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Couple save money by buying a new build home

Posted 11 July 2017 by Helen Christie

Research by the Home Builders Federation has shown that the cost of choosing a second-hand home over a new build home can be as high as £50,000...

This is because homeowners who purchase second-hand homes want to upgrade to the same level of functionality and finish that new build homes have.

Research found that the most expensive refurbishment works to older properties include buying and fitting a new kitchen, fitting a new bathroom, rewiring the home and installing central heating.

After having previously spent over £30,000 refurbishing their previous property, James Wallis and Clare Geeves knew that buying a new home made financial sense. They bought a new build at The Orchards, a development from WhatHouse? Award winners, Barratt Homes. The Orchards is located on the edge of Maidstone in the village of Allington. Their four-bedroom detached house cost them £423,995.

James, who works in Kings Hill for a discount broker, says: “We lived around the corner from The Orchards and could see the new houses being built. For our next move, we were specifically looking for a new home that we could move straight into and enjoy living in immediately. The Orchards was ideal, as we love living in Allington and Jack goes to the local primary school so we didn’t want to move too far away.

The family in their new homeJames continues: “We were living in a three-bedroom end of terrace house before and were running out of living space, the bigger that Jack got. We wanted a home that we could grow into and our new home at The Orchards offers us just that. We have so much more space and the house has a practical layout for a family with a big open-plan kitchen and breakfast area, separate dining room, lounge and a detached garage, which is perfect for storage.

The Orchards is a collection of 98 private two- to five-bedroom family homes in the village of Allington. The development offers residents smart features, including high insulation, solar access, energy efficient boilers, low energy lighting and bat and bird boxes in the garden – perfect for nature lovers!

James continues: “After having spent over £30,000 refurbishing the last property we lived in, we were ready to move somewhere that needed absolutely no work doing to it. Our previous house required a lot of cosmetic work with new flooring and carpets needed throughout, a fitted kitchen, landscaping to the garden and a new conservatory installed. You don’t realise how much it is all going to cost when you buy the house, but it soon adds up and you don’t always see the return on your money spent when you come to sell. It is so refreshing to move into a property and not have to worry about replacing anything, not even the carpets – it has all been done beautifully and we got to personalise our home to exactly our tastes before we moved in.”

Clare, a headteacher who works in Bexley, comments: “I have always favoured newer style properties, so was excited when I saw that Barratt was building these homes up the road from us. Allington is a lovely quiet area, and I didn’t want to move far. It has great road links, which makes both of our commutes easy and we are also close to the town centre and the train station for when we want to take a day trip into London. It is a lovely area for families with lots of nice places on the doorstep, especially Leeds Castle, which Jack loves! When the time comes for Jack to go to secondary school, there are lots of good options nearby, including Maidstone Grammar School for Boys.”

Natalie Perry, head of sales and marketing at Barratt Kent, comments: “There are many advantages for buying new as James, Clare and Jack have found at The Orchards. Not only do our buyers get to move into a property that is designed for modern living with brand new fixtures and fittings and the latest energy efficiency technologies, but they also receive a high level of service and support from our trained sales staff during the buying process and get to take advantage of our personalisation options. For growing families, this can not only prove to be easiest option but also the most cost effective one, particularly as our homes are covered by the 10 year NHBC Buildmark Warranty.

A selection of five-bedroom homes are still available to buy at The Orchards. Prices start from £554,995.

Read more about The Orchards from Barratt Homes

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