Read the Smith's story
The Smith family speak about their home-buying adventure at our popular Overstone Gate development in Northampton, sharing how our Part Exchange scheme made the whole process hassle-free.
The journey to a new family home
Eighteen years ago, we bought our first home, a cozy two-bedroom property that served us well for many years. In 2012, we welcomed our baby boy, Aston, into the family. As time went by and Aston got older, we found ourselves running out of space. While our first home, purchased through the HomeBuy scheme, had been a great stepping stone onto the housing ladder, it became clear that we needed more room and the opportunity to move on from the shared equity scheme.
Three years ago, we began exploring our options, from extending our current home to moving elsewhere, but due to the restrictions imposed by the HomeBuy scheme, we encountered various challenges that made these options unfeasible. It was a frustrating time, as we felt stuck, trapped and limited by the opportunities available to us in the 2nd hand home market.
In a final effort to find a solution, we looked at the possibility of purchasing a new build home. We talked with several developers in our area of Northampton, but to our disappointment, none of the homes we looked at met our needs practically or financially.
Finding the perfect place
Just before we lost all hope of being able to make our situation better, we arrived at Overstone Gate and explored the various styles of houses on offer. We really liked the idea of a 3-storey home due to the space it offered. We saw that Persimmon Homes had a few 3-storey options and so we turned to them to see if they could help. That’s where we met the wonderful Vanessa! She was so welcoming, confident and reassuring that we knew we’d find our new home with her. Vanessa turned our dream of buying a brand-new home into a reality.
Having lived on the eastern side of Northampton for over 18 years, it was important for us to stay in the area, particularly so our son could remain at his current school. Overstone Gate was the perfect choice, being just 2.5 miles from our previous home. For Paul, it was a return to familiar territory, having grown up in Moulton. It really was the perfect solution to our problems and a no brainer!
Persimmon Homes made us a fair market value offer for our old home through their part exchange program, and along with other fantastic incentives, made us a deal that we couldn’t refuse. With the help of a Mortgage Advisor that Persimmon recommended, we were able to secure a mortgage that allowed us to purchase a brand new four-bedroom home which included the ability to purchase optional extras and upgrades through Persimmon, truly making it our own.
The entire process with Persimmon Homes was smooth and efficient. Since they purchased our old home and we weren’t in a chain, we were able to exchange contracts and complete the sale within eight weeks.
The build quality of our new home has exceeded our every expectation. Shortly after completing, we acquired the services of a snagging company to inspect the property. The inspector told us he was impressed by the exceptional craftsmanship, finding only a fraction of the snags usually encountered in a typical new build - and those snags were mainly cosmetic and all easily rectified. He asked us to pass on his congratulations to the site manager for the very high standard of the build.
The Persimmon team at Overstone Gate has been absolutely fantastic. Every issue we’ve raised with the site manager, Will, and his team has been addressed promptly and beyond our expectations. The site tradespeople have been incredibly friendly, and their work has been exemplary, with no mess left behind. We’ve even gotten to know the tradespeople, site manager, sales team, and customer care team on a first-name basis, making us feel like part of the Persimmon family - all of which we feel is a true testament to the care Persimmon Homes have for their customers and the quality of their builds.
Making it home
Now, after seven weeks in our new home, we still have plenty to do, but we've started to add more of our own personal touches, including air conditioning, plantation shutters, new lighting throughout, home automation, along with new furnishings. We’re truly beginning to feel settled and don’t miss our old house at all. Our favourite room in our 3-story Whinfell is undoubtedly the main bedroom with en-suite. Running the entire length of the house on the top floor, it’s huge! Lyndsay has finally got her full height wardrobe and dressing table with extra space for all of her clothes and shoes, something she always dreamt of, but couldn’t have in our old house. Paul on the other hand is content with the 1 large drawer she allocated to him.
We cannot thank Persimmon Homes enough for making our dream of moving a reality. They made the entire process quick, hassle-free, and smooth, with a friendly and extremely supportive experience from start to finish.
We plan to stay with Persimmon for our next home and are busy telling all of our friends and family about our experience, this amazing site and their wonderful homes.
Thank you, Persimmon. We love it here!!
