Parent power gives student a home at Equinox

When Sue and James Wright noticed Barratt’s Equinox development whilst driving into Cheltenham they decided to find out more, and ended up buying a brand new apartment for their son and daughter to share.

“The sales negotiator, Nadine was extremely helpful, and we realised that buying an apartment would be a sound investment for the family,” said Sue (50), who runs a landscaping company in Wrexham with husband James (51).

 “Building societies are yielding very poor returns at present, so it makes sense to invest in bricks and mortar, and it will help our student children get a foot on the property ladder. We bought a two-bedroom, second floor apartment and William and Amanda have already moved in.

“Equinox is in an ideal location,” Sue continued. “William is a student at Gloucester University in Cheltenham and Amanda is studying at Hartpury College in nearby Gloucester. Amanda wants to settle in Cheltenham when she completes her course next year, so she will need a permanent home.

“Both she and William are delighted with their new apartment and we were very pleased with the service provided by the Barratt sales team – we really do think we’ve received value for money.”

Andrea Pilgrim, Barratt sales director, added: “Parent power is an important factor in today’s property market, with an increasing number of people investing in properties for their offspring.

“For parents, it’s a way of making their cash work at a time when savings rates are dismally low. It’s a smart investment – the children get a home and, if they are students, they save money on rental fees. If the property is sold, the parents get their money back with an attractive profit.”

When complete, Equinox will offer 44 brand new homes, a mixture of apartments, town houses and detached houses. All the apartments have now been sold, but three-bedroom Orion townhouses are available, priced from £230,000, and buyers can take advantage of part exchange or shared equity incentive schemes.

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.

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