A Cardiff couple have purchased their first home after 15-years of marriage and will be amongst the first in Wales to take advantage of the new Government-backed Help To Buy scheme, which launched in January.
Riaan Strydom, 41 and Tracey Strydom, 49, purchased a brand new four-bedroom home on the prestigious Persimmon Homes Greenacres development in Llanwern, Newport.
After relocating to Wales from Portsmouth, the pair who currently live with friends, were initially looking to buy a two-bedroom property, but were delighted to find they could afford a four-bedroom home by using the new Government Help To Buy Wales scheme.
The couple have hailed the new shared equity loan scheme ‘life-saving’ after hours spent agonising over the type of properties they could afford.
For Riaan, a surveyor who works from home three days a week, a third room means he can work comfortably in a spacious environment. And Tracey has peace of mind knowing the additional fourth room could accommodate her elderly parents should their personal circumstances change due to ill health.
The Help To Buy scheme was introduced to Wales to support home ownership and provide a welcome boost to the housing sector. It enables first time buyers and existing home owners to purchase a new-build home up to a value of £300,000 with as little as a five per cent deposit.
Riaan said: “After 15 years of marriage we are absolutely over the moon that we’ve finally purchased our first ever home. The new Help To Buy scheme has been such a help as it’s given us the extra boost to get on the housing ladder and buy a home much larger than we originally thought.
“Persimmon’s sales advisors have been invaluable in advising us on the scheme and the different properties available – we are delighted with our brand new home and can’t wait to move in.”
Greenacres is a stunning development set in 29 hectares of open space, consisting of two, three, four and five bedroom homes situated in the thriving city of Newport. The development is located close to numerous parks, green ways and beautiful lakes.
Sarah Eaton, Sales Advisor at Persimmon Homes, says: “The Help To Buy scheme is a major boost to homebuyers in Wales and significantly reduces their initial buying costs. I am delighted that Riaan and Tracey have found the scheme to be a great help and have enabled them to purchase their dream home.”
For more information on Persimmon Homes visit www.persimmonhomes.co.uk