Family chooses moving over improving

A family of four from Elmsthorpe has found the answer to the familiar dilemma of ‘move or improve?’ after part-exchanging their old home for a brand new one at David Wilson East Midlands’ The Hedgerows development in Earl Shilton near Leicester.

Instead of embarking on an extension to increase the size of their existing property, Rob, 41, Sarah, 42, Leah, 12 and Hannah, 8 Evans, elected to take the alternative route of ‘move to improve’. The family has now moved up to a bigger, DIY-free house, just minutes from their old home, meaning the change has had little impact on their lifestyle other than giving them all the extra space they needed.

Rob said, “We’ve lived in Elmesthorpe for 15 years and were very happy there, however with the girls rapidly growing up we were in desperate need of a home with more space. Not wanting to move further a field if we could help it and worried we wouldn’t be able to afford to move house, we considered building an extension on to our 1960s, three-bedroom semi.

“That was, however, until we visited the new David Wilson development nearby. We went to take a look out of curiosity more than anything else, but after speaking with the sales negotiator we began to realise that moving rather than improving might be a better solution after all.”

The appeal of more space, no building work to contend with, the same countryside views they loved and a hassle-free sale of their former property proved too good an opportunity to miss for the Evans and they quickly part-exchanged their old house so they could begin life in a new one with more space.

Rob continued, “We chose a lovely, four-bedroom, detached property called the Monet. It has all the bedrooms and bathrooms we need – great news for me after having to share just one bathroom with a house full of women – and we’ve even got a spare bedroom for when family come to visit.

“Better still the development is literally just a stones throw from our old house so we’ve not had to disrupt our daily routines. Sarah and I can still get into work in Leicester city centre easily, in fact even more easily now the bypass has opened, and the girls can still catch the bus to school.”

Philip Lacey, Sales Director for David Wilson said, “During this year’s credit crunch, many people are seeing home improvement as a more affordable way to accommodate a growing family or adapt to a change in lifestyle, compared to the cost of a house move.

“However, as the Evans family demonstrate, new build property could in fact provide a cost effective solution, especially if you elect to use part-exchange. Home improvement will often still require you to take out some kind of loan and there will likely be considerable stress and disruption while the building work takes place.

“A much better solution is to buy new and you’ll be surprised at how quickly it can take, in some circumstances much less time than those home improvements! Plus with interest rates at their lowest for years, the increase in mortgage repayments could be minimal, making ‘move to improve’ the preferred option for many.”

The Hedgerows is a pretty development located on Masefield Drive on the edge of Earl Shilton. With extensive views across open fields and easy access to the new Earl Shilton bypass, it comprises a selection of three-, four- and five-bedroom homes. Prices currently start from £241,995 and there are a range of purchase packages available such as part-exchange, mortgage repayment protection and stamp duty paid, which could all help make a move affordable and hassle-free.

For more information see dwh.co.uk.