Key Workers Move To Their New Homes Despite Pandemic

The last few months have turned the property market and the economy on its head, but it has also brought to the fore the importance of key workers and the huge thanks they deserve for working though some very trying times.

Some have even been able to combine their professional pressures with that of finding and moving into the brand new home they want. Every story is different from another and here are just a few of them.

Emma and Kirsty

For paramedics Emily Fewster and Kirsty Wade, working in the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic has been anything but plain sailing. By contrast, moving home during the lockdown proved far quicker and easier than the couple could ever have imagined.

They have bought their first home together at Bellway’s Queensgate development in Stockton-on-Tees, moving in at the beginning of June. After saving money for a year to get the deposit, the former renters were prioritised by the housebuilder because of their status as key workers and were able to move in on the date they had originally planned. The couple used the government-backed Help to Buy scheme to secure a three-bedroom semi-detached ‘Salisbury’ house.

Emily added: “We really like the style of the home and the size is perfect. We have an open-plan living room which is very spacious, and we now have an en suite bathroom. We’ve now moved a little bit closer to Kirsty’s work and really like the location.

“Although we’ve been working during the NHS clap, we are very proud of local people’s reactions and support, and we really like the neighbourhood we’re in.”

There is currently a range of three and four-bedroom homes available at Queensgate, with prices starting from £164,995. Find out more about Bellway developments.

Harriette and Matt

Primary school teachers Harriette and Matt were previously living with parents and were initially planning to rent for six months to ‘test the water’ for their future together. But after a spontaneous appointment at David Wilson Homes’ Abbey Gate in Redditch last year, the pair purchased a three-bedroom ‘Archford’ style home off-plan.

Harriette from Crabbs Cross said: “Matt and I had never lived together before, and we weren’t planning on buying a house straightaway. We arrived for our appointment after a spontaneous booking, and we left having reserved a three-bedroom home!”

Lockdown didn’t scupper the move, she added: “We thought we’d have to cancel the removal van and put all the things we had bought for the house back into storage. But the David Wilson team made it all possible. The handover wasn’t what we had originally expected because everything had to be done at two metres away. But the site manager took pictures of our keys and put together a virtual pack for us so that we knew where everything was and didn’t feel clueless when we arrived.”

Now, Matt uses the third bedroom as his office, whilst Harriette uses the dining room for her school work. With their additional space, they don’t feel on top of each other when they’re both at home.

Find out more about Abbey Gate, where prices currently start at £265,000 for a three-bedroom house.

Janet and Andrew (and Florence)

General nurse Janet and her brother from Northwich successfully moved into their brand-new home at the Imperial Park II development in Northwich amidst the UK lockdown with the help of Barratt Homes Manchester.

Janet is native to the town and said: “My brother and I are first-time buyers, and we wanted somewhere that we would have some say in the design. We liked the look of the houses on the development, and Barratt Homes was there with us every step of the way. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

Using Help to Buy, they swapped their rented home for a three-bedroom ‘Stambourne’ house type, which has plenty of space to accommodate their school of fish, Samoyeds Simba and Sasha, and 28-year-old cockatiel Reggie. It also offered extra accessibility to Janet’s mum, Florence (91), who is now living with them at Imperial Park II.

“The sales advisers allocated a time slot for our handover and when we arrived, they were waiting inside the Sales Office. They had left our keys and paperwork on a chair outside and there was also a brilliant hamper box for us, that was a lovely surprise!”

Find out more about Imperial Park II from Barratt Homes.