A Hampshire couple, Karen and Daniel Leadbetter, are literally counting down the days before they move into their new family home at Bewley Homes’ Watership Place in Whitchurch.
Daniel 34 is a paramedic and Karen 28 works as a nurse locally. As Blue Light Card holders, they were eligible for a Bewley Homes’ special discount of £10,000 off the asking price of £474,950. The Blue Light Cardholders scheme provides a range of discounts for workers in the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and Armed Forces.
Being familiar with the area and having grown up and gone to school in Whitchurch, Karen was excited to come across Plot 2, The Chilworth at Watership Place listed as ‘home of the week’ on Bewley Homes’ website. The detached four bedroom house with large open plan kitchen/diner, cloakroom, en suite, garden, garage and parking was exactly what Karen and Daniel were looking for.
The couple were also able to take advantage of the Bewley Bond. This innovative initiative offers many benefits to buyers. The scheme enabled Karen and Daniel to reserve The Chilworth property immediately and gain flexibility around securing a buyer for their current property.
It has meant they have been able, with the help and support of Bewley Homes, to work to a timescale that removed the stress associated with selling a house. A fact which has increased during and post lockdown with mortgage lenders and the legal process taking longer.
As soon as the couple were able to view the show-house, they knew The Chilworth was their ideal family home. Karen’s all important requirement for a utility area meant that the washing machine would not be on view. They were really surprised at the generous size of the rear garden and the way the fencing had been designed to maximise privacy.
“The Chilworth matched our wish list perfectly”, said Karen. “The nursery is just 12 minutes’ walk and we have an easy 20-minute journey to work. We wanted a detached property with well laid out downstairs space, which would work for entertaining friends and family and be practical with a young baby.
“We also needed four bedrooms of a generous size, so we could have both a nursery and a separate guest room. Daniel wanted a garage for storage and it was important to have a driveway for two cars. Having a young baby, we also wanted a secure private garden that we could maintain easily.”
Karen enthused: “The landscaping and overall look and feel of the house inside and out made us feel we couldn’t wait to move in and I’ve become obsessed with pinterest for inspiration on paint colours and all the lovely finishing touches.”
The idea of a move came about last year, when they were expecting the arrival of their baby daughter. The couple decided it was the right time to move to a more spacious family house after seven years of living in Tadley.
Karen explains: “When we first decided to move we planned to time it around my maternity leave. Our first house was a real project. It was a complete wreck when we moved in and we’d spent a lot of time and money turning it into a comfortable home. So, having been there and done that, we both knew we wanted our next house to be a new build property; a home we could enjoy living in and spending family time together from day one.”
When they began their property search, Karen said: “Knowing we wanted a new build, we began searching for developments in our local area, but nothing offered by the other developers stood out. We learned about Bewley Homes’ heritage inspired development at Watership Place because my Dad lives in Whitchurch and one of his friends had already bought a house from Phase One of the scheme. We heard how pleased she was with the build quality, overall style and how happy she was living in such a relaxing but sociable setting and convenient countryside location.”
Whitchurch, Hampshire’s smallest town, is positioned on the edge of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and famous for being the countryside the author, Richard Adams, wrote about in ‘Watership Down’, his classic 1972 adventure novel. Bewley Homes pays homage to this, naming the development ‘Watership Place’ and creating a road called ‘Richard Adams Way’.
Elaine Stratford, sales and marketing director at Bewley Homes, commented: “Due to popular demand in Whitchurch, we launched the second phase early. It’s not surprising that we’ve received such positive interest from buyers as this really is an ideal location for all the family – close to the village centre, church, pubs, shops and local schools, surrounded by beautiful walks and the River Test. The local train station provides fast access to London Waterloo (one hour). Excellent proximity to the A34 and road network to M3 makes this a perfect commuter destination with a real sense of community.”
Karen and Daniel are full of praise for Bewley Homes and the constant support of sales team. “From the beginning, Emma has been fantastically helpful. When we were anxious about our buyer, she would listen and go the extra mile to find a solution to any hiccup or problem along the way. We cannot fault the communication and personal service we’ve had from the entire Bewley team.”
Elaine added: “We are delighted this couple have been able to take advantage of the discount we are offering Blue Light Card holders through the official website. This is the company’s way of thanking emergency services, NHS and key workers, like Daniel and Karen for all their hard work and dedication.”
Karen finished: “For us the right house on the right development came along at the right time. Despite the challenges of working in healthcare and the impact of Covid-19, we feel very fortunate to be buying through Bewley Homes. We never imagined we’d end up saving so much and also benefitting from the Stamp Duty holiday. It makes such a difference and we can’t wait to be in our perfect home in September. We are literally counting down the days to move in.”