A Home With The ‘Wow’ Factor For Newbury Couple
Domestic worker Nikki Minns, 63, and her engineer husband Gary, 64, were previously living alongside Nikki’s mother in her childhood home, a four-bedroom property in the Berkshire village of Bradfield Southend.
Following the passing of Nikki’s mother, the couple decided to look for a smaller property in the area for a fresh start, looking at both older and newer houses.
Nikki says: “Gary and I have owned a few homes together and, with our home search this time, we quickly found that we didn’t know what we wanted until we knew what we didn’t want. We checked out different types of homes and new developments around Thatcham, and found that none of the homes were suitable for us.
“Gary often used to drive by Newbury Racecourse, and it always stood out to us as a nice and seemingly unachievable place to live. Eventually Gary visited the site for a tour, and discovered that there were lots of options there for us. We decided to visit the development a second time together, and when I saw the plans for the three-bedroom Greenwood style home, I knew straight away that it was the right home for us. It seemed to have our names written all over it from the beginning.
“The three-storey aspect of the home is a real asset too, we thought it would be great to help us keep fit going up and down the stairs, and it’s a novelty having a sitting room on the second floor for guests to also use.”
Nikki and Gary secured their very own three-storey Greenwood home off-plan at David Wilson Homes’ development, The Chase at Newbury Racecourse.
Nikki adds: “Before our move, our biggest concern was whether all of our furniture was going to fit, but the home completely exceeded our expectations with space and we were surprised that each room was more spacious than we imagined. We even got the chance to customise the kitchen and we love the style of each room.
“What I like about new build homes is that everything is clean and all sorted out for you – all you have to worry about is putting stuff away. It was like our new house sparkled.”
Nikki and Gary’s downsizing journey also brought additional benefits for the couple.
Nikki says: “As we paid off the mortgage on our old house and bought a smaller home, we were able to make a profit and we can now afford nice holidays when we retire using the money. We love having a smaller garden to maintain now too, meaning we can leave it for longer while we’re away.
“We used David Wilson Homes’ Movemaker scheme to sell our previous home with ease and our estate agents fees were also paid, which was very handy and a great boost for us. Gary and I were really excited when we finally got the keys. A buyer had let us down in the past on a previous property so we were hoping that everything would go to plan, and it did.”
The couple have praised the Newbury Racecourse development for its convenience and charm.
Nikki adds: “As we moved from a village to the racecourse, we expected the area to be not as peaceful, but we were surprised how quiet the development is. We’ve also met our neighbours now who are lovely and approachable. It’s a really nice community here.
“My daughter has a dog, and when she visits she takes advantage of the lovely walks around the local area and the canal. We’re just so proud to live here, and every time I drive into the development over the bridge and see the lovely views I still think ‘wow, I live here!’”
View more about The Chase at Newbury Racecourse from David Wilson Homes
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