A great exchange for young couple in Kent

Karl and Kiya O’Brien, aged 28 and 26 respectively, have always lived and worked on the Isle of Sheppey and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Although they enjoyed living in Halfway village they found their house a little noisy from its position on the main road and wanted to find a more suitable house for starting a family in years to come.

They didn’t have to look far and, with help from Ward Homes, soon sold their old home and moved into a four-bedroom house at nearby Priory Meadows, Ward Homes’ attractive new development on the outskirts of Minster.

Karl comments: “We thought it would be a good time to buy because there are some great deals around.” Kiya’s father suggested they should look at Priory Meadows, although at first Karl wasn’t keen on the idea, he says: “I’ve always thought new houses aren’t built that well, but because Ward Homes was offering Part Exchange we decided to have a look anyway. When we saw our house we both fell in love with it straight away. Kiya's uncle, who’s in the building trade, was amazed at the quality and said it’s been built to an excellent standard.”

By using Ward Homes’ Part Exchange scheme, Karl and Kiya saved a lot of time, worry and the cost of estate agent fees. Karl comments: “We sold our old house to Ward for £125,000 and paid just £196,000 for our new home, which is much bigger. Ward Homes helped us with our deposit, paid £1,000 for legal fees and even paid our Stamp Duty. It all added up to a huge saving.”

With their new home already built, Karl and Kiya didn’t have to wait long: they reserved their home in November and by early December had moved in.

The couple are delighted with their new lifestyle. Karl says: “We love the peace and quiet, and the position is very private, which we didn’t expect in a new development.” Karl, who has changed his mind about new houses, adds: “When you live in an older property, there’s always something to do. Now it’s much more relaxing not having to do constant maintenance and we have more time for each other. Another benefit of our new home is that our gas and electricity bills are much lower.”

Karl and Kiya’s new Chesterfield style house is arranged on three storeys, with a large kitchen/breakfast room and separate living/dining area on the ground floor. There is a second living room on the middle floor and two of the bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms in addition to the main bathroom. Karla says: “We love the layout of the house because it’s quirky and people talk about it. Our friends can’t get over how much space there is and it’s great for entertaining. Having so many bathrooms will be a huge benefit when we start a family.”

Kiya runs a sports shop in the centre of Sheerness with her father and Karl is a fruit importer, based at Sheerness Docks. From their new home, getting to work is easy. Kiya says: “In the summer we both cycle to work along the sea front. I use the car in the winter, but Karl braves the weather all year round.” Karl adds: “The road networks are great and it’s very easy to drive to London.”

Both Karl and Kiya are keen on sport and Karl plays football for Minster Sports FC. They both enjoy going to Sheerness Sports Centre, which has a gym and swimming pool and is close to their home.

Kiya concludes: “We couldn’t have imagined starting a family in our old house, but now that we have more space, a secure home and more time, it feels like a real family home.”

Three and four-bedroom houses, including the final two of the Chesterfield house type, are currently available for sale at Priory Meadows, priced from £174,950. In addition to its Part Exchange incentive, Ward Homes is offering homes under the government’s HomeBuy Direct scheme, which gives homebuyers the chance to move in for only 70 per cent of the purchase price; the remaining thirty per cent is provided as an equity loan.

Ward Homes is holding a Part Exchange Day at Priory Meadows on Saturday, 28th February, from 10am to 6pm, to tell people more about the benefits of this popular incentive. A financial advisor will also be present to give advice and answer questions.

For more information on Priory Meadows, log on to Wardhomes.co.uk.