16th July 2013
#4 Young professionals find their dream home in location Perfect with HelptoBuy
Young professionals Gareth Edwards and Louise Everitt have realised their dream of moving to a brand new house – in the perfect work, rest and play location thanks to HelptoBuy and Linden Homes…..
The couple, who have recently moved to Linden Homes’ popular St Michael’s Chase development in Longstanton, used one of the company’s many first time buyer schemes to secure their dream home and they are so delighted with their new house that they are among the 90 per cent of Linden Homes customers who would recommend the developer to a friend.
Graphic designer Gareth (33) and studio manager Louise (28) work in Cambridge and Huntingdon respectively – making Longstanton the ideal location. Gareth said: “Our dream had been to move into a new build property, and having visited St Michael’s Chase we decided that this was the perfect place for us. The range of incentives for first time buyers was also attractive. There was a great range of three-bedroom houses at good prices, which was just what we were looking for. With me working in Cambridge and Louise in Huntingdon, access to the A14 was key. On days when we feel like leaving the car at home, there is also the Guided Busway.”
Gareth and Louise are now settling into their three-bedroom Hardwick housetype – enjoying the open plan of the ground floor and their large garden.
Louise added: “We would certainly recommend Linden Homes to our friends – the whole process from start to finish ran smoothly with regular updates, and the after sales service is particularly good.”
Boasting a collection of 77 stylish two-five bedroom quality homes in a range of styles; including apartments, maisonettes, trendy three storey townhouses and fabulous detached family homes – St Michael’s Chase ticks all the boxes.
Current prices range from £264,950 to £479,995. The sales and marketing suite is open from Thursday to Monday from 10.30am until 5pm. Alternatively call the sales team on 01954768073 for a range of incentives to curb the cost of buying and don’t forget to tell them we sent you there.
To arrange a viewing click here
To find your ideal home, browse the latest offerings from Linden Homes on SmartNewHomes
For more on HelptoBuy watch Linden Homes HelptoBuy video here
11th June 2013
#3 Barratt Homes’ HelptoBuy home buyer calls the scheme a ‘lifeline’
One of the first people in the country to take advantage of the Government’s Help to Buy initiative has hailed the scheme a ‘lifeline’ for buyers in the same position as her.
Emma Grant, a 31 year old first time buyer from Yorkshire, had been wanting to make her first move onto the property ladder for years but was struggling to raise a ten per cent deposit as well as pay rent, the usual bills and maintain a lifestyle that goes hand in hand with being a young professional.
As she was driving to work one day she heard about the brilliant new Help to Buy scheme on the radio and was keen to find out more as it promised a new home for just 75 per cent of the purchase price and even better she could make the move with a deposit as small as four per cent.
The young buyer who works as an NVQ assessor for DearneValleyCollege, went to look at the superb selection of two bedroom apartments at Innovations – which is now sold up (timescale). She immediately fell in love with the spacious layout and beautiful light rooms that the property boasted and loved the face that she felt safe and secure.
Emma Grant said: “The Help to Buy scheme has made my dream of home ownership a reality and I wouldn’t have been able to make the move without it. This initiative is essential for first time buyers and many will see it as a lifeline to taking their first step on the ladder.
“As I started this journey I genuinely believed that there would be so many hurdles in the way and that dealing with this on my own would be terrifying, but everyone involved has made the process an absolute pleasure. The sales team at Barratt through to the staff at the mortgage company have been friendly, helpful and so determined to get me into my dream home which took a month from start to finish.”
Deborah Land, Sales Adviser for Barratt Yorkshire West said: “We are delighted that Emma was able to take advantage of this fantastic new scheme and move into her dream home. Help to Buy is sure to make a huge difference to many more would-be homebuyers who can afford the monthly mortgage repayments on a new property, but not the hefty deposit.
We’ve been receiving a great deal of interest for this exciting initiative since its launch, so anyone hoping to secure their ideal property for 75 per cent of its full list price should pay one of our five star developments a visit today.”
The Help to Buy initiative, launched on 1 April, dramatically improves the prospect of owning a home or moving home as it reduces the deposit required to just four per cent and also enables qualifying customers to access low cost mortgage finance. The scheme provides new build homebuyers with the prospect of a 20 per cent equity loan from the Government, with no interest payable for the first five years.
Barratt is offering the Help to Buy scheme on all its properties, up to £600,000 – including those in West and South Yorkshire.
To find your ideal home with HelptoBuy browse the latest offerings from Barratt Homes on SmartNewHomes
3rd July 2013
#2 Help to Buy helps St Helens newly weds onto the property ladder
After years of looking the Faircloughs were finally able to buy their first home at Taylor Wimpey’s Cunningham Grange development in St Helens, thanks to the Help to Buy scheme.
