Cheryl Livingstone speaks to three couples who went the extra mile to secure the home of their dreams
How far would you go to secure the home of your dreams? Would you camp out overnight in the middle of April? Well, that’s what three couples did to ensure they got their hands on a brand-new home at Bancon Homes development at Tarves, Braiklay View.
Bancon Homes’ managing director, Iain Innes, said: “We launched the first phase of Braiklay View at Tarves in April and sold almost 40% of the released properties in the opening weekend.
“As demonstrated at Tarves and our other sites in and around Aberdeen, individuals are going to extraordinary new lengths to secure their desired plots and the well-known robust health of the Grampian and UK-wide housing market is a definite factor in that.
“The sellout of the first two phases of Braiklay View just seven months after the development launched proves its picturesque yet convenient Aberdeenshire location is a popular choice. There are only 16 plots remaining in the third and final phase of the development.”
The Braiklay View development, less than 20 miles from Aberdeen, includes two, three and four-bedroom homes. It is close to a number of local amenities, including shops, schools, and visitor attractions such as Haddo Country Park and Pitmedden Gardens.
We spoke to the three couples who went the extra mile to get the home they wanted.
STEWART AND NICOLA DEY
Stewart and Nicola were living at Udny Station with their two children Cameron and Lewis when they decided they wanted to find a bigger home in a bigger village.
They knew what they wanted – a four-bedroom detached home with a detached garage – but didn’t want to move too far from where they were already.
They concentrated their search on Udny, Pitmedden, Oldmeldrum and Tarves and eventually heard about the Bancon development through word of mouth.
Stewart, 38, who works as a rotating equipment engineer, said: “We liked the development because of the house type and layout, plus the area.
“We arrived at 12.30pm and camped out to secure our plot, as only two were available and there was loads of interest.
We took deck-chairs, blankets, warm clothes, food and a cheque book. It was great fun spending a night with our new neighbours and we had many laughs. We are delighted to have our new home and are glad we did it, as we would never have secured the plot otherwise.”
STEVE AND JO HARRISON
There were lots of changes going on in Steve and Jo’s lives. They were expecting a baby and they knew they wanted to leave their fourth floor two-bedroom flat in Aberdeen.
Having their own front door to a comfortable family home was their desire, having lived in a flat in a block of 28 for five years.
Jo, 30, who works as a senior tax accountant, said: “We knew we wanted north of the city to be closer to family and a town or village. I grew up at Tarves and my parents still live in the village and having bought our flat new already we knew we liked new builds, so kept an eye on local developments. The area was the key for us, with grannie and granda on the doorstep.”
Jo was pregnant and got to stay tucked up in bed, so it was down to Steve to secure the plot.
The 32-year-old, who works as a quantity surveyor, said: “We knew this was a great chance to get the property we
wanted in the village. We also knew the plot we
preferred and wanted to ensure we got it. We arrived at around 6pm after a chum blagged our place in the queue
“I took warm clothes, a chair, sleeping bag and beers. It was cold, but the others kept me going.”
Steve and Jo have now moved into their dream home and have been joined by baby Ruaridh.
They said they were really glad they did it as Tarves is a great place to live.
DAVID AND KARIN LESLIE
When they heard a further 15 people were interested in the house they wanted, David and Karin instantly decided to camp out to beat the competition.
The couple were living with their children Abigail and Thomas at Ellon and had decided to get a new home at Tarves which had plenty of space.
They discovered the Bancon development while keeping an eye on planning information and hearing from locals what houses were being built.
They liked Braiklay View as it offered “a lot of house for competitive prices”.
David, 32, a project manager, said: “There were only two Rosehills and we knew of 15 other people interested in them. I was there by 1pm on the Friday.
“We took camping chairs, sleeping bags and a flask. It was a dry night and not too cold. People from the community brought us food and hot drinks. It was actually quite funny.
“It was definitely worth the camp part. We wouldn’t have got the house we wanted. We are delighted with our new home.”
For more information, call Bancon Homes on 01330 824900 or visit www.banconhomes.com