Peter and Maureen find an easier lifestyle in Rayleigh

When their children left home, Peter Whiteley, 65, and his wife Maureen, 59, decided to move to a smaller modern home that would be easier to maintain. Like many people in a similar situation, they were worried that it would be difficult to sell their four-bedroom detached house in the current economic climate.

With help from Barratt Eastern Counties, however, they sold their house very quickly allowing them to move into a smart new two-bedroom apartment at Barratt's Kings Gate development in Rayleigh, Essex.

Peter and Maureen were formerly IT specialists and worked for a Buckinghamshire company installing data networks. Now that they are retired, they are increasingly aware of the rising cost of living. Peter says: "Our old house needed a lot of renovation and we decided it was a good time to move and save the expense. We chose an apartment rather than a smaller house because we didn't want the maintenance of a garden and also the heating bills will be a lot lower, which is an important consideration."

An estate agent was appointed to sell their house, but very little headway was made. Maureen says: "We mentioned this to the sales team at Kings Gate and they told us about their Agency Sales scheme. They immediately put us in touch with their recommended agent, who was excellent and sold our house incredibly quickly."

Unfortunately, Peter and Maureen were unable to sell their old house for as much as they had hoped, owing to current market conditions. In order to help the couple, Barratt reduced the price of the apartment that they had chosen at Kings Gate. Peter comments: "Barratt was very sympathetic to our situation. They cut the price of our apartment by £11,000, which made a big difference. Barratt's Agency Sales scheme also saved us the cost of agency fees and the Home Improvement Pack, which added even more to the savings."

Peter and Maureen have lived in Rayleigh for over 20 years and know the town very well. Maureen says: "We looked at other properties in Brentwood and Westcliffe on Sea, but we've always enjoyed living in Rayleigh and the great location of Kings Gate, close to the high street, tipped the balance."

A new resident's walkway is planned between Kings Gate and the town centre, which will make it even quicker to stroll into town. Rayleigh station is equally close and trains to Liverpool Street take just 50 minutes, making trips to the Capital an easy and convenient option.

There are just 22 homes at Kings Gate, housed in two attractive low-rise buildings. Each home has an allocated parking space within the grounds. "We feel safe here, which is very reassuring," comments Maureen.

Peter and Maureen's ground floor apartment is stylish, ergonomically designed and energy efficient. It has a large open-plan living/dining/kitchen area that creates a great feeling of space, together with a very well equipped kitchen. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, which will be handy if any of their family want to stay over.

Rayleigh is a lively market town with plenty of shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants. There is a Virgin Active leisure centre less than a mile away and a bowls club nearby, providing plenty of opportunities to keep fit. For serious shopping expeditions, Lakeside Thurrock, one of Europe's largest shopping centres, is half an hour's drive away

Over 50 per cent of the homes at Kings Gate have already been sold. Two-bedroom apartments are priced from £192,950 and Barratt has plenty of incentives to help make it easy for people to move, including paying the five per cent deposit or Stamp Duty. Barratt's Agency Sales, which Peter and Maureen used, saves the expense of estate agent fees and the Home Information Pack.

For a limited time only, Barratt is offering Dream Start on selected properties for first time buyers who reserve in November 2008. Dream Start allows you to buy a new home for just 75 per cent of the price, though you still own 100 per cent of the property. There's no deposit, rent or interest to pay on the remaining 25 per cent, which can be repaid at any time up to ten years or when the house is sold.

For more information, log on to Barratthomes.co.uk.