New Homes And Marriage Proposal For Midlands Couple

Love is in the air for a Hartshorne couple who got engaged just weeks after buying their first home together.

Nikki Wardle and Lauren Hughes began their search for a new place last summer, and quickly fell in love with Bellway’s Woodland Rise development in the village.

Nikki, 31, who lived in a two-bedroom flat in nearby Swadlincote, and Lauren, 32, who was living with her parents in Birmingham, visited the showhome at Woodland Rise and reserved a three-bedroom detached house that weekend.

Nikki said: “We came across Bellway’s Woodland Rise while driving around, as it’s just three-quarters of a mile away from my old place. Lauren and I were looking for a three-bedroom house as we are planning to start a family. We were also keen to buy a new build house. We didn’t want the added pressure of things going wrong such as a boiler breaking. We just wanted the house to be built, ready, and issue-free.

“When Lauren and I checked out the site together, we instantly fell in love with it. And once we saw the three-bedroom ‘Thespian’ home we just knew it was for us. It was perfectly designed and had the right location we were looking for.

“When we approached the ‘Thespian’ we first noticed the dual-aspect bay windows to the living room, and that completely won us over. They looked amazing on the outside and gave great views out of the living room while letting in lots of light. The house has a very cosy feeling too which we’re now making the most of during the winter months.

“We wasted no time putting my old place on the market, and we quickly decided to reserve it on the same weekend that we saw it.”

Another advantage of buying a new home was that it enabled the couple to use the Help to Buy scheme, something which Nikki did previously when she bought her flat in Swadlincote five years ago. Under the scheme, which has now been replaced and is solely for first-time buyers, the couple were able to purchase their house with just a 5% deposit and 75% mortgage – the remaining 20% being provided as an equity loan which is interest free for the first five years.

Nikki said: “The Help to Buy scheme made buying our desired home achievable for us. The process went very smoothly, and Bellway really helped by providing lots of guidance along the way. I’d recommend it to absolutely everyone if I could.”

The couple moved into their new home, which they now share with their two cats Treacle and Daisy, on 28 October last year. Then, just over six weeks later – on 12 December – Nikki proposed.

“When we got the keys it was an amazing feeling”, said Nikki. “Because we knew we wanted to live together for a while, it felt like a long time coming, and it was such a relief that we were able to sell the flat in time. It’s the first either of us has lived with somebody who isn’t family and that really adds to the excitement.

“We were among the first residents to move into our cul-de-sac, which is now almost fully occupied. We have met many of our lovely neighbours and we like the sense of community that comes with living in a village.

“There’s also a range of good schools which is very important to us as we want to start a family. Another bonus is there is a very good local pub called The Bulls Head within walking distance."

Lauren and Nikki were very impressed by the quality of customer service they received from Bellway.

Nikki said: “I really can’t fault Bellway at all. They were very organised and we were so impressed with how easy they made the move for us given there was a lockdown. Their after-service is excellent too.

Lauren added: “Even since we’ve moved in, we haven’t been forgotten. The site team call to check in and sort out even the smallest things straight away. We would definitely recommend buying with Bellway.”

For updates on Nikki and Lauren’s new home, you can visit their Instagram page at instagram.com/our_bellway_thespian_

Find out more about Woodland Rise from Bellway.

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