A Kilmarnock couple have moved into a dream home they thought was way over their budget.
Victoria Ward and Calum Dick, 28, had fallen in love with The Scholars development at the former Ayrshire College site on Holehouse Road.
But after both securing new jobs and working hard to save for a deposit, the first-time buyers were able to secure one of the site's three-bedroom Traquair, a semi-detached home with private garden accessed through patio doors from the kitchen.
Victoria, 26, calls the new pad, which is marketed for £227,995, as a 'sun trap': “Once we saw the house was available, I called up the sales team on a Sunday morning. By the afternoon, we had reserved our plot. We couldn’t believe our luck that we could afford to buy in The Scholars and even now that we are in our home, still get excited when we see it.
“As well as loving our home, we also love the look of the development in general. The red brick against black and grey windows was something that really appealed to us as it doesn’t look like a ‘new build’ as such. There are 80 homes, but it feels like a small community, and we are right beside a large park with a pond and beautiful scenery.
“The double shower makes the en-suite feel luxurious along with the stunning tiles which we chose. We are also impressed with the size of the bedrooms. There is a stigma attached to new builds that they are often small, but they’re roomy and comfortable.”
The pair are big fans of hosting and cooking and are huge fans of the kitchen dining area.
The couple also upgraded tiling in the bathrooms and opted for integrated appliances to provide a neater finish.
Despite the cost of living crisis and mortgage payments rocketing, this didn't put Calum and Victoria off.
Victoria said: “Barratt were always there to answer any questions we had and kept us up to date on progress. Caroline, our sales representative, sent us pictures of the build and even managed to send us pictures from inside the house. She treated us more like family rather than clients; she’s exactly the kind of person you want to deal with. Even now we have our home she still keeps in contact to check how things are going and we know she’s only a call away.”
And Barratt bosses reckon their customers can save around £2,600 each year on energy bills because of new materials and modern building methods, according to a recent Home Builders Federation report.
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