Getting on the property ladder has been harder than ever amid soaring costs of housing and inflation peaking at a 40-year high. While first-time buying is out of reach for many, Amy Wright and David Lavery were determined to have a house before the end of 2022.
The couple did everything to make owning a home happen even when they were "laughed at" along the way, LiverpoolEcho reports. Amy, 24, and partner David, 25, looked beyond the face value when they first stepped into the north Liverpool home and were keen to take on such a large renovation despite the odds against them.
Online fitness coach Amy and project manager David knew instantly that the home was "the one" after they stepped through the door.
They told Liverpool Echo that they had just ten minutes to get to the estate agent and make an offer, claiming they were "laughed at" by a lot of people for wanting to take on such a big project.
Amy said: "We had ten minutes before the estate agent closed for the weekend, we rang up and we put an offer in."
Amy boasts a large following on social media with her fitness content, but has turned a new leaf by setting up a new Instagram page to chart the couple's house journey.
She said: "Anything that screams hard work I love, and so does David. It's such a journey and you never know what’s about to happen next.
"I don't know if that’s a good or bad thing sometimes. But all this hard work is going to be completed by us, and it's going to be our home."
Once their offer was accepted, it took Amy and David five months to get the keys, which they admitted was an "emotional day".
Amy continued: "I actually started crying. The daughter of the owner had left us a gorgeous card with a lovely message inside and a bottle of prosecco set up on a small table and two little deck chairs.
"We both sat down, poured a couple of glasses and just took in the moment."
Despite only owning the bricks and mortar for a matter of weeks, the couple have wasted no time in making it their own.
Amy said: "We are absolutely loving it. It’s moving so fast, but that’s exactly what we wanted. We’ve both been there endless amounts of hours around our jobs and every little bit of spare time we have is dedicated to the house.
"We are literally ripping the whole thing out and we have knocked down walls already. We had a wall that separated the toilet from the bathroom, knocking it down has made it so much bigger.
"We need a new bathroom, windows, floor, lights, doors basically everything and eventually we're going to do an extension for an open plan kitchen but that’s in a year to come. Not to mention the garden it's huge, but we’ll sort that in the summer."
Despite the hard work ahead, Amy and Davis are determined to be in their home by Christmas.
Amy said: "A lot of people laughed at this but seriously... a bed, bathroom, and the kitchen and we’ll be moving in.
"So many people said we wouldn’t even have the house plastered by then, but a company called Acorn Damp Proofing Solutions has fitted us in."
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