A fitting move for designer Steve

26-year old graphic and textile designer Steve Goodwin was living with his parents in the village of Acton near Sudbury and had been thinking about buying his own home for over a year. He went to look at Bakers Mill, Barratt Eastern Counties’ riverside development in nearby Great Cornard, and although he loved the homes, he couldn’t afford to buy.

Just weeks later, Steve was delighted to hear that Barratt was introducing its outstanding Head Start offer at Baker’s Mill, which meant he could buy a new home for just 85 per cent of the price.

Steve commented: “I couldn’t believe my luck when I heard about Head Start. The deferred loan reduced the price by almost £16,000, which made all the difference. Barratt did a lot more to help by including the carpets, blinds, light fittings and a fridge/freezer at no extra cost, and they even recommended a solicitor and mortgage broker, who were excellent.” The icing on the cake was Steve’s free 42-inch plasma television, which was offered for reservations made in January.

Steve’s smart two-bedroom apartment on this award-winning development originally cost £105,000 but he has only had to pay £89,250. He fully owns the apartment and has ten years before he has to pay back the remaining 15 per cent of the price, which is totally free of interest or rent.

What surprised Steve even more was the speed by which he was able to move in. He comments: “Everyone at Barratt was very helpful and supportive, the service was excellent. It all went incredibly smoothly and I moved into my flat in less than three weeks. “I can’t believe how my life has changed in such a short time.”

Baker’s Mill is surrounded by wide expanses of beautiful countryside and overlooks the River Stour, which acts as a magnet for river birds and other wildlife. Steve says: “Baker’s Mill is in a fantastic location – it’s very peaceful, but it’s close to Sudbury town centre so you can have a good social life too.”

Steve works for Stuart Morris Textiles in Hadleigh, a 15-minute drive away, and appreciates the free allocated parking space that came with his apartment. Sudbury, with its good range of shops, pubs and restaurants, is within a mile and the larger towns of Bury St Edmunds and Colchester are about a half hour drive away.

Steve adds: “My girlfriend lives in London and I see her most weekends. The journey’s easy for either of us because Sudbury station is about five minutes away and it only takes about 75 minutes to reach central London.”

The nearby Kingfisher gym is a regular haunt for Steve, who likes to work out. If he wants to enjoy the outdoors there’s an extensive network of foot and cycle paths around Baker’s Mill and he can even take advantage of the free fishing licence that comes with every home.

Bakers Mill has won a string of top industry awards for the high quality of its homes and superb setting. A new phase of homes has recently been launched and Barratt is offering two-bedroom apartments from £120,950 and four-bedroom houses, with river views, from £289,950.

Barratt has a very wide choice of flexible incentives that can be tailored to suit homebuyers’ circumstances. Head Start is still available for a limited period on the apartments or Barratt can pay five per cent towards the deposit or £1,000 towards other expenses, such as legal fees, carpets or removal expenses. To make it easy for people with an existing home to sell, Barratt is offering its Part Exchange service, which saves time, worry and the expense of estate agent fees.

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