Community, Security And Flexibility Attract Sophie To New Apartment
Faced with finding a new home during lockdown in May 2020, Sophie Hinton, was grateful to have her head turned by Get Living’s New Maker Yards when driving through Manchester:
“I had less than a month to find a new rental, in the middle of a pandemic, so as you can imagine it was quite an emotionally charged time! I’d been renting with my best friend in Todmorden since we left university but when she bought her first home, I decided to look for a place on my own.
“I’d always wanted to be closer to Manchester, so one weekend my mum and I just drove around the city centre looking at various places. When we passed New Maker Yards’ I was immediately taken by the canalside setting and green surroundings. We pulled up at the welcome office without an appointment and met the lovely Josh who was able to show us a selection of homes right away.
“I fell in love with it all. The homes were lush, fully furnished with items I would have totally picked myself, but really it was the sense of community that sold it to me. Manchester has a great choice of flats but it was seeing pet owners (who I now know as the Dog Squad) chatting away in the courtyard while their pups played, people saying ‘hello’ to Josh as we walked around, that created a really nice vibe that I knew I wanted to be a part of.
New Maker Yards
“With security on site 24/7 I feel completely safe living on my own and actually, because of the design of the buildings, where you can see neighbours having their morning coffee on their balconies, in the courtyard, chilling along the river, you don’t really ever feel alone. It’s like we’re all in one New Maker Yards’ bubble!”
Sophie is a product manager for an innovative smart city company and is currently working from home: “Having the club room as a workspace option was really helpful, and another good way to meet people naturally.
“I think with the way the world is going, I’ll continue to work remotely, but it’s still great to be able to walk into Spinningfields to experience the buzz of a business hub – it’s where I tend to go for access to the best fitness studios through ClassPass as well – and when bars and restaurants are open again it’ll be good to know that I’m only ever a 10-minute walk away in heels from my bed!
“My perspective of renting has completely changed. I used to think that it was a means to an end, a stop gap while waiting to buy. But when you get older and think about what a house actually means – the commitment involved, saying goodbye to your life’s savings – you appreciate the flexibility and all the added value Get Living offers that mean you get more out of renting.
“I’ve not got the worry about mortgage, I’ve got options. And with some much going on and so much uncertainty in our lives right now, I can just focus on living in the moment.”