marketing suite, which is open daily from 10am to 5pm.
*conditions apply
-ENDS-
For further information, contact Emma Cox or Claire McCowan at Remarkable Public Relations on 01962 893 893 or Emma.Cox@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.
