Having moved around different rented accommodation across the area since 2009, the Milan family were eager to find a new home in their local area of Milton Keynes that they would truly be able to put their stamp on.
Rhona, who works as a tutor, began searching for a three bedroom home for herself and her two grown-up children, Frank aged 22 and Millie, 19. As part of the search, the family viewed a number of developments around Milton Keynes, but none of the houses they saw offered the space and high-quality spec which they wanted from their new home within budget. However, upon discovering the buying opportunities available with Shared Ownership, Rhona and Frank realised that they would be able to step onto the property ladder with a joint mortgage.
Rhona and her son Frank purchased a 40% of share of a three bedroom semi-detached terraced house through L&Q’s Shared Ownership scheme at Saxon Reach, Milton Keynes.
Rhona’s was recommended Shared Ownership by her sister. As she explained “I had heard about Shared Ownership because my sister had managed to step onto the property ladder through the process a while ago, but I hadn’t realised that there were any available in our area. As soon as I saw that L&Q were offering Shared Ownership homes near Milton Keynes, I was really eager to visit and see if it could be for us. We had previously lived close to Saxon Reach in Ashland and Broughton, and with our jobs nearby it was really important for us to be able to stay in the area when moving house.”
Speaking to the on-site sales team at Saxon Reach about their criteria for their new home, Rhona says, “We were told about all the different types of houses on site and the team were incredibly helpful in talking through our options. I can’t say enough times how friendly they were throughout the process.”
Rhona arranged viewings with the team at Saxon Reach to see multiple properties, so she could decide which layout and design would work best for her family. She described how she felt upon seeing the homes: “We walked into the show home and straight away I turned around to my daughter, Millie, and said I love it! We chose to view a number of different three bedroom Shared Ownership houses at Saxon Reach which allowed us to pick out the design we liked most. At first, I was more drawn to the black spec, but from seeing the show home I feel in love with the natural wood and white interior design scheme.”
Rhona was instantly impressed with the standard of finish the homes available, she commented: “The spec of our home is absolutely incredible. I hadn’t realised that Shared Ownership houses would offer integrated appliances. We have a washing machine and dishwasher which were both included in the price and came with guarantees, which was more than we could have hoped for. The heating system is also incredible because there are smart metres both upstairs and down – we’ve never had anything like it!”
Rhona and her family were able to move in within 5 days of completing on their house. Speaking about the whole Shared Ownership process, Rhona explained: “The whole process was straightforward and quick, and we felt supported throughout. The L&Q team explained everything regarding guarantees and meter readings really well, so the handover was excellent. I’ve been especially impressed with Craig, our site manager at Saxon Reach, he’s so good at making sure that everyone’s ok and is quick to deal with any issues – he even organised hiring a skip for me!”
Moving into a newbuild home allowed Rhona, Frank and Millie to start styling their home straight away. Since moving in, the family have been hard at work adding the finishing touches and putting their stamp on their home.
Rhona says, “It’s been really exciting for us having a project to do together as a family. It’s lovely because we’ve bought everything new, so the rooms feel really fresh and stylish. My daughter Millie is absolutely fantastic at design, she’s been really amazing at creating clever storage ideas for our cleaning things and has even designed cupboards to hide wiring and fit her own room with LED lights.”
“For me, my sanctuary in the house is upstairs – my bedroom is huge which gives me enough room for a desk area which was really important for me to be able to complete my work, especially whilst tutoring from home during lockdown. I even got myself a fancy pink chair which looks gorgeous alongside the white and natural colour scheme of the house.”
Having been settled in Saxon Reach since the end of March, Rhona comments on how they’ve found living there so far: “We have a Facebook page which has allowed us to connect with other residents across the Saxon Reach and neighbouring developments and also find advice for things like finding an electrician. I love it because there’s a real sense of community on site and I’m always meeting new people when I’m out walking my dog, Pablo. Everyone is so friendly and even the builders know Pablo’s name!
Prices at Saxon Reach start from £85,998 for a 25% share of a one bedroom apartment (FMV: £214,995).
Help to Buy prices start from £375,000 for a three bedroom house and £479,995 for a three bedroom private sale home.
For more information about Shared Ownership homes at Saxon Reach, please visit our website https://lqhomes.com/saxonreach/.