Lowton Development Ticks All The Boxes For Hong Kong Retirees
After looking at new build developments in London and Greater Manchester, Jenny Wong and Cavan Yau finally put down their roots at Redrow’s Oakwood Fields development in the village of Lowton in Greater Manchester.
Oakwood Fields will eventually feature more than 100 properties at the semi-rural development located on the edge of the village between Wigan and Warrington. The development offers a mix of three- and four-bedroom homes from Redrow’s Heritage Collection.
Jenny says: “We lived in a house in a suburban area in Hong Kong and wanted to enjoy our retirement overseas. We always wanted a new build property, as it’s chain free and has high energy efficiency, which we knew would save us money on our energy bills. New builds also have modern home amenities such as built-in kitchen appliances and heating systems.”
The couple, who have two older children currently living and studying in Australia, carried out extensive research on a number of housing developers in the UK, delving into customer reviews, site maps and house plans.
Jenny continues: “For an overseas buyer like us, we did have concerns about the chance of having an unfinished building after reservation, so we were very careful in selecting a developer. We even had a look at Redrow's financial statements to make sure they had strong financial resources in the industry. We considered Redrow as a trustworthy developer and were attracted by Redrow’s exterior design of houses in various characteristics and styles. We were also impressed by the layouts of Redrow’s houses, which look more spacious and maximise building space.”
Jenny and Cavan had chosen their housebuilder, they began to research Redrow’s developments, finding out more about the properties and the local areas.
Jenny says: “We finally chose Oakwood Fields as it’s quiet and has easy access to retail parks, country parks and a local canal; so we can shop, stroll and cycle. We eventually chose a Stratford style house because we wanted a detached home with a garage, as well as a spacious open plan kitchen, lounge and bedrooms. These features are too expensive to have in Hong Kong. We were also very impressed with the choices of finishings available to us, which fits in with our lifestyle. There are also four bedrooms which mean we can invite friends and relatives coming from overseas to stay with us. We like the open plan kitchen with dining area the most, the design is very stylish, practical and contemporary with a lot of storage spaces. The spacious dining area also means we can have gatherings with friends.”
The Stratford is a popular four-bedroom detached property, with an open-plan kitchen/dining area, a separate spacious lounge and a cloakroom. The second floor boasts four bedrooms, an en-suite to the main bedroom and a family bathroom. Similar style homes at Oakwood Fields are currently priced from £386,995.
And, coincidently, two of the couple’s friends, who they knew before their move to the UK, are now their neighbours. Jenny says: “When we had decided to reserve the house, we found out by chance that my husband’s friend had reserved a house in Oakwood Fields too several months before. We asked for their views on the development, which then reinforced our commitment to the purchase.”
Jenny and Cavan, who moved into their home before Christmas, said they were very impressed with the level of service they received from Redrow.
Cavan says: “Being the first-time buyer in the UK, we had a wonderful buying experience with Redrow. The sales representatives, namely Carol and Lesley, were very professional, responsive and patient in answering my lengthy questions during communications, which made it all much less stressful. Maintaining and looking after a house in the UK is very different than in Hong Kong, so the site team including Peter, Darren and Paul have also been a great help to us.”
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