High Wycombe Has First-Time Buyers’ Perfect Home
A couple have made their property dream come true by finding their ideal way to swap renting for buying, at Berkeley’s Abbey Barn Park, situated on an elevated position just a few minutes’ drive from High Wycombe, on the edge of the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Duncan is a community-based mental health nurse in Hillingdon for the NHS. Alyssa also works in Hillingdon as the academic principal at ACS Hillingdon International School. Alyssa is a dual UK-US citizen raised in America, and Duncan grew up in Hastings.
Uxbridge, west London has been home to Duncan, aged 43 years. and Alyssa, aged 41 years, since they got married eight years ago. Their work brought them to Hillingdon – a neighbourhood unfamiliar to them both – so they chose to rent a property, rather than buy. This enabled them to get a feel for the area, whilst saving for the deposit to buy their first home together.
Alyssa explained: “We rented for a long time, not only to save money towards a deposit, but we were also trying to decide where we wanted to settle, as neither of us are from the area. During the first lockdown, we re-evaluated our priorities and decided it was time to bite the bullet, finally stop paying someone else’s mortgage and buy our first home together.”
Duncan continued: “When starting our search, we knew we wanted a new build property, ideally in a more rural location, with plenty of space. Our dream was to find a house with three bedrooms, a garage, garden and separate utility room. So Alyssa googled “new build properties near me” and that’s how we found Abbey Barn Park in High Wycombe. We had a look around the website and decided to request more information.
“The rest all happened in a whirlwind – four days later we were viewing the show home and then we made an offer the week after that - we decided to move fast to ensure we secured the house we wanted. Abbey Barn Park’s location was a big part of the appeal, as the houses are built around a fantastic country park known as The Ride.
Alyssa and Duncan at home
“When we walked round the show home, we were so impressed by the quality of the fixtures and fittings that Berkeley include in their properties, it also gave us inspiration as to how our new home could look once complete.
“We were able to see the size and layout of the houses from floor plans and chose one that ticked all the boxes on our wish list. We also loved the fact that because it is a new build property, we could personalise it to our own taste. We got to choose the style of flooring; colour and style of kitchen cabinets; and the tiles in our new bathrooms.
“We are so thrilled to have the added bonus of the country park, with its open green space and are really looking forward to enjoying the walking trials that The Ride provides. Having lived in suburbia for such a long time, it will be amazing to have so many lovely walks literally on our doorstep.
“We love the fact that lots of our neighbours will be moving in around the same time, giving us the opportunity to become part of a new, growing community, particularly as neither of us have family nearby.
“After years of renting, we are most looking forward to having a home that is finally ours. We are buying a beautiful blank canvas that we can make our mark on. We are really excited about the fact that everything will be new and finished to a high standard. We will be able to focus on the fun stuff, buying accessories, and just enjoy living in our home rather than moving into a home that requires a great deal of remodelling or modernisation.
“We’ve been so pleased with the support we’ve had from Berkeley throughout the process, from reservation, all the way through. We can’t wait to finally move in.”
Alyssa and Duncan paid £490,000 for their three-bedroom semi-detached house. Properties are currently available at Abbey Barn Park from £337,500 for a two-bedroom apartment. Find out more from Berkeley.
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