Busy parents find new homes are best for efficiency

When it comes to appreciating the benefits of a brand new home, Michael and Anne Bury, who’ve invested in a family home at Middlebank Rise, in Dunfermline, are better placed than most.

Michael is technical director for the developer, Redrow Homes (Scotland), and his wife Anne was a sales director in the new homes industry before becoming a full-time mum.

They’ve moved to a four-bedroom detached ‘Wareham’ style family home at Redrow’s Middlebank Rise to accommodate their growing family, including three-year-old Jessica and new-born twins Isaac and Isabella.

Michael explains: “We’d previously been living in a two-bedroom apartment in Dalgety Bay, but with the twins on the way we needed a lot more space. Middlebank Rise offered the right house in the right location, close to all the facilities of Dunfermline.

“It’s also not far from Anne’s parents and, with three small children, it’s great to have grandparents so accessible – for us and them.”

Having previously spent 10 years refurbishing an older house – a job that was “never finished” – Michael is particularly enjoying the benefits of a brand new home.

He said: “The Wareham is a lovely design with a nice big garden for the children, a double garage, en-suite to master bedroom and a family room off the kitchen. It’s the first home that Anne and I have bought together and, as such, it’s nice to have a blank canvas to create something together.

“Everything about it is new and modern, especially the kitchen and bathroom; and with new homes on average 40% more energy efficient than older second hand properties we can look forward to cheaper heating bills too.”

Michael and Anne took advantage of Redrow schemes to make their purchase and other buyers at Middlebank Rise have a raft of help, advice and incentives at their disposal to make moving as easy and affordable as possible.

Among them is a new ‘Easi-move’ assured sale scheme for those with an existing property to sell. Redrow will appoint an estate agent to take care of the dependent sale, manage the process and pay the agent’s fees at the end of the day. And if the customer’s existing property remains unsold by the time their brand new home is ready, Redrow will have already agreed a guaranteed part-exchange value.

‘Easi-move’ is just one of a number of new initiatives for 2009, including an exclusive two year fixed rate mortgage offer at just 2.75% interest rate on selected plots, subject to terms and conditions. Redrow is also introducing a brand new specification that will see uplift in the quality of kitchens, bathrooms and other fixtures and fittings throughout the home.

Diana Newton, sales director for Redrow Homes (Scotland), says: “At a time when other housebuilders may be looking towards cutting costs, Redrow has invested a huge amount of time, money and effort to make our interiors stand out from the competition.

“Our new kitchens will feature on-trend floor to ceiling banks of units with integrated appliances; bathroom suites are sleek and contemporary and we have other desirable features such as extra wide bi-fold patio doors which open up fully to bring the outside in.”

Situated off Aberdour Road in Dunfermline’s popular Eastern Expansion Area, Middlebank Rise features a mix of three, four and five-bedroom homes with current prices from £169,995 to £359,000. As well as being a short drive from Dunfermline town centre, it’s also within easy reach of the Fife countryside and coastal areas, while Dunfermline and Inverkeithing railway stations offers access to Edinburgh city centre within 15 minutes

To find out more, log on to Redrow.co.uk.

* Additional photos available on request.