Help to Buy

New pad is a delight as Flitwick family look to create unforgettable memories in dream home

- 07 Dec 18

A mum-of-two says her new pad in Flitwick has leap-frogged all expectations - and that her family’s move was amphibious fate.

Zoe Froggatt, whose family love to celebrate their surname’s connection with frogs, said the stars aligned when she visited the show home at Bovis Homes’ Froghall Fields location, off Steppingley Road.

Zoe, her husband Andy, daughter Poppy-Jay, 7, and Xavier, 5, had a look around the four-bedroom property and knew it was for them – especially when they saw frog and prince-themed wallpaper in one of the upstairs rooms.

That was the final proof the couple - who even have personalised car number plates which read like ‘Frog’ – needed and they leapt ahead using the Government-backed Help to Buy scheme to complete their move to the location.

Zoe, who runs her own IT company and has clients including British Airways, said: “We looked at the show home at Froghall Fields and absolutely fell in love with it.

“When we looked around one of the show home’s bedrooms and saw the frog and prince-themed wallpaper, it was like a sign.

“We adored that property and dreamt that we could afford one ourselves. Help to Buy has been absolutely perfect for us, I’m really amazed at the whole process. We thought getting a mortgage would be difficult, but it wasn’t at all and we’ve been very surprised at how easy it was.”

Zoe and Andy, an engineer who used to work in Formula One star Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull Racing team and previously at McLaren, put the deposit down on their own four-bedroom property on their daughter’s birthday.

The Froggatts in their kitchen at Bovis Homes' Froghall Fields in Flitwick
Zoe added that the location’s proximity to Flitwick Rail Station meant she could commute to London easily when necessary.

She also enjoys being close to a gym and the children swim at the local leisure centre. It’s also perfect for Andy, who is now employed by an aerospace company linked to Aston Martin and also needs to commute.

The family love the open living space downstairs in the family’s Canterbury house type, which includes double doors into the lounge. Plus, Andy can easily chat with the kids when he’s cooking in the kitchen.

The family pet Chow Chow, called Bear, has also enjoyed the whole moving experience and has met all the Bovis Homes sales and build team.

Zoe and Andy picked their home due to its attractive exterior, layout and re-sale potential in the future. Zoe now wants an allotment to keep up the family’s outdoor lifestyle.

Poppy-Jay and Xavier Froggatt in their Froghall Fields sitting room
“It’s a beautiful house with a massive re-sale potential,” she added. “It’s just so pretty and there are good links to London.

“We’re close to the allotments and we want to get one, so we can grow vegetables and the kids can play. It’s so important they have fun away from technology and that will be my chill time too.”

With the Help to Buy - Equity Loan scheme, purchasers need just a five per cent deposit and the Government provides an equity loan of up to 20 per cent. They then need to secure up to a 75 per cent mortgage, which opens the door to more competitive lending rates.