A delighted couple say they are swapping living in a room at their parents’ home for a dream four-bedroom house of their own thanks to the Government’s new Help to Buy scheme and the country’s largest builder.
First-time buyers Simon Burns and Katie Menzies said they were able to reserve their spacious new home on Persimmon Homes’ Sunningdale Park development in Thornton, near Bradford, after securing a £10,000 saving.
The couple – who have been living with Katie’s parents at Heaton while they saved for a deposit – said they could not have possibly afforded the detached Roseberry home without Help to Buy.
Simon, 27, an advertising Account Manager for Pulse Radio, said the new home was perfect in every way.
“The house is fantastic. We loved the plot, which is in a quiet area, and the views are tremendous. There is no way we could have met the full asking price but with Help to Buy we were able to get it for just £199,950.
“The sales advisor, Tony Hoare, was really helpful and talked us though all the ins and outs of the scheme so that we knew exactly what was going on and what we would be paying. It has made the process so far really simple and stress-free.
“Fortunately, because we have been living with Katie’s parents we have been able to save a fair bit of money and that has really helped us get the home we wanted. We could not be happier.”
Katie, 25, a queue management co-ordinator with Direct Line, met Simon at university in Leeds and the couple have lived in the area since leaving college.
The Help to Buy scheme allows buyers to secure a home with just a five per cent deposit and as little as a 75 per cent mortgage. The remainder is made up by a Government-backed shared-equity loan which is interest-free for five years.
Wayne Gradwell, managing director for Persimmon West Yorkshire, said Help to Buy had given the housing market a real shot in the arm.
“Since it was launched in April some 12,500 people across the country have used Help to Buy to reserve their new home. It is proving tremendously successful both with first time buyers, such as Simon and Katie, and those already on the property ladder who want to move up.”
Sunningdale Park is an outstanding development of new 3 and 4 bedroom houses for sale, with prices starting at £141,950.
For more information on the development click here.