Pilot Chris lands on his feet with Bryant

Birmingham-based pilot Chris Rigby certainly landed on his feet when investing in two 3-bedroom homes at Heritage Gate by Bryant Homes! Not only did he secure two secluded corner properties, also right next to the development’s area of public open space, he was guided through the purchase by a trusted former colleague in Bryant sales executive Sue Florence – who previously formed part of his cabin crew.

They flew all over Europe and Africa together between 1987–1993, for what was Britannia Airways, but their latest dealings came about quite by chance.

Sue (age 53 and from nearby Hollywood) explains: “My colleague Sarah had the initial contact with Chris and I thought nothing of it at first when making the follow-up call. But I recognised the voice immediately, looked at the name and said excuse me, but are you that Chris Rigby?”

Chris (age 58) and now flying for Ryanair out of Birmingham International, says: “I recognised Sue’s voice straight away as well and thought it was too good to be true, but it immediately set my mind at ease. As someone I respected and trusted I just came out with it and said ‘are these homes good value then’ and when Sue said ‘yes, absolutely’ I thought that’s good enough for me and purchased straight away.”

Chris has previously invested in property nearer to home (in and around Leamington) but never new build. However, the attraction of little or no maintenance, quality and workmanship guarantees, plus something finished and immediately ready for letting seemed a sure fire way to save time, hassle and money.

He adds: “I particularly liked the contemporary layout of the homes and also the location just off Stratford Road with all its amenities. The plan is to rent out the rooms to Ryanair crew, because many are from overseas and can often feel a bit isolated. I’ve talked it through with quite a few of them and they would all really appreciate somewhere they can call a home from home and be amongst friends and colleagues.

“It seems the right time to get back into buy-to-let again, because property is still the best and safest form of long term investment and the current borrowing rate is good. Sure, we’re in a bit of a slump at the moment, but the rental income you can achieve in an aspirational place like Shirley is still in excess of the amount borrowed, plus even when inflation rises the capital value of the properties goes up too.”

Sue adds: “It’s been great dealing with Chris again as he’s a true gent and very accessible. He tells us the Bryant customer service makes everything straight forward and simple, so it’s personally gratifying for me that I can take away most of the pressure of buying a house – just like he used to make it easy and enjoyable for us as cabin crew.”

Things have really taken off at Heritage Gate which is bucking the current property trend with consistent sales that have put it way ahead of 2009 target levels. And that’s without a showhome to view after it was snapped up immediately it became available, plus the last phase of apartments recently released was also launched early due to popular demand.

Sales & marketing director, Carol Edwards, says: “We’re some 90% ahead of budget and that’s quite exceptional in today’s tougher economic climate. We have just seven properties of the original 96 remaining now, so people really will have to move fast to join the Shirley set.

“I’m not that surprised really, because the development is within easy walking distance of an abundance of local amenities including supermarkets, schools for children of all ages, plus health and leisure facilities. Birmingham and Solihull are just a short journey away by car, offering a wider range of shops and services, while commuters will also appreciate the development has excellent road links to the M42, M40, M5 and M6.”

Last availability at Heritage Gate includes a designer one bedroom apartment with parking space and flooring throughout at just £119,995, two bedroom versions from £139,995 and a spacious three bedroom home with parking for only £225,995. For further information visit Heritage Gate between 10.00am and 5.00pm daily, or log on to Bryant.co.uk.