LN6 ticks all the right boxes for first-time buyers Sam and Cassie

Sam Clark and Cassie Rothwell, both 28, had been looking to escape the rental trap for over a year. And thanks to the Help to Buy scheme, the couple were able to upgrade from their two-bedroom rented flat to a much larger three-bedroom house of their own sooner than planned.

Keen to stay close to the city centre, the pair chose to purchase at LN6 after Sam, whose job as a safety platform installer for the construction industry takes him across the country, had spent some time working at the site.

Sam said: “I came home from LN6 one day and said to Cassie that we should look into buying here – mainly because of the location, but also because we knew that we wouldn’t have to worry about anything. “I have worked with the site manager, Yacup, for years, and I know that Chestnut Homes produce high-quality homes and really care about their staff and customers.”

Cassie, who works front of house at a coffee shop, said: “LN6 ticked all the right boxes for us. Our old flat was under a mile away, and we knew that we’d like to stay in the area but wanted a home that we could start a family in. “Looking to the future, there are lots of good schools and nurseries within walking distance of the development and there are great transport links to the rest of the city. We are so close to the centre - we can even see the cathedral from our street!”

The couple reserved their new home on 13 May, the day after Cassie’s birthday, and received the keys to the property, a three-bedroom semi-detached De Lacy housetype, in October.

By using the Help to Buy equity loan scheme they were able to secure the property, which was priced at £219,950, with a five per cent deposit of just £11,000 and a 75 per cent mortgage. The remaining 20 per cent of the purchase price was provided as a Government-backed equity loan which is interest-free for the first five years.

Cassie said: “Thanks to Help to Buy we have bought our first home together sooner than planned. While we would have looked to purchase soon anyway, those savings have helped us pay for our solicitor and will help us decorate the garden for next summer. “Having our own home feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We have gone from paying £590 a month in rent to just £504 for our mortgage – and we are not paying for someone else’s mortgage anymore.”

Sam added: “The whole Help to Buy process was easy. It looks quite daunting at first, but it’s much simpler than it seems. The solicitors and Chestnut Homes helped us through the whole process.”

Since moving in at the end of October, Sam and Cassie have been busy decorating the home in their own style, something they couldn’t do in their old rented flat.

Cassie said: “One of the great things about these homes is that you don’t need to do a lot to decorate. They’re painted a lovely neutral grey colour that you can design your interiors around, and the wall decorations always blend in well.”

Sam said: “We’ve turned one of the rooms into a gaming room and there is an entertainment wall socket in the lounge with an HDMI port for us to put the TV on the wall, which is great for when we are having a movie night or I’m watching Arsenal.”