Nick and Jenn find The Gateway to a new life in Cirencester

Nick and Jenn Evans purchased a four-bedroom detached house at Bloor Homes’ The Gateway, and were so pleased with their new home that they recommended the development to three of their friends – all of whom are also buying a new home there.

Nick, 32, an account manager for a finance company, and Jenn, 28, who works for a travel company, took advantage of the government’s Help to Buy scheme to secure their new property, and moved into the house with their bichon poodle Ramsey earlier this year.

The couple had previously lived in a two-bedroom coach house in Corsham, but had long had desires on relocating to Cirencester.

Nick says: “Location was a big factor in our decision to move. Cirencester is somewhere we had always aspired to live and The Gateway ticked all the boxes.

“The location is absolutely perfect for us, with the countryside on one side and the town on the other. We’re quite close to the M4 and M5 which is great for travelling to other parts of the country. We were specifically looking for new build because we are both quite busy people and the idea of moving straight into a house that doesn’t need any work doing on it really appealed to us. When we visited The Gateway we were really impressed by the quality of the homes and a couple of features in the house really stood out.

“We love the large open-plan kitchen/diner/family room with a glazed sloping roof. Jenn is from America and it gives her the feeling that she is in an American family house and makes her feel at home. As someone who works from home, another selling point was the fact that the house has an office.”

Using the Help to Buy scheme enabled Nick and Jenn to secure their new home with a reduced mortgage as 20% of the purchase price is provided as an equity loan which is interest free for the first five years.

Nick says: “Help to Buy has given us an opportunity to have the house that we wanted at an affordable price, and having a lower mortgage means we have some money left over to spend on other things.

“There are three other couples that are close friends that are buying on the development, two of whom are first-time buyers. There’s a nice community here and it’s a great environment for young professionals.”

There are now just two properties remaining at The Gateway, both four-bedroom detached houses priced at £399,950 and £480,000.