From a university studio flat to their dream first home
After finishing university in 2024, first-time buyers Chloe and Danielle were ready for the next big chapter: buying their first home together. They found everything they were looking for at Overstone Gate, where a spacious 3-bedroom Danbury offered the perfect upgrade from their tiny studio flat.
Trading textbooks for house keys
Like many students, Chloe and Danielle had become pros at living in tight quarters in a studio flat barely big enough for two. So after saying goodbye to their uni days, they were more than ready to swap student living for something a bit more grown-up.
"After completing university at the end of 2024, we decided to buy a new build as first time buyers. This was our first house together, and we were very excited to be finally moving in together. Our 3-bedroom house is definitely an upgrade to our tiny studio flat that we had at university!" Chloe and Danielle explained.
An energy-efficient new build ticked all the boxes
"We decided to purchase a new build because they have better energy efficiency than older homes," Chloe revealed. "This was especially important because we try to be as environmentally friendly as possible in our daily lives. Danielle also works from home, so having solar panels meant our energy costs would be lower." Opting for a Persimmon home wasn't just about being eco-friendly, either.
"Having a new build also meant we didn’t have to set money aside or save up to renovate our home, as it was a blank slate for us to decorate how we wanted to. Persimmon also offered an incentive of a 5% deposit paid by them, which was very useful as first time buyers."
Plenty of space, greenery and great value for money
"We chose Overstone Gate because we liked the design of the estate; we have noticed a lot of new build estates are quite crowded. However, the Persimmon development is spacious and has lots of greenery. We looked at lots of new-build developments together, but we didn’t find any others that we liked as much as the Persimmon development. The house we bought was also much more affordable compared to other 3-bedroom houses we looked at in other developments."
Life at Overstone Gate
Love at first sight with the Danbury
Originally, Chloe and Danielle had planned on buying a 2-bedroom home together to start their new chapter, but found the home of their dreams with one of our most popular house types, the 3-bedroom Danbury.
"As soon as we looked around, we absolutely fell in love with the house, and the garden was far bigger than we were expecting for a new build! Having a 3-bedroom house also allowed us to have our own spaces - Danielle has her office, and I have my ‘library’ room where I keep all my books, arts and crafts, and plants!"
Building relationships that last beyond move-in day
The couple have also kept in touch with Overstone Gate sales advisors Summer and Billy, who have even met Chloe and Danielle's four-legged family members.
"Summer and Billy have been brilliant! They are very friendly and answer any questions we have really quickly. We occasionally go into the marketing suite to have a chat. We have even introduced Summer to our kitten and dog!" says Chloe.
Bringing neighbours together
While Chloe and Danielle are thrilled with their house, they also love the sense of community their new Persimmon Home has brought them.
"Since living in Overstone Gate, we have really got to know our neighbours and they are all really lovely. We had a street party for VE Day which was a good opportunity to meet more people (and their dogs!). We have a Facebook group which is especially handy for organising events (such as our upcoming garage sale), or receiving recommendations for local plumbers/electricians. There is a strong community feel among the neighbours - for example, there was a group of us that all worked together when someone’s rabbits escaped!"
Room to grow, play and wag tails
"Our favourite part of our property is our garden; it is really spacious and even came with a shed! It was really important for us to have a good-sized garden because we have two cats and a dog. The cats are mostly indoor cats, so it is lovely watching them explore the garden. Our dog is elderly and has health conditions, which means she can no longer go on long walks. It's nice that she's able to sniff around the garden and have lots of space to explore when she’s unable to go on walks."
Chloe and Danielle's advice for anyone starting their Persimmon journey
"Our advice to people considering purchasing a Persimmon new build is don’t be afraid to ask the site team questions - they are very helpful and quick to answer questions or rectify issues. Also, don’t be afraid to visit the property as many times as needed before completion; this is useful for measuring and planning where furniture is going to go, as well as for knowing sizes when purchasing new items for the house (such as curtains and curtain poles)."
This customer story contains the genuine opinions of the customers featured, who were Persimmon Homes customers in 2025, and we thanked them for their time and for letting us photograph their homes with a retail voucher.
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