Enjoying a countryside setting with great commuter links to London, CALA Homes’ Aspen Park development has something for everyone, and is becoming an attractive choice for house hunters looking to move out of the city and get more for their money.
Matt Evans and Nikki Price, who lived in London for six years, made the decision to re-locate out of the Capital two years ago, focussing their move on the Haddenham area. Unable to find a property they liked at the time, the couple rented in the village, waiting for the right property to come along.
“We rented a one-bedroom flat in St John’s Wood near Regents Park for six years as it was ideal for getting into Central London, where we both work. I’m 41 years old, and Nikki is 35, and we had reached that point where we wanted to buy our own house, get a dog and enjoy everything the countryside had to offer. We were looking for a village with a good community feel, suitable travel links to London, and we wanted to be north-west of London so we weren’t moving further away from family in Herefordshire. We had identified Haddenham as our location of choice and were aware of new build developments coming up; so decided to rent until we found a house we loved. When CALA Homes’ Aspen Park development began to be constructed, we went along and knew it was the perfect place for us, so reserved our home off-plan.”
Matt, who works in technology, and Nikki, who works for a retailer, used the Government-backed Help to Buy scheme, to purchase their dream home at Aspen Park. Designed for both first and existing homebuyers, Help to Buy is an initiative for homebuyers who need support with deposit funds, enabling them to obtain a mortgage of between 75% and 85% with as little as a 5% cash deposit, with the option to purchase additional equity. Help to Buy only applies to new build properties in England with a maximum purchase price of £600,000.
“As first-time buyers, we’d done our research into schemes available to help us on to the property ladder and into our perfect home, and the Help to Buy scheme had always been an attractive option to us. The scheme helped us to budget and understand what we could afford, and it seemed like a no-brainer to take advantage of it. Thanks to the scheme, we’ve been able to purchase a four-bedroom semi-detached home, offering plenty of space for myself, Nikki and our Labrador, Monty, but also allowing us space to grow.”
Matt and Nikki purchased ‘The Kearfield’ at Aspen Park – an impressive and spacious four-bedroom, semi-detached house boasting three floors. Downstairs, the open-plan kitchen/dining room is ideal for relaxing together, while the separate sitting room with French doors to the garden is the perfect place to cosy down in the evening. The first floor features a master bedroom with fitted wardrobes and an en-suite shower room, alongside two further well-proportioned bedrooms and a family bathroom. The second largest bedroom is situated on the top floor with a large fitted wardrobe, and is served by its own shower room and a neighbouring study.
“We loved the Kearfield for its layout and its ability to provide us all of the space we wanted within our budget. We had lived in a three-storey property years ago and the layout really suited us. We use the top floor bedroom as our master, and have converted what was advertised as the study into a dressing room, so we have a lovely designated, self-contained space. This is especially useful when we have visitors as we have a private space for ourselves and visitors are treated to the larger bedroom on the first floor, which has an en-suite; we then use the smaller bedroom on the first floor as our study.
“We’re really happy in our new home in Haddenham. We have beautiful country walks right on our doorstep and we love that we don’t need to get in the car to give Monty a great long walk off his lead. While our commute is of course longer than when we were living in London, it is only a 45-minute direct train to Marylebone, and the quality of life and fresh air we are now getting has definitely made the move worthwhile.”
Enjoying a peaceful setting, Aspen Park will comprise 233 charming contemporary homes once completed, offering a range of three, four and five-bedroom properties. The development is only a short walk from Haddenham’s welcoming village centre, with a variety of independent retailers, cafes, traditional pubs and restaurants to enjoy. For commuters, junction seven of the M40 is just 6.3 miles away and the newly upgraded Haddenham and Thame Parkway station is within walking distance, with travel time to London Marylebone in under an hour. Aspen Park is also well served with highly-regarded schools, including Aylesbury Grammar School and Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, as well as Haddenham St Mary’s CofE Primary School and Haddenham Community Junior School.
To find out more about the homes on offer at Aspen Park, visit the sales office and stunning showhomes open daily from 10am to 5pm, call 01844 319527 or visit https://www.cala.co.uk/homes-for-sale/chiltern/aspen-park.
