Countryside Properties : “WE MANAGED TO BUY A HOME AND SAVE FOR A WEDDING AT THE SAME TIME”

18/05/2018

With over 50 per cent of first time buyers admitting to putting their wedding on hold* to save for their first home, homeowners Gemma Love and Neil Kelly have broke the mould at Countryside's NGV Liverpool development, thanks to the Help to Buy scheme.

Nursery Teacher Gemma (29) and her fiance Neil Kelly (30), a Business Development Manager, are set to move into their three-bedroom Longford home this month, just two months before their wedding date.

Gemma said: 'Through Help to Buy we've been able to save for both our home and our wedding at the same time, which we never thought would be possible. We had no intention of buying so soon, but over Christmas we visited the showhomes at NGV Liverpool and we just couldn't resist putting down a reservation fee. We fell in love with the development!'

The pair previously rented an apartment in the local area and are currently living with Neil's mother while they wait to move into their new home.

Gemma added: 'The location of the development is what appealed to us, as well as the high standard of the homes. The open-plan kitchen is our favourite thing about the Longford - I can already picture us entertaining our guests whilst cooking in the kitchen. We also love the layout of the home, as there's so much space!'

The three-bedroom home is designed with contemporary living in mind. The kitchen / dining area comes complete with a double electric oven, a five ring gas hob, integrated fridge - freezer, alarm system, chrome LED downlights and French-doors which not only let in natural lighting but open out onto the large garden.

Gemma added: 'We did look at other home builders in the area, but we couldn't visualise our lives there. We just knew that the Longford was the home for us the moment we walked through the door! 'The Help to Buy scheme was a huge help - we've been saving through the ISA since August last year and Neil made a budget planner so that we could put away money whilst we're living at his mums. We've made small cuts, like not going out for meals, but it'll all be worth it once we've moved in.'

Deborah Hughes, Regional Sales Director at Countryside, commented: 'Gemma and Neil are one of many couples, who we've met, that are celebrating two of life's biggest events - both a wedding and a first home in the same year. This really demonstrates how Help to Buy is assisting first time buyers onto the property ladder, without having to put their lives on hold.

'Help to Buy, combined with our high quality affordable homes, really opens up the market for first time buyers, meaning that now is an excellent time for young buyers to make that investment into their future. Particularly with Help to Buy reported to end in 2021.'

*Countryside survey, Sept 2017