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After an accident at his previous flat, where a drunk driver crashed into the ground floor, Craig Griffiths was more than ready to escape his rented property and find somewhere slightly more secluded. His new two-bedroom home at our Coombelands Gardens development in Addlestone, Surrey, provides a prime, peaceful location.
Craig and his partner, Sherice Perry, first noticed the development online last year. Due to Covid-19 restrictions they were limited to online viewings for the most part but kept a close eye on the properties being built which they would often pass on their daily walks during lockdown.
Craig, who works in Sales Enablement, said: “We first visited back in March while we were out on a walk just after the first lockdown, when the gates were still up, and the first house was just being built. We kept an eye on the development until it opened again for viewings in August. At that point we had spoken to a mortgage advisor about our options and within a week of discovering the property was within our price range we had put in an offer on the house.”
Using the Government Help to Buy scheme, plus their £40,000 deposit, they purchased the property for a total of £420,000. This left them with roughly £5,000 to spend on furniture and other necessities for the house.
Craig adds: “Covid definitely helped us save money, but on the whole we didn’t have to make too many sacrifices. We still managed to go on two holidays a year. We’re just lucky that both of us are in well paid jobs and fairly comfortable in our financial position so our outgoings were less each month than we were bringing in.”
The couple were originally looking for another flat but thanks to some financial support from family, they were able to afford the two-bedroom house of their dreams.
“I’m based from home permanently which is why we opted for the two-bed as I can transform the second bedroom into an office space,” says Craig. “On days when I do need to go into the office it’s just a ten-minute drive to West Byfleet Station, then it’s a short half an hour train straight to London, which is really convenient.”
With over 20% of people reporting that they will be splitting their time between the office and working from home in the future, it is clear that hybrid working is here to stay.
Addlestone has proved popular with commuters due to its good transport links via both train and road. The area provides homeowners with the opportunity to own a spacious property surrounded by open fields and woodland while still offering convenient links to the city centre, all without the hefty London price tag.
As well as generous garden spaces and a contemporary fitted garden with integrated appliances, many homes also benefit from a private garage. Craig added: “We have two parking spaces, and the garden is much bigger than you would usually expect from a new build property. We did a fair amount of looking before we found this house, and nothing ticked all our boxes until we found this one.
“I’m a keen cyclist and enjoy going to the gym, but my main hobby now is taking my dog, Pixie Liz, for a walk and the new house is in an ideal location for that. We’re right next to the woods and a big field, so we haven’t got to take her far. If we fancy going slightly further away for a change of scene the Surrey Hills provides large green spaces.”
