Realising the dream – to own your own home in Rutland
A young Rutland couple have thanked Spire Homes for helping them to
realise their dream of owning their own home; thanks to its shared
ownership programme in Empingham.
Hollie Marston (a hairdresser) and Matt Hill
(a Railway Maintenance Engineer) are happily settled in a brand new
two-bedroom semi detached house in Empingham. With their two cats
Indie and Frankie, the couple are enjoying the benefits of an
energy efficient home with a good-sized garden that Hollie plans to
convert into a vegetable garden. “I can’t believe how warm the
house is, we hardly need to put the heating on which is good
considering the price of heating at the minute,” said Hollie.
The couple previously rented a home in
Stamford and were itching to get on the property ladder; however,
the cost of homes in Rutland seemed to rule out outright purchase.
Having put the idea on the back burner, Matt’s mother, who lives in
Oakham, spotted an advertisement in the Rutland Times for shared
ownership properties in Empingham. They rang Spire Homes
immediately and were informed of the need for a local connection to
the area in order to qualify for one of the homes.
Hollie and Matt were determined to stay in
Rutland, both have locally based jobs and family and friends in the
area. “We never thought we would be able to afford to buy outright.
It’s such an expensive area,” said Hollie.
Hollie also believes that the incentives given
at the time of purchase; £750 towards legal fees and free carpets,
helped them get started. “That made all the difference, it probably
wouldn’t have happened without that.”
With the credit crunch starting to take effect
last summer, Hollie and Matt found themselves having to wait 5
months for a mortgage because lenders were being so cautious.
During this time, the couple were concerned that they would lose
the house to another buyer. “I got really nervous at that time, but
Spire worked with us and kept on reassuring us.”
Asked what she loves about her new home,
Hollie said: “I love the way it looks from the outside, the area is
lovely and rural, and I like the big garden with room for a
vegetable patch. I think the size of the house is brilliant, it
feels so spacious compared to what we had before and the quality of
the fixtures and fittings is really good.”
Please click on the images to enlarge