Buying a house alone for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience, but for Karen McGinness it couldn’t have been better.

Special needs Health & Well-being officer, Karen, 53, had previously bought houses when she was married but since going it alone felt the whole process was daunting and desperately wanted the reassurance that she was making the right decision.

Her search began in 2019 looking at various styles and locations until she found exactly what she was looking for close to her work at Persimmon Homes’ Sycamore Park development in Darnley.

“Buying a house on your own is a huge leap of faith and financial investment, I couldn’t afford to get it wrong and needed the reassurance that everything would be alright.

“From my first meeting with the sales staff at Sycamore Park my confidence grew, I felt that they genuinely cared and wanted to know me and what I wanted – it wasn’t just a case of selling a house.

“I knew from the first second I viewed the Ettrick show home that it felt right for me, I loved it, the space and rooms and the fabulous layout was perfect - I just got that feeling, it had the wow factor and ticked all the boxes.”

Karen bought her new four-bedroom detached Ettrick home off-plan in September 2019 and watched it being built, she said: “Andy on site and Karen and Morwenna in the sales team helped me every step of the way, showing me where I would get the best view from the sales cabin as my house was being built. Even the things that I didn’t know I needed to know were explained to me including where trees would be planted and the location of outdoor lights – now I’ve moved in I realise the importance of these details.

“I can’t praise them enough, on the day I moved in I was so overwhelmed I felt like crying, it was everything I had dreamed it would be, the finishing touches and things that mattered all looked amazing.

Karen sold her existing house in Newton Mearns in August 2020 just as the lockdown restrictions tightened leaving her with no choice but to sofa surf for a few months while she waited for her new home to be ready in October 2020. “My show home videos got me through the time, I was so excited to move in and have my first Christmas in my own home the time flew by.

“What made it even easier was the fact that the sales and marketing director, Ingrid Gahagan kept in constant contact with me, I received regular texts, emails and calls which meant everything to me.

“As a key worker I know this has been a difficult time for many. I have two jobs working as a special needs health & well-being officer with children and adults which can be stressful but since I moved, I can’t wait to get home, it’s my sanctuary and I’m so happy I wish I could bottle it and share it with others.”

Karen, a mother of four, says that she can’t wait for her children to visit and in the future bring grandchildren to stay. Living with her daughter, Marissa , 23, Karen couldn’t be happier.