The new homes market offers a huge choice of properties but equally, there’s a very diverse range of potential buyers looking for the perfect place to live – and everyone has their own story.
First-time buyers, growing families, retirees, home workers, people downsizing, re-locating, maintaining links with family and friends – there are a host of considerations for everyone, whatever their circumstances.
Hampshire is a lovely county which offers so many options for buyers in terms of location, connectivity and budget that finding the right place might actually be tough – but here are three stories of buyers who found their dream home there.
Denise, Milford-on-Sea
Denise Dawson is a resident of a popular Hampshire bungalow development has praised the benefits of community living, after her neighbours came together in support during lockdown. She bought her brand new two-bedroom ‘Stately Albion’ house type at RoyaleLife’s Solent Grange in Milford-on-Sea 18 months, ago, falling in love with the picturesque location, her views of a nature park and the Isle of Wight, and active-social community centred around the vibrant village.
She has built some strong friendships on- and off-site through things like coffee mornings, bingo nights and trips to the area’s restaurants and pubs. An avid fitness fan, the grandmother of two also takes part in yoga and Pilates classes, and has joined a local walking group.
She set up a residents’ group email address so that neighbours could easily communicate with one another and it was after the coronavirus pandemic struck that Denise saw first-hand the importance of living in a close-knit community. “Primarily the risk of the virus meant that my fitness classes and the development’s social groups – such as the bingo night – were moved onto the online social website Zoom. But it was when the country went into full lockdown that we realised the community may need further support.
“To begin with, a group of us created a “support bubble” where we would check in on one another and as time went on we would offer small acts of kindness to lift our spirits up – such as when I surprised my neighbour with a beautiful bunch of flowers and they returned the gesture by baking some delicious scones and leaving them on my doorstep. “
With their permission, Denise kept an eye on her neighbours’ home after they were unable to return from their holiday home in Spain due to international travelling restrictions.
It was this level of personal care that led to Denise being crowned a RoyaleLife Neighbourhood Hero. Nominated by her fellow residents, she was awarded with an engraved keepsake, luxury hamper and personalised ‘thank you’ card.
“Helping each other in small ways can make the world of difference to somebody who may be struggling,” added Denise.
Prices for homes at Solent Grange, exclusively for over-45s, start at £285,000. Find out more at www.royalelife.com.
Matt and Tania, Hook
After their plans to secure a new home were accelerated by the break from Stamp Duty, a couple in Hook were able to comfortably separate their work and home life through a spacious home type they were able to purchase at David Wilson Homes’ Oakwood Grange development on Aspen Gardens.
Matt and Tania Tozer, both in their 30s, along with their two-year-old daughter Maya, have found the best of both worlds in a new property at. A sports media professional and an analyst respectively, have been able to work from home efficiently but while having excellent commuter options available when their offices re-open.
Matt said: “We’ve now got extra space in our kitchen to both work from home at the same time and it’s been comfortable. I work in London so knowing Hook station connects to Waterloo station is really useful, not just for work but for our social lives and the value of our property too.”
A work-life balance in their new three-bedroom ‘Burley’ house type was easily attainable to spend quality time with Maya. Tania added: “Maya likes playing in the kitchen and dining area, so the open-plan layout has really benefited us as a family. The bedrooms are all a decent size, we have a nice garden and the garage with driveway parking is excellent. It’s just nice being together because we had a terraced house previously and you could sometimes feel cut off.”
Matt and Tania put their previous home on the market in the traditional way but, to avoid missing out on the Stamp Duty savings and face a winter move, they used David Wilson Homes’ Part Exchange scheme and completed their move in just over six weeks.
Matt continued: “We’d aspired to start a fresh and knew a new build would involve a lot less work. We’d renovated our previous home quite a lot but there was little more we could do with it, so it was nice to move into this house knowing no DIY was required. Using Part Exchange gave us reassurance because our existing property was sold before we moved into our new home.”
Tania said: “We moved from Yateley and I work locally but I didn’t know Hook too well. It’s a lovely area with rural countryside and enjoyable running routes nearby. The town centre is in walking distance and we’ve heard really good things about Hook Junior School, which will be a great option for Maya in a couple of years.”
There are currently four-bedroom homes available with prices starting from £560,000. Find out more about Oakwood Grange from David Wilson Homes.
Robert and Jane, Whitchurch
A couple have followed their son’s example and bought a new home right on their doorstep in Whitchurch in Hampshire! Robert and Jane Granata have just moved into a home on Bewley Homes’ Watership Place development in the town, situated only a few hundred yards from where they had previously lived for 25 years.
The couple, married for 46 years, Jane share a long history with the pretty Hampshire market town which is situated close to the River Test. She can trace her family’s connections back to 1901 and he attended the local secondary school.
They first started to get interested in Bewley’s Watership Place after their son, Andrew, moved to phase 1 with his fiancée and baby son. They wanted to remain close to the area and after looking at options, chose to live on the same development, buying a brand new four-bedroom detached house with a utility room and garage. There was the bonus of being able to choose their own fixtures and fittings, things such as the quartz worktops in the kitchen and the style of cupboards, handles and carpets.
Although downsizing, the couple did not want to feel that they were compromising on space, particularly the bedrooms. The layout of their new home provided them with a very spacious and practical layout where they can comfortably accommodate grandchildren and guests, with the versatility of using one of the bedrooms an office for consultant Robert.
Jane, a homemaker and busy grandmother, is delighted with the open-plan kitchen/diner which she always imagined having. Along with the equally large sitting room, it provides ample space for entertaining at home and for her young grandchildren to play.
Robert said: “Having lived in Whitchurch for 25 years, it was always going to be sad if we had to leave to make our next move. But we feel so fortunate that we found exactly the right new build property on our doorstep in a place we love and community we know so well.”
Elaine Stratford, sales and marketing director at Bewley Homes, commented: “This is a lovely story of a family able to stay in the town they want to live and being able to buy exactly what home they want.
Watership Place in Whitchurch is a ‘garden village’ collection of two-, three- and four-bedroom houses with prices currently starting from £399,950 for a three-bedroom home.
Find out more at www.bewley.co.uk.
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