For Julie and Alan finding a new home nestled in a village, to enjoy their retirement, was a key factor in their search. With their children having flown the nest the couple always knew that they would like to escape the noise and bustle of Luton town for a quieter lifestyle in a pretty Bedfordshire village. With the dream of buying a new build property, the couple had been looking for a couple of years to secure a home that they can enjoy the next stage of life in.
Alan explains: “We lived in our last property for 29 years and I have worked hard on DIY projects over those years. So, buying a new home was always part of the master plan. We are so blessed with this house, we think we have the best location on the development, at the end of the road with an attractive pond in front of the house, so we never have passing traffic. It is so peaceful – just what we always dreamed of.”
Alan and Julie nearly purchased two other properties before finding their home at The Appleyard, both falling through due to circumstances beyond their control.
Julie says: “Sometimes things happen for a reason and that is perhaps why we didn’t end up buying either of the first two homes. By the time we had been stung twice, Alan and I decided we would look for a home where the housebuilder offered part exchange which would take the stress out of the purchase. Using the part exchange scheme offered by Stonebond gave us the peace of mind of having a guaranteed buyer, and we could stay in our home until our new home was ready. Stonebond kept us fully informed throughout the process which was very reassuring.”
“The minute we saw our new home, we fell in love with it. The house is carefully nestled away on the corner of the site, meaning it is not overlooked by anyone and we have a fabulous-sized garden which was important. I also love some of the unusual and quirky interior design styles, for instance, the master bedroom ceiling is vaulted which gives the room a very dramatic feel which is a feature we love.”
The Joneses were the first private sale residents to move into The Appleyard. Alan muses: “There are a couple more homes that people have moved into over the past month but it has been just us for a while. And our whippet, Jessie – who loves the new walks and countryside that is on our doorstep. The village of Flitton is quiet and we can walk to a pub and being surrounded by nature is how we like to wind down. Julie and I frequently go on long walks with Jessie and there are fabulous riverside walks on the doorstep. There seems to be a lovely community feel to the village and Julie has been busy crocheting squares for a Christmas tree that is being crafted by the local community.”
Alan and Julie were also keen to buy a new build home to keep their energy bills low. Julie comments: “We knew that buying a new build would ensure a warm and cheaper to run home. In our last home we were paying £340 per month for gas and electricity. We are currently paying £150 a month which is great news. The house is really warm and I have to keep throwing open the windows to cool us down!”
Getting around is easy from Flitton too. Alan says: “We can walk to a pub, and Ampthill has a selection of supermarkets including a Waitrose, just three miles away. We can get a train from Flitwick into London which takes under an hour or we can drive to Luton and get the fast train which is just 30 minutes. We love going into London so it was important to us that we could still do this from our new home.”
Julie and Alan have grown up children and a grandchild, both still close enough to visit.
Julie says: “We could never move too far away from our children. Our daughter comes over regularly and often stays the night. Having four bedrooms means we can still host the whole family which is lovely and means family celebrations are still very possible. The children were sad that we were leaving the house that they grew up in but now that we have moved in, they love the new house as much as we do.”
Buying a home through Stonebond was a pleasure, Alan comments: “When we first looked at this development we were given all the time we needed to make a considered choice, the sales team were really helpful. From the Saturday that we first looked at the house in August, it was just one week later before we had reserved and secured the house. It wasn’t just the sales process that has been seamless. The aftersales care has been outstanding too. Stonebond cannot do enough for us.”
