Help to Buy gives Swindon family the perfect home

By Jamie Hill - 13 March 2018

Community

Homebuyers are being reminded that there is help available for those looking for the next step up the property ladder, with support on offer for those looking to make the move for more space or a growing family.

Swindon family Clive and Sarah Seabrook, together with their children Grace and Eva, lived in a three bedroom home in Oakhurst and although in need of extra space, thought that they could not afford to move to a larger property.

However, after a meeting with their financial advisor they found out that they could potentially remortgage, which would give them the opportunity to start looking for a home more suitable for their family, however when they came across the Help to Buy scheme, and their Newland Homes sales assistant Jayne told them it wasn’t just for first time buyers, their options widened.

The Help to Buy scheme is open to all buyers as long as it is the only property they own and is no more than £600,000.  It offers a 10%-20% equity loan funded by the Government through the Homes and Communities Agency on new build properties.  The equity loan is interest free for the first 5 years, after this, a fee of 1.75% rising annually by the increase (if any) in the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 1%.

Clive explained: “When we came across Help to Buy it opened up many doors for us and meant we could afford a larger home with the extra room for our children.    With the five years of flexibility it offers us, we knew that as our children would be in school by then, and so with no childcare to pay for, we’d be in a much better position to pay it off.

“We loved our house in Oakhurst, but with two girls we had toys everywhere and needed a play room for them.  We were looking for a home to give us the extra space and the Hilmarton ticked all the boxes.”

Clive and Sarah bought a four bedroom Hilmarton property at Newland Homes’ Broad Blunsdon Heights development.  It is a double fronted detached home with open plan kitchen/breakfast room leading into an impressive conservatory maximising light and space.  With a separate dining room too, this home had the potential to have a dedicated play area. 

However, when they found their ideal property, they hadn’t put their former home on the market.  Eager not to miss out, they took up the offer of using Newland Homes’ MoveMaker scheme.  With MoveMaker, purchasers are able to hold selected plots for up to six weeks whilst they put their home on the market, with the help of Newland Homes.  For the Seabrooks, they received an offer on their home in just four days, enabling them to go ahead with buying the Hilmarton.

Clive continued: “It was fantastic to use MoveMaker too.  It removed the pressure and made the move a lot easier. 

“Now that we’re in, we’re so pleased that we moved.  The house is really good and we’re looking forward to making the most of the garden in the summer.  The girls love the extra space too, and the way that the house is laid out downstairs means that they can race on their scooters in a loop through the hallway, living room, conservatory and kitchen.

“The neighbours are really nice here too and there is lots going on which makes you feel proud showing off your house to your friends, like a hog roast in the summer and the Christmas party in the showhome.  

“It’s the little things like that which make you feel like a community – and sets Broad Blunsdon Heights apart from other developments.” 

There is currently a selection of four and five bedroom homes available at Broad Blunsdon Heights, with Help to Buy available on all properties, with the final four homes will soon be released onto the market. 

Currently available are four bedroom Hatherop style homes, which have farmhouse kitchens, an impressive architectural double height walk in bay to the ground and first floors, open plan lounge/study area and en-suite to master bedroom.  These start at £380,000, with standard stamp duty paid and flooring included.

The Haresfield, a five bedroom home – two of which have en-suites - with a large open plan kitchen/breakfast room creating a magnificent family space with wide aspect French doors to the garden, starts at £495,000, with standard stamp duty paid and flooring included.

A new showhome will be opening at Broad Blunsdon Heights on 24 March, a five bedroom Haresfield.  For more information on Broad Blundson Heights, visit www.newlandhomes.co.uk/blunsdon or call 01793 278101.

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