Moving from our old house in Giffnock to a new four bedroom Maxwell in Duncarnock, Barrhead, has been a transformative experience for Susan and Graeme, as they explain more.
“As we got older, we realised that maintaining our older home would become more challenging, and it was difficult to heat efficiently. This prompted us to consider buying a new house. “We still needed the same number of bedrooms and wanted a kitchen that could accommodate our cooking, eating, and entertaining lifestyle. And after visiting friends who had recently moved into a new home, that changed our perspective on modern houses.
“After missing out on two older properties due to the competitive offers over system, we found the certainty of buying off-plan very appealing. Knowing the exact cost of our new home relieved the strain we felt when trying to buy in the second-hand market.
“Duncarnock’s peaceful setting in lovely countryside, close to the local Balgray Reservoir and good amenities, was a significant draw for us. We also appreciated that the development is not close to any major motorways.
“Despite downsizing in our sixties and running a local cleaning business, buying a new home didn't feel daunting to us. But we are details people, and Suzanne, our sales executive, was incredibly helpful in answering our many questions and providing details that reassured us we could personalise our house after picking up the keys. Adding a fireplace in the lounge and implementing storage solutions to maximize space has allowed us to create home office spaces without using any bedrooms. With some work to the garden, we've also created privacy, which is important to us. Without these reassurances, we wouldn't have proceeded with the purchase.
“The whole team at Duncarnock, including Lynsey, Suzanne, and Henry, has been brilliant, continuing to look after us and showing genuine care and excitement when we moved in. Taylor Wimpey’s staff are generally most helpful. This was evident when we visited several developments with the Maxwell show home to gather interior design ideas and measure spaces to determine what could move with us from our old life.
“A special mention goes to Jacqui at one of the Hamilton developments. She was so helpful, allowing me to measure every part of her Maxwell show home multiple times due to my eye problems. This gave me comfort when making decisions about which furniture to keep and where we would need something new.
“Getting the keys was an exciting moment, and we were comforted to find our new home exactly as expected and spotlessly clean. And it felt like home very quickly. “Since moving in, we have had absolutely no issues, and an independent inspection from a professional snagging company gave our new home a great report with just two very minor paint touch-ups required, so that’s incredibly reassuring, too.
“Our advice to other buyers considering downsizing is not to rule out a new home. You can retain much of what you had before; you just need to think creatively about using the space. Buying early off-plan is also beneficial.
“Additionally, consider how you can add instant privacy, like trees in your garden, if that's something you're used to, and think about how you want to use each room. Hopefully, developers like Taylor Wimpey will make even better use of IT to show older buyers these options in the future.”