Homeowner At 23 Thanks To Help To Buy

Jacob Marshman from Hilperton has bought a two-bedroom apartment at Newland Homes’ Heron Rise development in Westbury, at a time when the average age of a first-time buyer in the South West region is 31 according to Halifax, and first-time buyers are on average aged over 30 in every UK region.  

Jacob has been saving for a deposit since he was 16 in order to buy his first home and he credits his success to a good work ethic. He says: “I don’t live a lavish lifestyle. I go to the gym and enjoy hanging out with my friends, but I’ve budgeted with this goal in mind since I was a teenager and it’s a great achievement to finally own my own place.”

Jacob took advantage of the government-backed Help to Buy scheme that lends first-time buyers up to 20% of the cost of a new build home, interest free for the first five years. Homes priced up to the regional price cap of £349,000 are eligible for the scheme, such as the three double bedroomed, semi-detached ‘Tetbury’ home at £325,000, or the two-bedroom ‘Osprey’ apartment like Jacob has purchased, currently priced from £209,000. Reservation can be secured through Help to Buy up until 31 October 2022.

Construction started at the end of last year on the 87 ‘climate considerate’ new homes on Station Road in Westbury. The development provides a broad selection of quality, low carbon housing for Westbury, from two bedroom houses and apartments through to three and four bedroom homes, conveniently placed for easy access to Westbury train station. Newland Homes has just launched a show home for Heron Rise; a four-bedroom, three-storey ‘Thatcham’ house, giving purchasers the chance to see the calibre of the homes for themselves.

“Westbury is a nice town in a central location, with good scenery” says Jacob, who runs a woodburner installation business with his parents, called IJ Marshman of Trowbridge.  “We work across the local area and need to travel, so Westbury is a good choice for me.  Plus I can easily visit my parents for some of mum’s home cooking! I was looking for an apartment and Newland Homes has a good reputation locally. I liked the style and location of the development, so when the apartments became available, I was the first one to reserve.”

Jayne Palmer, sales consultant for Newland Homes comments: “The homes we’ve released so far have proven extremely popular and appeal because of their good location and quality design.  Our new showhome gives people a chance to experience the feel and space of the properties for themselves.”

The term ‘climate considerate’ encapsulates Newland Homes’ approach to building homes sustainably, be it through conserving heat by maximising airtightness and insulation, or encouraging biodiversity through introducing RHS approved, bee-friendly planting schemes and hedgehog highways which enable hedgehogs to move freely in order to find food.  Over 560 metres of hedgehog highways are being installed at Heron Rise.

View more developments currently available from Newland Homes

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