Monday 8th april 2024

A dream move to a new home makes perfect sense for Marcus

In his search for a warmer and more energy-efficient property, buying a new home ticked so many boxes for Marcus Ballantine, a self-employed dentist, that it made his move to Farrier Fields in South Gilmerton, Edinburgh a real pleasure.

Delighted with his move to an energy efficient home

As this new community emerges in Edinburgh, Marcus is one of the first people to move into a new home at the development. He’s delighted with his move and his customer journey with Taylor Wimpey East Scotland, as he explains more: “I haven’t moved very far, but during my search of the area one of the things that was important to me was finding a property that was easier to look after. I previously owned an old bungalow for quite a few years, and it was always cold or needed work done to it. For my next move, I wanted to find somewhere that would be warmer, more energy efficient, and easier to maintain.

“My new house is impressive – it’s so well insulated and there are no draughts. The heat barely drops overnight, and I like to be comfortable so it’s just lovely to have that consistency plus I don’t need the central heating on high to feel cosy.

“While I did look at other older properties during my search, I wanted a straightforward move to a property that didn’t need lots of work. Everything I saw needed some work done to it and I also didn’t want to move to somewhere with a high-maintenance garden.

“Fairly early on in my search, it was obvious to me that buying a new-build home was a no-brainer because when you buy a new home, you walk into a property with a new bathroom and new kitchen, and everything is done for you so that’s a real bonus. The energy efficiencies, and little or no maintenance or DIY to do are the main reasons that I chose to buy a new build home this time around.

“I also opted for Taylor Wimpey to take care of my flooring before I moved in and that was a brilliant decision and one that I’m happy about. It was so convenient to have this job done before I moved in. Having the same flooring throughout the ground floor has made the house feel even bigger than I thought, and it’s impressive. There are no joins between the rooms, and you just get a brilliant sense of flow. When I got the keys and moved in; my house was just so much more than I expected. Ten minutes after I walked through the door, my best friend popped in to see how my move was going and she was overwhelmed and burst into happy tears!”

Fantastic experience

This isn’t Marcus’ first experience of buying a new home: “I am not new to buying a new-build home, but my previous experience had made me a little nervous to consider it as an option this time around. However, I have to say that as soon as I came to see Nicolle at Farrier Fields I was just blown away. In fact, it’s been the best experience. Buying a new home with Taylor Wimpey has been a very different process to the one I’d gone through before, and I’ve felt very comfortable and supported throughout. Nicolle is brilliant, and I met the site manager Allan very early on too. They’ve both looked after me before, during, and after my move to Farrier Fields.

“I have also found the process of buying my new home easy, there was no stress involved and Nicolle was in regular contact with me from day one. Any questions that I had were answered quickly which was great.

“And I feel as though they’ve gone the extra mile too – Allan unexpectedly took me to see the front of my almost completed house when I popped in to see Nicolle in the sales office one day. I didn’t expect that, and it was a lovely surprise. Nicolle even managed to release my keys to me earlier than expected on my legal completion date and that was a really positive start to a stress-free move-in day. It feels special that the team at Taylor Wimpey knows just how much your new home means to you throughout the whole journey with them.

“I’ve also been delighted with the after-care support from Gemma – she’s looked after me too."

Marcus loves his Douglas home

The four bedroom Douglas was the style of property that grabbed Marcus’ attention and one that he had quite the journey to buy as he explains: “I love the layout of the Douglas. The hall and stairway are spacious, and it doesn’t feel as though any room downstairs is smaller because of it. You also don’t feel like the integral garage is compromising your space – actually, you almost forget you have a garage.

“I also love that my lounge with French doors is to the back – it’s perfect for little dog Spike, and when he needs to get to the garden. Fairly early on in my search for a new property, I looked at a previously owned Douglas house type on another development. It was nine years old, and I fell in love with the shape of it. Sadly, I missed out on that one and then I spotted the very last Douglas for sale at Taylor Wimpey’s Pentland View development in Bilston which would have also been a good location for me, but I wasn’t quick enough for that one.

“I then found myself keeping an eye on the Farrier Fields website and when the house that I’ve subsequently bought was released for sale, I was straight down to the sales office to speak to Nicolle.

“With Taylor Wimpey’s helpful 5% deposit paid offer, flooring allowance and all my kitchen appliances included, it was cheaper than a secondhand property that I was just about to make an offer on so I reserved it straightaway before anyone else could!

“I’m so happy with my move and my advice to other people considering buying a new home from Taylor Wimpey is don’t think about it, just do it! You’ll be looked after, and you can expect the best service. I was even impressed by the reaction of the person I called to activate my appliance warranties when he commented on the quality of the products that Taylor Wimpey had supplied. The whole team is fantastic, and I am just so happy that I’m still bragging about my move to a new home to my patients!

One of our first customers at Farrier Fields

Marcus is one of the first customers to move into Farrier Fields as this new development in South Gilmerton comes to life and he’s enjoying being part of something new. As part of a growing development with live construction, he appreciates the effort that Taylor Wimpey has put into making sure his living environment is as quiet as it can be as he adds: “This development has been thoughtfully designed and we have lots of green space. While there is still construction work going on, I’m not aware of it. Everyone is so considerate, which I appreciate."