First time buyers get dream home over the line with Help to Buy
First time buyers, and Merseyside couple, Joe and Bethan had been saving for their first home for two years, but believed their dream home was still years away... until they spoke to Countryside and learned how Help To Buy could make that dream a reality now.
Local St Helens R.F.C rugby star Joe Batchelor (25) and his partner Bethan Day (24) visited Countryside’s Abbotsfield development in St Helens where they not only discovered their perfect property, but how it could be made affordable.
Joe commented: “We’d been saving for a while with Bethan using a Help to Buy ISA and myself a Lifetime ISA but we didn’t know anything about the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme until we spoke to the sales team at Countryside. I can’t believe we almost missed out on this!
“We had seen the signs at the development but we just assumed that they meant we could use our ISAs and not that we were eligible for an interest free loan*. The sales consultants told us we were eligible for the 20% government loan and that we’d only need a 5% deposit to reserve the home we wanted. This made the whole buying process so much easier and everything was handled for us by Countryside and our mortgage advisor.
With the current Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, the government will lend you up to 20% of the cost of your new build home so you only need a 5% cash deposit. Buyers then have a 75% mortgage to make up the rest, while the 20% equity loan is interest free for the first five years*.
Joe continued: “Using the scheme also meant that we didn’t have to use all the money we’d saved over the last two years on the deposit and actually had some to spare to spend on furnishing our new home - which is an easy thing to overlook! We would definitely recommend jumping on the Help to Buy scheme before the changes come into play - it’s perfect for anyone wanting to buy their dream home now.”
After renting for a year to get to know the local area, professional rugby player Joe, and Bethan, an administrator at a local college, found their dream home in Countryside’s three bedroom Longford, available at Abbotsfield from £226,995.
Joe continued: “I wasn’t initially looking for a new build but when we saw Countryside’s Longford it changed my mind. We were sold on the home straight away. We love the open plan living space and, with all the finishings that come with the home, it meant we were able to move right away - after picking out our tiles and flooring choices of course!”
Now settled in their new home with dog Milo, Joe believes the whole process has worked out perfectly for them. He added: “We completed on our home just as our rental contract came to an end before lockdown went into effect. The sales consultants at Countryside were really helpful and accommodating, and we never felt under pressure at all during the process.”
Mark Hadfield, Managing Director, Partnerships Merseyside and Cheshire West, Countryside, said: “We never tire of hearing stories like Joe and Bethan’s and I’m really pleased that Help To Buy has made their dream home a reality. We wish them all the very best in their new home at Abbotsfield.
“The Help to Buy scheme really is an excellent way for buyers to get onto the property ladder and secure the home they always wanted. But we know there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know they are eligible so it’s important we get the message out - particularly for current homeowners as Help To Buy is ending for them very soon and we have a very limited number of homes available with Help To Buy left for sale.”
