An engaged couple has got a first foothold on the property ladder at one of Cameron Homes' new developments by opting for a 40-year mortgage.
Thirty-year-old Hayley and her fiancé Alex, age 32, had been renting an apartment for five years, while saving up for a deposit. They visited the new Cameron Homes development on the day it opened and then drove to two of the housebuilder’s other developments to walk around their preferred house type – a detached three-bedroom Chapman.
The couple became the first to reserve at the £29m development, which comprises 57 traditionally styled three-, four-, and five-bedroom houses and offers excellent schooling and an array of local amenities.
Hayley said: “We had dreamed of owning our own home with a private garden and driveway for a few years, but saving up for a deposit is not easy when monthly rent eats so much salary. We felt buying a new home would enable us to have control over our finances and benefit from low energy bills. In fact, the insulation and energy efficiency, together with the solar panels on the roof, means we’re only paying around £30 a month for electricity with Octopus.
“Our solar panels are registered with National Grid to make sure we benefit from the value of outgoing energy. During the summer, we think the cost of charging our Tesla should also be fully covered by the electricity generated by solar. This is such a great benefit of moving here, especially when we haven’t needed to make any compromises.”
Hayley works as a senior partnership manager, while Alex is a school inclusion manager and semi-pro football player, signed to a nearby club. Their three-bedroom Chapman home cost £395,000. The mortgage was arranged with West Bromwich Building Society, with a 10% deposit required. 5% was contributed by Cameron Homes, with the remaining £20,000 paid from savings.
Hayley continued: “We chose a 40-year mortgage, so that the monthly repayments were virtually the same as the £1,600 pcm we had been paying in rent. We signed up for a fixed rate for two years, knowing we could choose to reduce the term of the mortgage when our current deal ends, but for now it gives us the financial flex to save for our wedding and continue making our first house into a cosy home.
“The oak doors and oaty colour palette we’ve chosen have created the perfect neutral backdrop for the surrounding lush green countryside. Our new home is in such a beautiful village, giving us the balance of being close to family and friends, great places to eat out, a local farm shop, the Nuffield gym where we’re members, and country walks. We’re only four miles from the city centre, but the super views across the countryside from our bedroom window and the kitchen are actually spurring us on to get a dog.”
Hayley and Alex had the excitement of a site visit every month prior to moving in, to see the construction progress on their chosen plot. They made specification choices, ensuring the house was finished to their taste when the keys were handed over to them on moving day.
Cameron Homes has been constructing new homes across the Midlands for over 30 years. The five star HBF housebuilder has worked with Edward Thomas Interiors on the styling for its Kipling show home, which features on-trend brown and beige soft furnishings, complemented by glamorous dark-wood furniture and feature wall panelling.
Meanwhile, the centrepiece of the new development is a large area of public open space, creating a strong sense of place and providing habitats for local wildlife.
The bespoke-designed kitchens feature integrated Bosch or Electrolux appliances, with a choice of worktops. Bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms have contemporary white Ideal Standard sanitaryware, Aqualisa taps, and Porcelanosa floor and wall tiles. Each Cameron home is independently snagged prior to handover and protected by a 10-year NHBC Buildmark policy.
Established in 1994, Cameron Homes is currently delivering over 200 homes across 11 live developments and has a pipeline of future sites expected to deliver circa 1,000 new homes.
