A young Tamworth couple have used Help to Buy to secure themselves a home they never thought they would be able to afford.
Jack Wilkes-Jones and Sophie Dolman used the Government-backed scheme to purchase a three-bedroom Staunton house at Ashberry Homes’ Oaklands development off Ashby Road.
Jack, 26, a transport planner and Sophie, 24, a customer service supervisor, were not initially looking at purchasing a new-build home, but were surprised to learn that, as first-time buyers, they could afford a property at Oaklands using the scheme.
Jack said: “Buying a new-build home actually had not crossed our minds until we drove by the Ashberry development and just popped in to check it out.
“After speaking with the sales advisors, we realised that we were able to use Help to Buy to purchase a three-bedroom property here.
“We found that the scheme worked really well. We weren’t originally looking for a house in Tamworth because we never thought we could get the home we wanted at the right price. Help to Buy massively assisted us.”
Using Help to Buy, Jack and Sophie were able to reserve their new home with just a five per cent deposit and a 75 per cent mortgage, with the remaining 20 per cent provided in the form of an equity loan, interest free for the first five years.
As of April 1, the Help to Buy scheme will only be available to first-time buyers and regional price caps will be introduced – £255,600 in Tamworth, which falls within the West Midlands region.
Jack and Sophie had been looking for a place to live together for about two years and were spurred on to take the leap after speaking with friends.
Jack said: “Sophie and I have been in a relationship for about six years and have lived between both our parents’ houses for the last four years. During lockdown, we lived at Sophie’s parents’ house in Polesworth, just outside of Tamworth.
“We had been thinking about getting a place of our own for a while because we knew it was the next step for us.”
As well as exceeding their expectations with the house they were able to secure, Jack and Sophie were also impressed with Oaklands’ location.
Jack said: “The location of the development is really good. We are about a five-minute drive away from town and it is easy to walk there.
“We are close to a coffee house, a sports bar, a supermarket and a hairdresser. I’m looking forward to when everything starts to open up again after lockdown.
“Oaklands is also just a few minutes’ drive away from Tamworth train station and we are close to the M42, which is good for me because I work off junction 10.”
Having moved into their new home in December last year, Jack and Sophie have made good progress with decorating and making the home their own.
Jack said: “Decorating is something I never really thought about before, but now I’m enjoying it.
“My favourite room in the house is the third bedroom, which we have turned into an office space and games room which has a computer, console and TV set-up.
“It is a room that Sophie and I both enjoy. We wanted a three-bedroom house so that we could convert the third bedroom into an area we can use as a retreat.”
Jack and Sophie were both impressed with the customer service they received from the Ashberry Homes team at Oaklands.
Jack said: “The Ashberry Homes staff were very helpful. The two sales advisors were fantastic and they helped to sort any questions or issues we had. We were never left in the dark and always kept up to date.”
Ashberry Homes is currently selling a collection of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes at Oaklands, with prices starting from £202,000.
For more information, visit ashberryhomes.co.uk.