Chris and Faye get off to an easy start at The Meadows

Chris Cook and Faye Patterson are the first people to take advantage of an opportunity for first time buyers to own their own home at a new development in Donwell. The couple, both aged 22, have used George Wimpey's easystart shared equity scheme to buy a brand new three bedroom home together at The Meadows near Washington.

By using easystart they only had to secure a mortgage for 75% of the house price, while George Wimpey is providing the other 25% rent and interest free for up to ten years.

Chris says: "There is no way we'd have been able to get on the housing ladder without using the scheme. We've been looking to buy a house for some time now but anything we liked in a good area was out of our price range. By doing it this way, it means we get the home we really want in a great location, and our mortgage payments are very manageable."

Joan Peart, sales and marketing director for George Wimpey North East, comments: "The shared equity scheme offers a genuine step up for those wanting to get onto the property ladder. It also gives buyers flexibility by allowing them to repay the outstanding 25% early or make smaller one-off payments up to three times during the ten year period."

The couple moved into their new three bedroom Grassmere home at The Meadows at the end of August and were the first residents to move into their new development.

Chris comments: "The whole process went incredibly smoothly for us and the customer service we've received throughout has been excellent. The sales executives have always been very helpful and the site manager often pops by to make sure everything's going ok."

"The Meadows is in a great location for both of us; close to both Newcastle and Sunderland so it's easy for both of us to get to work and get out and about, and we've got shops and supermarkets nearby and The Galleries just a few minutes drive away. We've also got a regular bus service to and from Newcastle."

Located on the former site of Wellbank School off the A129, just across the road from George Washington primary school and three miles from Washington town centre, The Meadows is a development of 25 new homes including three bedroom mews homes and three and four bedroom, three-storey townhouses.

For more information about the development, log on to Georgewimpey.co.uk.