Development updates

First residents move into new Botley community

- 13 Jun 17

Becoming a home owner is a momentous occasion in itself, but when Richard and Jane Osis moved into their first place together, they also celebrated being the first residents to live in the newest part of the Botley community.

The move to Bovis Homes' Boorley Park was a dream come true for the first-time buyers, and they credit the Government-backed Help to Buy Equity scheme for making it all possible.

"We love our first-ever home and it's all thanks to Help to Buy. Without the scheme, we probably wouldn't have been able to have done it," says Richard.

Richard and Jane, who have two children, Ryan, six, and Nicole, four, were renting in nearby Hedge End when they heard about the upcoming Boorley Park development and, keen to get on the housing ladder, they registered their interest online before the sales centre had launched.

"We had the opportunity to buy the home we were renting, but we weren't sure, and when we found out more about Help to Buy, we realised that we could get so much more for our money with a new-build," says Richard.

The couple were planning to go to the show home and sales centre launch event for the popular location, but due to work commitments, they were unable to attend.

"We weren't able to go to the open day on the Saturday, but we went to the sales centre on Sunday morning and the home that we had wanted had already been reserved," Richard says. "We were a little disappointed, but Michelle the sales advisor was really helpful and we ended up putting a deposit down on another home.

"We thought that was that, but a few weeks later, we received a call from Michelle and she said that the plot we had originally wanted was now available and did we want it? We were thrilled and it was even more exciting as we could move in a lot sooner!

"It is the Netley house type, with two bedrooms and a good-size study, which has given us that extra space," says Richard. "For a family, it's really useful having three bathrooms - one upstairs and one downstairs, as well as an en suite.

"The kids absolutely love the home and keep saying how much better it is than our old house!"

Working at a nearby garage, Richard is now able to walk to work each day and it is an easy five-minute journey for Jane to drop Ryan off at Berrywood School, where Nicole will also be attending from September.

"The area is amazing and a really lovely place to be. From our new home, we have phenomenal views and we're close to Botley, which is a really pretty village. The development does just feel a little bit special," says Richard.

"The buying process was really simple and straight forward and the sales advisors were brilliant," he adds. "They were great at pushing things along and they did a lot of chasing for us."

With the Help to Buy scheme the purchaser receives an equity loan from the Government for up to 20% of the property's value, leaving just a 5% deposit and 75% mortgage required by the buyers.

"Bovis Homes made everything so much easier and we're so thankful to them. We love the house and without Help to Buy, it would never have happened!"