WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY 2023

Buyers take a step up the property ladder in Edinburgh

When choosing the location to take a step up the property ladder from their previous home, Calum and Steven didn’t look too far beyond their old front door to discover West Craigs, Maybury.

Desirable location

This highly anticipated development had begun to take shape while the couple were living nearby at The Gyle, as Steven, who works for a pharmaceutical company and regularly commutes to Slough and cities across Europe explains: “We wanted to move to a larger property, but we didn’t want to lose any of the great amenities that we had become used to living at The Gyle. When we saw that Taylor Wimpey was building at West Craigs, we knew that it could offer us our next move.

“The combination of our budget, the style of house that we were looking for, and the development’s proximity to Edinburgh airport are important to me as I travel a lot for work. Plus, its desirable location with impressive schools, parks and local amenities nearby meant West Craigs was the natural choice for us.

“We’ve bought and recently moved into the Chalmers. This style of home offered us three double bedrooms which was important to us. The four bedroom styles within our budget were also really lovely but we had no need for a single bedroom which some of these styles offered. Our home also has a driveway which is so handy, as well as an integral garage which could in time provide us with an easy way to extend. The garden is also a decent size for this area of Edinburgh, and it’s perfect for us because we love to make the most of the Scottish sunshine.

Buying a new home has more than matched the couple’s aspirations, as Calum adds: “We bought our home off-plan so when we got the chance to get inside it just felt amazing. We were blown away by the height of the ceilings, the size of the rooms, the quality of the doors and the size of the garden.

“We also love the exterior look of our house – the brickwork is really stunning, and we think it adds to the overall character that West Craigs is creating, which just feels a bit different to other new build developments that we looked at. Taylor Wimpey has also reused some of the bricks from the old farm buildings that were here to create an impressive entrance feature for the development which definitely gives West Craigs its own identity.”

Moving up the ladder

Being connected is so important as Calum, who works in Financial Services in Edinburgh adds: “Whether we want to go into the centre of Edinburgh, across to Glasgow, my commute to work locally or for when Steven needs to get to the airport when he is travelling for work, we chose West Craigs because it has fantastic transport links wherever or however we want to travel. We also run most nights after work, and there’s a great choice of parks and routes for us to choose from so that’s handy too.”

The couple would have considered a second-hand property for their move up the property ladder but are so many benefits to buying a new home. Steven explains:

“Buying a new home means that you are paying a fixed price so you can easily work out what style of home you can afford for your budget. You don’t get involved in an ‘offers over’ bidding situation so that makes the buying process really straightforward.”

Calum adds: “We really love that you can add your own personality to a new home. Everything is new and it is a blank canvas for you to personalise, plus you can get quick results because you’re not renovating an old house.

“We also used Taylor Wimpey’s Easymover scheme and it made our process of buying a new home very smooth and easy. Our sales executives Angela and Jessica were so helpful and patient with us. We asked so many questions, and they were so responsive and helpful. Also, their recommendations on where to consider spending our budget on optional extras were brilliant, and we were really pleased with everything when we moved in.

“They are both excellent – so knowledgeable and they made us feel so valued and very special throughout the process. We never felt that we couldn’t ask them something and trust us, we asked lots of questions!

“The team also made our move-in day so special too – it just felt amazing to finally get the keys to our new home, and our customer relations manager has also been brilliant since we moved in, checking that everything is OK. We feel really well cared for.”

Welcoming new community

Steven concludes: “We are some of the first homeowners to move in, but we can already feel a sense of community as more people move in and their lights go on. West Craigs is now coming to life and we’re really looking forward to it becoming more established. If I was to give any other buyers some advice it would be to do your research. Visit the development at different times of the day and book an appointment to chat to the sales executives. Tell them what you’re looking for and use their experience to get you on the right track to your new home.

“They can also put you in touch with an independent financial advisor (IFA). Getting your mortgage sorted and locked in is a key part of the process and their team can help. We contacted them and they chatted us through what we could afford and our mortgage options. The IFA at First Mortgage was so helpful that we went with her recommendations.”