Chelmsford Home-Hunter Benefits From Buying Over Renting

A first-time buyer in Chelmsford has been able to secure his dream home after years of living in rented accommodation.

Luke Robbertse, a technology operations manager who moved to the UK from South Africa for work in 2017, has bought a two-bedroom property at Bellway Essex’s Novello development in Victoria Road after renting a one-bedroom apartment in nearby Bond Street for just over two-and-a-half years.

Luke, 33, used the Help to Buy scheme to purchase his home, which meant he only needed a 5% deposit and a 75% mortgage, with the remaining 20% provided in the form of a government-backed equity loan. He hopes his new home will be ready to move into early next year.

He said: “I have been renting ever since I left home, so for 12 years I have been paying off other people’s mortgages and I thought it was about time I started paying for my own. I like living in Chelmsford and I feel settled here. Using Help to Buy meant that the amount that I’ll be paying for my mortgage on my new property will be around the same that I have been paying in rent every month – so it just made sense to buy.”

Help to Buy is currently available to both first-time buyers and existing homeowners who are purchasing a new-build home up to the value of £600,000. The equity loan is interest free for the first five years of homeownership.

Luke chose to buy a two-bedroom apartment to give him the space he needs for both work and family visits. He said: “Using Help to Buy meant that I could buy the home that I really wanted, so I didn’t have to settle for less.

“Part of my job usually involves working from home, but it’s been happening even more so now during lockdown. Having that extra space will make it a lot easier for me as I can have an office in my second bedroom.

“The second bedroom also means that I won’t have to sleep on the sofa whenever my family come to visit, and it also means that it will be easier when I meet someone and want to start a family of my own.”

There were important factors in Luke’s decision to buy an apartment there: “The Novello development is in a brilliant location. It is close to where I work, and it’s only a couple of minutes away from a leisure centre. There are some great lush green spaces around too. It’s also only five minutes from the train station and the High Street, so it is all very convenient.

“Chelmsford is around 30 minutes by train or bus to both Southend and Stansted, and close enough to London that I can travel into the bigger city when I want to – Chelmsford is the perfect location for me and Novello is right in the heart of the city. The development is so close to everything that I won’t need to buy a car, which will save me a lot of money – and it’s healthier walking and cycling everywhere.”

Luke’s buying experience was a positive one, with the first-time buyer praising the Bellway staff for how they conducted the sales process.

He said: “My buying experience was really, really good and super easy. Buying a new build meant that it was a nice and quick process which was really convenient. The staff at Novello didn’t try and push me into anything. I didn’t expect it to be so easy.”

Bellway Essex is building a range of one and two-bedroom apartments at Novello, with prices starting from £254,995.

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