Customer Story

After her divorce, Dawn McMullen didn’t think she could afford to buy on her own, but she’s now moved to her perfect home at Linden Homes’ Montbray development in Barnstaple, thanks to the Home Reach scheme.

Dawn, “55 years young”, is an NHS senior healthcare assistant at Barnstaple Hospital. Speaking about her experience, she said: “I was married and we owned our home but when we divorced I found it very difficult to buy with just one salary contributing to a mortgage; the figures just didn’t seem to stack up.  What’s worse is that I hated renting, it was painful to be paying off someone else’s mortgage rather than my own. 

 “I worked consistently and saved up a good deposit but I found myself unable to get out of the renting cycle for eight years and I disliked the lack of control. I used to pay £475 per month for a one bedroom ground floor apartment in Westward Ho! It had night storage heating so it always felt cold and I dreamed of living somewhere warm and comfortable, where I could fix things when I wanted to and decorate how I pleased.”

 She added: “I viewed lots of properties and visited every development locally but Montbray really stood out to me. After speaking to Denise, the sales executive, I learnt about Home Reach, a part-rent-part-buy scheme, and was over the moon that I could afford to buy a beautiful two bedroom apartment at Montbray.

 “I’ve had a great experience moving with Linden Homes and Home Reach has enabled me to get the extra space I need. I have a mortgage on 50 per cent of my home and pay a low monthly rent on the other half. It’s a fantastic scheme and I love the flexibility it provides, as I can easily pay more into the property at any time but know it is mine and that I’ve invested wisely. 

 “The 10 year NHBC warranty that the homes at Montbray include gave me real peace of mind. Everything’s low maintenance – I’m certainly no plumber or electrician and to have everything finished so well is a great comfort, especially to my children, who are always looking out for me. My daughter lives in Torrington and my son is in Exeter, an easy train ride away, so it’s brilliant to be close by and I have a spare room now so my grandsons can stay as well.

 “My new home is gorgeous, it has a fabulous layout and I have to pinch myself that I’ve managed to move and reduce my commute to work at the same time.

 “Home Reach has given me the opportunity to buy a new home and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve had a great experience and want to shout about it so others are aware of how helpful the scheme is – I couldn’t have moved without it.”

 Beverly Rickard, sales manager at Linden Homes, said: “We’re delighted that Dawn was able to buy a new home at Montbray thanks to the Home Reach scheme. It works so well for people who need a bit more space for their money, while offering them flexibility and security. 

 “It’s easy to do the maths yourself and think owning your own home or affording the space you need is out of the question, but there are so many initiatives that can help - if you need to raise a bigger deposit, have a property to sell or need lower mortgage repayments – come and visit us and see how we can assist.”

Linden Homes is working in partnership with heylo to offer the Home Reach scheme on selected homes. Wayne Bennett, director of Home Reach, said: “Dawn’s story shows how Home Reach can enable people to secure their perfect home when they didn’t think it was possible. Being able to pay more money into your property at any time is wonderful and offers customers so much flexibility.”

Montbray features an attractive collection of two bedroom apartments, two bedroom coach houses, plus three and four bedroom homes. There are currently three bedroom homes priced from £119,975 with the part-buy-part-rent Home Reach scheme and four bedroom homes available from £169,975, also with Home Reach at a 50 per cent share.