Medwin Calvert and his partner, Lucinda Calvert (both 47), moved to the UK from South Africa 16 years ago and had been renting a two bedroom home in Watford with their two teenage sons, Andrew (19) and Matthew (16). With the ultimate goal of owning their own home, the couple devised a five year plan to pay off existing debts and secure their deposit. Using the pandemic as the perfect opportunity to make final savings to get onto the property ladder and taking advantage of the government backed Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, Medwin and Lucinda were able to purchase a four bedroom semi-detached house at Crest Nicholson’s Morton Park in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and are enjoying getting integrated within the close-knit community at the development.
Throughout 2020, Medwin, a healthcare assistant at Thornberry Nursing, put extra hours in at work, playing his part in the UK’s fight against COVID-19 whilst also helping to finalise the deposit with the extra income. Medwin explains: “It was 20 months of hard work, but Lucinda and I made sacrifices to reach our goal. It required a mindset change to shift from spending to saving! We also wanted to make the most of the stamp duty holiday so once we had our deposit ready we quickly started our property search. We ultimately decided to relocate to Milton Keynes to get more for our money, given that Watford is so expensive to rent in! We also loved how Milton Keynes is both a hub of activity and surrounded by nature - an ideal place for us to call home.”
On the edge of the popular village location of Wavendon, yet within 10 minutes drive of Milton Keynes, Morton Park is within easy access to amenities on the doorstep. Indeed, Wavendon village has an enchanting 13th-century church, a pub, and The Stables, a popular live music venue that sees around 300 concerts a year. The eclectic town centre of Milton Keynes is a short drive away, providing a diverse mix of shopping and entertainment facilities, gyms, and extensive green space at Willen Lake and Ouzel Valley Park.
The couple stumbled across Morton Park and quickly found the development ticked all their boxes, ultimately settling on The Filey, one of Crest Nicholson’s new house types. Lucinda, an office manager, explains: “We instantly fell in love with Morton Park. We were looking for a new build property as we didn’t want to think about renovating, and I got ‘the feeling’ right away that we’d be able to make a home here. The houses are homely, stylish, and have well thought-out, family-oriented floorplans – we knew it was a home that would perfectly suit our needs. It was ready to move into as soon as the paperwork was done and we were able to put our stamp on it right away.”
Having been in their new home since the end of October, the couple are starting to make their mark on their home. Lucinda explains: “We love being immersed in nature and love the tree-lined streets around the development and our own slice of greenery in our backyard. We are planning on expanding our patio area and installing a barbecue in our garden so we can make the most of the British summer next year.”
The couple also got an additional helping hand to secure their home, Medwin explains: “Although we were familiar with the government backed Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, Crest Nicholson’s solicitors provided us with lots of information and advised us on our application, which was invaluable. We also got to know the site managers really well, who were on hand to answer any of our questions at all stages from enquiry to completion.” Lucinda adds: “People say buying a house is stressful, but it really wasn’t the case for us. It was our first time buying a home in the UK and even though the process is different from back home, thanks to the Crest Nicholson team we really felt supported. It went really smoothly and they were incredibly patient with us.”
Morton Park is also ideal for families, with a number of schools surrounding the development. These include Wavendon Gate Primary School and Walton High School, which are both rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted and under a mile away from the development.
With a range of excellent transport links, including easy access to the M1, residents are easily able to explore neighbouring towns and cities, and commute into work, like Medwin and Lucinda. In addition, Milton Keynes Central train station is just six miles from the development and offers regular services to London Euston in approximately 45 minutes. For those looking to travel further afield, Luton Airport is less than a 30-minute drive away, providing routes to a variety of international locations.
Lucinda concludes: “We couldn’t be happier in our new home – we’re loving it. We’re lucky to be a part of a really close community and have excellent neighbours, which was a big part of the pull towards Morton Park. We are incredibly grateful to the team for helping us purchase our first home, and know it will be a great investment for our family. We’ve already recommended Crest Nicholson to our friends too!”
Three, four and five bedroom homes are available for purchase at Morton Park at £412,950, £499,950, and £619,950 respectively, with Crest Nicholson’s Smoothmove, Part Exchange, and the government backed Help to Buy: Equity Loan schemes available on selected properties. For more information visit the Sales Suite which is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm, alternatively call 01908036567.
Back