Having rented for over 20 years, Chartered Quantity Surveyor Elaine (39) and Print Finishing Supervisor Andy (44), were keen to escape the rental trap, particularly with the latest statistics revealing average rental prices have increased by 4.7%.*
We caught up with them to find out what they’re most looking forward to about owning - instead of renting. If you’re renting at the moment, you can probably relate, but check out the video to find out for yourself.
Sustainable savings
To save for their home, the couple adopted strict budgeting habits and sold items they no longer used to create additional streams of income.
Elaine commented: “We were stuck in a rent trap for over 20 years and wanted a space we could finally call our own. We had a set amount of money that we put into savings each month, and we got used to living on this amount so any bonuses or pay rises went straight into savings too.
“My main piece of advice for anyone saving for a home is to avoid making too many social sacrifices. Saving for such a long time can become difficult, so it’s important that you’re able to find a balance and still enjoy yourself. When we hit certain milestones, we bought ourselves rewards, which was a great way to keep up motivation.”
Worth the wait
The Greater Manchester locals decided on a new build property to avoid the time and costs of a renovation project. The couple fell for a three bedroom, semi-detached property at Countryside’s Radclyffe Green development and waited eight months before the house was available to reserve.
Elaine continued: “Once we saw the showhome, we knew it was the one for us. We had looked at other developers but kept coming back to Countryside because of their reputation and the quality of their homes.
“We fell in love with the open plan layout of the house, it’s perfect for us and for our lifestyle. The location of the development is ideal for both of us for work, it’s within close proximity of public transport links as well as motorways. For us, it was definitely worth the wait to get exactly what we wanted. We can’t wait to start our next chapter in our new home”
