Thursday 31st august 2023

Retired couple find it easy to downsize to West Craigs, Edinburgh

Inspired by the energy efficiency, the low maintenance and ease of looking after a new home, as well as the convenience of a driveway and garage, John and Jean Eldridge have downsized from their old four bedroom detached bungalow in Craigmount to a new four bedroom detached Douglas at West Craigs, Maybury - which the couple say is ‘just ideal for them’.

Fallen in love with their new home

Being local to West Craigs has allowed the couple to keep an eye on Taylor Wimpey’s construction progress as Jean explains: “We’ve been thinking about downsizing for quite some time and living so close to Taylor Wimpey at West Craigs has meant that we’ve seen just how quickly the development has taken shape. Deciding to move was quite unexpectedly emotional, yet we’ve been on the most incredible journey, and we fell in love with our new home at West Craigs straightaway.

Save on energy bills

John and Jean lived in their bungalow in Craigmount for 40 years where they raised their two sons who have gone on to have their own families. The retired couple felt it was time to reap the benefits of buying a new home as John adds: “We wanted a smaller garden, and having little or no maintenance to do was also important. Plus, we were also aware of how energy-efficient a new home is and we were keen to see some savings on our energy bills.

“Plus, at our age, we loved that everything is new – inside and outside - and covered by a guarantee. Being retired this is especially comforting but I’m sure that it’s also a real benefit for every buyer of a new home. From new windows and doors to your heating system, plumbing, and even flooring and appliances – we just don’t have to worry about a thing.

“We also love the convenience of still having a driveway and garage so we can easily park and unload heavy shopping.

“Everything just fell into place perfectly for the couple to make their dream move as John adds: “The whole process of buying our new home here and selling our old bungalow has just been so smooth.

“When our sales executive Angela took us to see the new house, which was largely complete because of the programme of the build, we knew that it was perfect. It ticked all our boxes – the size and layout of the Douglas was right, its position on the development was perfect, it was ready to move into and we had the opportunity to use Taylor Wimpey’s Easymover scheme. We were so pleased that everything just seemed to come together to make moving to a new home here a real ’no-brainer’.

A great team helping you make your move

“When you consider this was the first time that we had bought and sold a property in forty years – it was quite overwhelming for us, but the team has been fantastic in guiding us through everything. The team at Taylor Wimpey has been so professional and helpful throughout – from Angela taking us patiently through the sales process, to Sandra explaining the Easymover scheme and the site team finishing everything, everyone has made our process of buying a new home very smooth and easy.

“Plus, the Easymover scheme is just brilliant. Our son is a financial advisor and we just wanted him to check everything over, and he said there was basically no downside to using it. And using Taylor Wimpey’s recommended solicitor as part of this process also made everything so easy. They really kept us right all the way through and kept everything moving at the right pace to make the whole process of buying and selling seamless and stress-free.”

Move-in day is an exciting part of a customer’s journey with Taylor Wimpey East Scotland as Jean adds: “Our move-in day was special and it’s so exciting when you are finally handed the keys. In fact, I was shaking although I’m not sure if that was from nerves or excitement, and from day one the aftercare has just been brilliant. We absolutely love Iain who is a special person on the site who comes to do little jobs for you like hanging pictures etc. He’s an absolute star and has just been so helpful since we moved in.

Feeling at home in their new Taylor Wimpey home

“We have honestly felt at home straight away, and we already feel very settled. We’ve already met a few of the neighbours and everyone is so friendly. We are now looking forward to resuming all of the activities that we enjoy in our retirement including our regular walks and because we have moved within the local area, we still see all of our friends, which is perfect.”