Andrea and Lee's homeownership story!

We spoke to Andrea to learn more about her family’s home buying journey  

When did you reserve? March 2022 

When did you move in? August 2022 

How much was the purchase of your home? £242,995 

Which house type did you buy? 4-bedroom detached Longford 

Is this your first house purchase? Yes, this is the first home we have bought together! Many years ago Lee owned a home in Gloucester and after he sold it, the money he received helped contribute towards our savings for a deposit.  

However, we didn’t live together straight away as Lee worked in the Army. We lived in military married quarters for the majority of our relationship and travelled throughout the UK and Europe.  

Ahead of Lee’s retirement, we decided it was time to settle down and create a home together. So while we have lived in many places, this is the first place we own as a family and can finally call home!  

Why a Gleeson home? We wanted the freedom to personalise our own home, creating a space that was unique to us and thanks to Gleeson, we were able to do just that. After years of moving around for work, being able to choose the area, style of house, and development was a huge selling point!  

Gleeson was recommended to us by a wonderful friend who lives in a Tyrone; we needed something a little bigger, so when we discovered that Gleeson offered 4-bedroom homes, we were overjoyed! We used the 'recommend a friend' scheme, which resulted in us receiving £250 to spend on the optional extras range, as well as our friend receiving £100 which was a huge bonus! 

We fell in love with the open-plan kitchen of our Longford, and having an en-suite was an added perk. With a large family like ours, having an extra bathroom was essential! 

Why a new home? We liked the idea of everything being brand new and the freshly painted walls ready to put our own stamp on. With older homes, there’s a good chance you’ll need to replace things like the boiler or electrics, which would end up being an additional cost , so we’re glad we don’t have to worry about that! It was so convenient being able to move into a new home with everything under warranty.  

How was the process of buying your new home for you? Buying from Gleeson was so straightforward; our Sales Executive was fantastic and helped us throughout the entire process. Every detail was laid out for us at the time of reservation, including build stages, updates, and costs. 

Thanks to Lee’s career we were able to take advantage of the Forces Property Direct Scheme, which was a great help towards our purchase. We had great support in helping us find a solicitor and mortgage advisor who both gave us great guidance and advice, as we were new to the area and didn’t live local to the development.  

Are you enjoying life on your development? It’s been lovely since we moved into our new home. We all seem to be settling in and getting to know the area. Our children have settled into their schools and colleges, and our neighbours have been extremely welcoming.  

We've made some great new friends have begun to meet others who have recently moved on to the development; everyone has been very friendly. It certainly makes relocating to a new area more enjoyable. 

What do you love the most about your home? We love how bright and airy the space is, it already feels like home. Each room is a great size, and we haven't had any problems with space, even with five children! We love how open our kitchen is too and how it opens onto the garden, which will be great in the summer! We have a great sized garden, and we’re excited to make it a family space.  

We like how our home looks so clean and simple! We especially like the colour of our front door and garage door, it's the little things that make us happy! 

Did you go for any upgrades from our optional extras range? Yes! We loved the wide variety of options that Gleeson has, giving us so much choice when finding our  style. We decided to choose the most practical options, such as additional electrical sockets and an electric shower in the family bathroom. 

We also opted for spotlights in the kitchen and an outside tap. We chose Cashmere cabinets with drawer fronts and a Royal Oak worktop; a stunning combination! 

Describe your interior style! Our style is constantly evolving! However, we have both decided that our home should be family friendly and reflect our personalities. We have so many ideas for how to decorate our home! We follow Gleeson Homes on Instagram as well as other Gleeson homeowners, we have found it's a great way to find home inspiration. We enjoy sharing our journey too, take a look at our Instagram, @life_in_our_longford. 

Have you found that your energy bills are affordable since moving into your Gleeson home? Despite the rise in energy prices, we have found the bills to be manageable. Knowing that our home is equipped with energy efficient appliances, fixtures, and fittings, gives us confidence that we aren't wasting energy. During the colder months, our home remains lovely and warm, which means we don't turn on the heating as often or it's on extremely low.  

We have also found that having the hot water tank at a constant temperature between heating, and only using the hot water as and when we need, has helped us save a considerate amount of money on our monthly bills. 

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to move into a Gleeson home? Just remember to be flexible with time frames! Things happen, but it will all be worthwhile once you’re handed your keys! Your Sales Executive is there to assist you, so keep in touch and don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Is there anything else you would like to add about your home buying journey? Overall, we had a very positive and exciting experience buying with Gleeson. Buying a home seemed daunting and out of reach at first, but our wonderful Sales Executive made the process very easy. We discovered Gleeson to be very affordable, which enhanced our overall experience. 

We have a fantastic site team on the development, they’re a real friendly bunch! 

We have over 80 developments located across the North and the Midlands and with prices starting from £102,995. Start your search today. 

Fancy sharing your Gleeson home buying story with us? Just email [email protected] and you could feature on our blog!