Ben and Becky Poyntz had spent a long time renovating their 1930s style house in Tongham and had no desire to move.
That is, until they saw the show home open at Bewley Homes’ Victory Fields development, 100 yards up the road and popped in to have a look out of curiosity.
If the family was going to move it would have to be for a bigger property – a forever home – and that’s exactly what happened.
Ben 43, Becky 41, and their son, Jack, aged 2, fell in love with a five-bedroom house, priced at £860,000 which had a quiet position tucked at the end on a large corner plot.
Becky said: “Both of us had always preferred older style properties with scope for renovation. We had rather a negative view of a ‘new build’ development. So, when the sales team took us round the show home, we were pleasantly surprised. Features like the generous ceiling heights and room proportions, architectural design and standard of finish went above what we expected.”
Ben added: “Bewley Homes offered us the opportunity to reserve the property, with a small deposit, and take up its Bewley Bond, which meant we could sell our existing house within a realistic time frame of up to 12 weeks, and they paid up to £10,000 for agent fees. It worked out so well for us.”
“Within two days, we’d had three valuations and agents were instructed quickly . It sold straightaway, ironically to friends of friends, but the Bewley Bond took away the pressure of having to try to find a buyer immediately so as not to lose the plot we really wanted. We were able to reserve our new home whilst still having a house to sell.” Said Becky.
“For us, it was about moving to a detached home, that offered style and character in a fantastic local neighborhood where we love living,” explained Becky. “The south-facing generously sized garden is a blank canvas. We have the perfect opportunity to create a vegetable patch in the side return. I am a keen gardener and have an allotment in the village that I used to share with my father. Now Jack is taking an interest in growing things, so the extra outdoor space we have at home is a safe fun place for him to get more involved.”
Ben said: “We love the fact that we live at the end of a no-through road and how peaceful it is. We have views out over ancient woodland and nearby meadows for walks, which will remain protected for generations to come.
“We’ve gained more bedrooms and Jack now has a large bedroom. Outside, we now have a practical double garage. Also, this property is ultra energy efficient and gives us big savings compared with living in an older home.”
Ben works in finance for a city law firm and has an easy 45 minute commute from the local station at Ash Vale into London Waterloo and a home office where he is based three days a week. Whilst Becky is a Personal Trainer with an established client base in the area and works part-time.
“For families, this is a great choice, we have excellent nurseries and an ‘Outstanding’ village primary school. People are starting to move in and Victory Fields is coming to life, complemented by the rest of Poyle Road’s residents.”
Elaine Stratford, Sales and Marketing Director at Bewley Homes, commented: “We created the Bewley Bond for exactly this type of customer, who has a house to be sold and is not on the market when they view the new home they ultimately then want to buy. The Bond allows them to reserve right away and then we assist them in selling their home with up to 12 weeks to find a buyer. We contribute to legal and agent fees, as well as providing flooring and completing the garden. It gives customers something very precious in today’s world – time! It’s been extremely well received and we recommend all prospective buyers ask about the initiative when they visit our show homes.”