Radical saving and Help to Buy see young couple land first home

A young couple from Leicestershire believe that sticking to a strict weekly budget and making use of buyer incentives was how they managed to buy their first new home.

The Stretton Glen development in Great Glen has become home for Chloe Johnstone, 18 and Callum Rey, 22. When they saw the development, they reserved a plot with Miller Homes when one became available. They chose a three-bedroom Hawthorne-style property, which has a master en-suite and spacious living area.

The average age of first-time buyers is now around 30, and so Chloe, a junior sales representative, and Callum, a painter and decorator, decided to get ahead when saving for their new home. Spending just £50 a week, living with Chloe's mum and cancelling a holiday, they were able to get the money for a deposit. 

Chloe explains: “Both of us get paid weekly so we put almost everything into our savings account. As well as this, we used the Help to Buy scheme, so we only needed a 5% contribution towards the deposit and a 75% mortgage. If there are other young people looking to buy, I’d definitely recommend starting a savings account, and finding out about all the offers available.”

For first-time buyers, the moving process can be quite an overwhelming time, but Chloe says that the team at Miller Homes worked hard to ensure it was as straightforward as possible.

She says: “We felt so at ease throughout the whole journey, and every single staff member was really helpful. They were always on hand to answer any questions we had, and I can’t praise them enough. Now that we have moved into our new home, we are just overwhelmed with joy. When we purchased the plot, we hadn’t even viewed a Hawthorne so it was a big risk – but the best one we have ever taken.”

Find out more about the current developments from Miller Homes