Emily and Reece's homeownership story

With a family of four children aged under six, Reece and Emily decided it was time to put their rented money to better use and take the next step onto the property ladder.

Despite paying more for their mortgage than they were for their rent, the couple have completely upgraded their living arrangements, after going from a small 2 bedroom terraced home to a spacious, detached 4 bedroom home with a utility room, driveway and garage.

Emily and Reece are loving every minute of their new life as homeowners, so we spoke to them to hear more about their journey.

When did you reserve your home? July 2022.

When did you move in? November 2022.

Which house type did you buy? 4 bedroom detached Waterford. 

Is this your first house purchase? Yes, this is our first home, and it is our dream forever home too! We decided that the £633 per month we were paying to rent was wasted money, and the home wasn’t big enough for our growing family to live in anymore. Despite paying more for our mortgage, which is now £750, we are thrilled with the space that comes with the Waterford home as well as extras we didn’t have in our rented accommodation, such as a utility room and a garage! The increase is quite minimal, so for the amount of space we have gained we are very pleased. Our rented property was a two bedroom terraced house across three stories, and as well as it not being big enough, it didn’t have the garden or outdoor space we desired. Plus, we feel proud to be now in a home which belongs to us.

Why did you choose to buy with Gleeson? Affordability was a big thing for us, as well as spaciousness for the kids to grow, and Gleeson ticked all the boxes for us when it came to what we were looking for and value for money, especially compared to other new build developers in our area! Our Sales Executive explained that Gleeson homes not only are affordable to buy, but are affordable to run too, therefore we are expecting our energy bills to still be low, despite the current living price increase, and our home is so cosy and warm.

Why did you choose the Waterford house type? We chose the Waterford, purely for the spaciousness that comes with the home. It has four well-proportioned bedrooms, a lovely and spacious kitchen-diner, a utility room, garage, massive garden, a toilet, plus an ensuite and family bathroom. Our family now has so much space to live and grow compared to our rented accommodation, plus our children love it too!

Why a new build home? We chose to buy a new build home with Gleeson, not just because of the initial affordability in the price, but the affordability that continues with the optional extras range as well!

Also, with Reece working full time and us having four children under six years old, we needed something that we could move straight into without the hassle of us having to try and renovate or do up to our satisfaction. With Gleeson and their fantastic optional extras range, we had the choice to have all the things we would have wanted, without the hassle of doing it ourselves, so we could walk into our brand new home and it was ready for us to personalise and make our own.

How was the process of buying your new home for you? Every house move and home purchase can be stressful, however Gleeson made the process as straight forward and as easy as possible for us. Once the initial paperwork was completed and the options meeting took place, we then went on to receive regular updates from the sales team, until it was time to start planning for the completion day when we received our keys!

How has life changed for you since moving into your Gleeson home? We are so happy now; we became homeowners in a house we could have only dreamed about! We didn’t expect to buy at our age as we chose to have our children before purchasing a home, but now we have finished having our children the timing was perfect and we could get the house we always wanted which wouldn’t have been possible without the affordability of a Gleeson home.

What do you love the most about the interior and exterior of your home? My favourite part of the interior of our home must be the kitchen and utility room, it’s where we all eat as a family and come together, (I have recently told Reece that I love the kitchen more than him!). For Reece he loves the en-suite, just as it’s his own space away from the kids.

Outside it has to be the garden, it’s so spacious and going to be amazing when we get it all done in the summer, ready for our family to spend time outside and to be able to invite our family and friends over to enjoy it with us too!

Are you enjoying life on your development? We are loving the community feel on our development and have bonded with lots of other residents through Instagram who have been more than welcoming! We have also made friends with our neighbour who reserved at a similar time to us and completed on the same day as us too. It was lovely to go through the same journey together and she is already proving to be a gem!

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to move into a Gleeson home? I would recommend anyone to just to go for it and enjoy it! If you want it badly enough and work hard enough for it, anything is possible, and Gleeson have been brilliant with us throughout the whole process. It’s an amazing experience and although stressful at times, it’s been one of the best experiences for us, and worth it. Our first home purchase is now our forever home, with lots of plans for the house in the future!

Are you inspired by Emily and Reece’s homeownership story and fancy sharing your Gleeson home buying story with us? Just email [email protected] and you could feature on our blog. We have over 80 developments located across the North and the Midlands and with prices starting from £102,995, what are you waiting for?!

Find your Gleeson home today, click here to get started.

Give Emily and Reece a follow on Instagram @ourwaterfordhome_.