Help To Buy Secures First Home Together

A young couple have secured their ‘forever home’ much sooner than they expected thanks to the Help to Buy scheme at Davidsons Homes’ Dollman Meadow in Houlton, Rugby.

Jonny Taylor and Emily Wolfe, both in their twenties, initially set their sights on a purchasing a three-bedroom house after deciding to buy their first home together. But by using Help to Buy they were able to afford a four-bedroom detached ‘Dovecliffe’ house type, where the extra space has proved invaluable for lawyer Jonny and postgraduate medical student Emily, particularly with the former working from home during the coronavirus lockdown.

The couple moved in at the beginning of June, shortly after lockdown restrictions on the housebuilding industry were eased. Although their purchase was completed under far from normal circumstances, the couple said the staff at Davidsons Homes had gone to great lengths to ensure the process ran smoothly.

Jonny said: “Moving to a new house is supposed to be stressful, but it just wasn’t with Davidsons Homes – even in these circumstances. The handover was seamless and although the experience was not the same as it would have been, the site team did meet us – at a safe social distance – to go over the basics and show us how everything in the house works.

“Our experience with Davidsons Homes has been phenomenal. They have gone above and beyond to make this transition as seamless as possible, and we cannot thank them enough.

“On the day we moved in, we were talking to our neighbours, and everyone was praising the site team for their hard work in helping us all settle in. They’re constantly checking to make sure we’re happy with everything. It’s the little things that make a big difference and knowing that they’re there to help is really important.”

They lived together for a year in Leeds before Emily moved to a rented student house in Coventry after starting her postgraduate degree at a university in the city. When Jonny was offered a job with Motor Insurers’ Bureau in Milton Keynes, the couple decided to look for a new place together. Their search quickly narrowed to the Rugby area, thanks to its excellent connections to the rest of the country.

Jonny continued: “We visited the area a few times to look around different developments, and each time we would stop at the Tuning Fork café in Houlton for some dinner. It was such a lovely place to visit, and we just kept coming back.

Houlton View, the current development from Davidsons Homes in Houlton

“Houlton really offers the best of both worlds – there are great walking routes throughout the surrounding countryside, which is amazing, but we are still close to Rugby meaning all of the necessary amenities are never too far away.

“It’s in the perfect location for us. We are just two miles from the M1 so I can visit my parents in Leeds in under two hours and we can see Emily’s family in around 45 minutes.

“We spent a lot of time looking at homes in the area and nothing compared to Dollman Meadow. From the minute we walked into the ‘Dovecliffe’, we knew it was the house for us. We love the kitchen and cannot wait to have all our friends and family over and be able to entertain them in it.”

The couple, who are looking forward to welcoming a new Labrador puppy, Bertie, to their family, secured their new home with a 5% deposit and 75% mortgage by using the Help to Buy scheme. The remaining 20% is provided in the form of a government-backed equity loan which is interest free for the first five years.

Jonny concluded: “We were initially looking to buy a three-bedroom house but Help to Buy has enabled us to buy our forever home. Having such a spacious home with a separate study has been invaluable, especially during the current pandemic and given that I will be working from home for the foreseeable future.”

All the homes at Dollman Meadow have now been sold. However, a range of three, four and five-bedroom homes are available at Davidson Homes’ neighbouring Houlton View development.

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