The perfect second home at Equinox

When retired couple Michael and Vivian Barnes decided to buy a second home, they found the perfect apartment at Equinox, Barratt’s highly successful development in Cheltenham.

“We live in South Brittany in France but we have elderly parents and a daughter in England, so we needed somewhere to live during our frequent visits home,” said Michael.

“Our daughter has bought a house at Equinox and we were able to secure a fantastic two-bedroom apartment there.

“It’s a very nice property, with an open-plan lounge/kitchen/diner, two bedrooms and two bathrooms,” he continued. “It’s the ideal second home for us and it’s great to have our daughter living close by.”

When complete, Equinox will offer 44 new homes, a mixture of apartments, town houses and detached houses. Current availability includes a one-bedroom apartment priced at £129,995 and three-bedroom townhouses priced from £239,995.

Barratt can offer a number of buyer incentives, including part exchange for people moving up to a larger home and HomeBuy Direct for first-time buyers and key workers. With this new government-backed scheme, buyers only have to secure financing for 70 per cent of the purchase price and no deposit is required. Barratt matches the government’s funding to provide the 30 per cent equity loan.

Equinox lies just 1.5 miles from Junction 11 of the M5 and there are regular services from Cheltenham train station to Swindon, Bristol and London.

Cheltenham has a wealth of shops, theatres, museums, cafes and wine-bars, as well as one of the liveliest music, literary and dance scenes in the south west. The annual Cheltenham Festival is a must for horse racing enthusiasts.

For further details call the sales office, open from 11am to 6pm Thursday to Monday, or log on to Barratthomes.co.uk.