Lyndsey, out-patient staff nurse and Mark, who manufactures heat resistant parts, are among the first in the country to purchase their home under the scheme following years of renting in the town. The couple both have good jobs but had been finding it hard to get onto the property ladder because of the size of the deposit required to secure a property on the open market.
Mrs Fairclough, 36, said: “We were finding it difficult to save the amount needed for a deposit when a large proportion of our income went into paying rent and bills every month. It had been a real barrier to us getting on the property ladder.” The couple, who married last year, had been looking to buy their own property for some time when a friend pointed them in the direction of Taylor Wimpey’s Cunningham Grange development in St Helens. They went to visit the marketing suite and were delighted with how the figures stacked up.
Mr Fairclough, 50, said: “We chose a Bancroft home – a three bedroom end of terrace property which was ideal for us and our dog Molly. The home cost £149,995 and in normal circumstances we would have struggled to raise the deposit required for a house worth that amount of money. However, under the Help to Buy scheme we could pay a 5% deposit which was an amount we had saved. The scheme also means we have a 75% mortgage which makes our monthly payments less than when we rented and that means we can save for the 20% equity loan which we’ll pay off in five years’ time.”
Mr and Mrs Fairclough were able to reserve, exchange and complete in five weeks and are now settling into their new home. Mrs Fairclough said: “We’re delighted with how quickly and smoothly the whole process has gone. And it feels so homely here. It makes a huge difference to own your own home. It means we can make plans and put our personality into it. We’d like to spend some time making the garden nice and we’ll be putting up pictures and photos and making it ours.”
The recently launched government-backed Help to Buy scheme equity loan scheme which is available on new build properties up to the value of £600,000. There is no salary cap for purchasers, and it is available to both first time buyers and existing home owners. Eligible purchasers receive a government loan of 20%, which means that they only need to put down a 5% deposit and obtain a 75% loan-to-value mortgage.
Cunningham Grange has something for everyone. Our apartments are priced from just £89,995 and are perfect for first time buyers. For growing families we have a range of three bedroom homes priced from £165,995 and our four bedroom properties are priced from £176,995.
Cunningham Grange is close to a wide range of local amenities for day-to-day living, both in the immediate area and nearby Eccleston. There’s also an excellent range of restaurants, pubs and bars locally. In addition, there are fantastic educational facilities for all ages, including several primary and secondary schools along with sixth form colleges.
To find your perfect First home, browse the latest homes by Taylor Wimpey on SmartNewHomes
#1 First Time Buyers are UK’s First Help to Buy Completion
A young couple relocating from Northern Ireland to a new Taylor Wimpey home near Liverpool have become the first new homebuyers to complete under the Help to Buy scheme, an initiative launched by the Government on 1 April.
Catherine McClean (26), a nurse, and Nikolai Ivanovic (25), a former Queens Guard, have taken their first step on the property ladder by using Help to Buy to purchase a three bedroom semi-detached home at Taylor Wimpey’s Speakman Gardens development in Prescot.
Commenting on the success of the scheme, Housing Minister, Mark Prisk said: “I’m delighted that, just five weeks after the launch of Help to Buy in the Budget, the scheme’s first buyers are moving into their new property. I’d like to congratulate first time buyers Nikolai and Catherine as they move in today, and wish them all the best for the future in their new Taylor Wimpey home.”
Miss McClean said: “Help to Buy has been a massive help to us. We certainly wouldn’t be in the position we are now without it. It has enabled us to own our own property. I am the first person in my family to own my own home and I am immensely proud. We have been so lucky to have been given a helping hand to allow us to achieve this. And Wendy at Taylor Wimpey was such an extraordinary help to us all the way through the process so we’re really grateful to her too.”
Mr Ivanovic said: “We did look at buying in Northern Ireland where Catherine grew up. We were saving our deposit and we even viewed homes there, but it didn’t feel right. So we reconsidered our options and what we wanted from our careers and searched the internet for homes in Liverpool. We saw Taylor Wimpey’s SpeakmanGardens and really liked the look of it so we rang up and started talking to Wendy, the sales executive, about our options.”
The Help to Buy initiative involves an equity loan scheme which is available on new build properties up to the value of £600,000. There is no salary cap for purchasers, and it is available to both first time buyers and existing home owners. Eligible purchasers receive a Government loan of 20%, which means that they only need to put down a 5% deposit and obtain a 75% loan-to-value mortgage.
To arrange a viewing and find out more about this development, click here
HelptoBuy Advice 