Oxfordshire has so much going for it as a place to live, it’s not surprising that we’ve recently received a lot of information about the new homes for sale there.
From quiet villages to cities and growing new communities, the county is offering something for all types of buyer and budget. With house-hunter interest highly influenced by the lockdown lifestyle of the last few months, the opportunity to find a value-for-money home which ticks all the boxes for living and working is strong.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a Stamp Duty ‘holiday’ from 8 July until 31 Match 2021 will have provoked yet more interest in properties for sale. Tom Nicholson, chief operating officer for major housebuilder Crest Nicholson, commented that it will “make a huge difference to a large proportion of people, extending affordability particularly for first-time buyers who may have felt locked out of the market following the removal of 90% mortgages by many high street banks.”
At Colwell Green in Witley, the company is offering Home Reach, a part buy-part rent scheme which required a much smaller deposit and home loan. There are a number of two-bedroom apartments in Harlington House where a 50% share can be purchased for £127,475 (based on a full market value of £254,950). Also for sale are three- and four-bedroom houses from £349,950 and £549,950 respectively.
Emma Jones, sales director of Bellway Thames Valley said: “We have seen a greater number of buyers from London and the suburbs, interested in our Oxfordshire homes as they look for larger properties in a cleaner, greener environment post lockdown. Our new homes schemes in Cholsey and Chinnor are ideal for those looking for a countryside location with all the benefits of good schools, motorway access and still commutable to central London.”
At Oak Hill Park in Chinnor, on the foothills of the Chilterns, is close to the pretty market town of Thame and only an hour by train into Paddington. There’s a four-bedroom detached home there known as ‘The Lewis’, for sale at £572,500. This has a kitchen/dining room with utility room – essential for county living – and a double-aspect living room, as well as a master bedroom with en suite and fitted wardrobes. A whole range of homes here is available for between £390,000 and £825,500.
Kelly Sharman, sales and marketing director for WhatHouse?’s Best Small Housebuilder Hayfield, said: “Southmoor is a very popular South Oxfordshire village and as we ease our way out of the Covid-19 lockdown, the combination of scenic walks, good accessibility and high-quality local amenities – such as Millets Farm Centre – has never been more important. The home designs at Hayfields are around 50% larger than standard new houses. The generous dimensions, luxury specification and exceptional interior and exterior finish of these beautiful homes is striking a chord with local people.”
The Hayfields development there is now 90% sold but one of the final homes for sale is the 1,959-sq-ft, five-bedroom ‘Cropredy’ show home, styled and fully equipped by Berkshire-based Alexander James Interior Design. Prices here start at £295,000, £355,000 and £725,000 for two-, three- and five-bedroom homes respectively and Part Exchange is available across the development.
According to Sarah Monier-Williams of estate agent Savills, a rural renaissance is taking place due to the recent lockdown, with buyers seeking countryside homes within 90 minutes from London, including North Oxfordshire and areas around the Cotswolds. Of Spitfire Bespoke Homes’ Wildbourne development, situated in the village of Milton-under-Wychwood, she remarked: “Since January we have seen an increase of 121% in enquiries, with a significant shift in the number of people looking to move to the countryside. Of those applicants 32% are London buyers, a clear uptick when compared to 21% in 2019.”
Set in the heart of the Cotswolds, each of the three-, four- and five-bedroom detached properties at Wildbourne is designed to reflect traditional architecture and enjoys far-reaching views across the surrounding countryside. There’s a recently unveiled four-bedroom show home with kitchen/dining/family room, sitting room, study, en suite master bedroom with walk-through dressing area and bespoke fitted wardrobes, and another en suite to bedroom two. Properties here are available from £525,000 for a three-bedroom detached home. Find out more about Spitfire Bespoke Homes.
Also of interest for Oxfordshire house-hunters might be Cross Trees Park in Shrivenham, where Legal & General Homes has produced a video tour of the show house.
Denise Stewart, sales and marketing director at Legal & General Homes, commented: “The response to our new 360° virtual tours at Cross Trees Park in Shrivenham has been fantastic. With restrictions easing, many buyers are continuing to use them to get a feel for the high-quality finishes and space in our properties before booking to visit us in person.
“After months of staying at home, many of our customers' priorities have shifted towards spacious outdoor areas and environments that are suited to working from home. The picturesque village of Shrivenham, with its local high street of independent shops and cafes and easy connections to Swindon, Oxford and Reading, is proving particularly popular with people currently living in urban areas. A countryside setting combined with modern features like fibre optic broadband and Hive thermostats, alongside above-average room sizes and separate studies, mean Cross Trees Park is offering buyers the best of both worlds.”
The ‘Drayton’ is a three-bedroom home which includes an open-plan kitchen/dining area with bi-fold doors opening out to the garden, and a separate living room. Small families or couples may wish to use one of the bedrooms as a study. Shrivenham is a 15-minute drive from Swindon railway station which provides fast, regular services to Reading (in under 30 minutes) and London Paddington in under an hour. Prices start at £335,000, meaning that buyers will benefit from the recent changes to the Stamp Duty threshold.
Dorchester Living has announced that here is just one home left for sale at the current phase at Heyford Park which now offers a substantial saving in Stamp Duty – priced at £529,995, there’s only £1,499 tax to pay, a reduction of £15,000 from just a couple of weeks ago. Help to Buy is also available, needing a 5% deposit.
‘The Darcy’ is a four-bedroom house set over 2.5 storeys. The ground floor features an open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room with bi-folding doors leading out to the garden as well as a separate study. Three bedrooms are on the first floor, as is the family bathroom, with bedroom two benefitting from an en suite. The master bedroom is on the second floor, with an en suite and a walk-in wardrobe.
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