Retired couple Roger and Linda Hyman found the perfect home to downsize to after years of searching, following a recommendation from one of their granddaughters.
The couple bought a three-bedroom house from Bellway at its Oakfields Park development in Halstead after granddaughter Emily told them how impressed she was when she bought a new home from the developer.
Former sales director Roger, 79, and 80-year-old Linda, who used to run a golf retail business, had wanted to sell their four-bedroom home in Halstead and move into a smaller property for some time.
“Over the years, we had had a couple of false alarms where the chance to buy a new home fell through, but after speaking to Emily we were set on buying a new home from Bellway when the chance arose,” said Roger. “She gave them a glowing report about how stress-free the house-buying process was with them and we had been to her house at Bellway’s Aspen Walk near Colchester and could see how well-built it was.
“When we found out that Bellway was building at Oakfields Park we went along for a look. We were leaning away from buying a new-build home initially because we were used to so much space at our four-bedroom detached house. All the other new-build developers we looked at did not fit the bill because the houses were too small and the houses were crammed too close together.
“As soon as we got to Oakfields Park, we liked the look of the development because the houses were well-spaced apart and there was plenty of greenery and a number of open spaces. We were drawn to a particular three-bedroom Carver house which was almost finished and close to just one of the many open space areas.
“We went inside the house for a look and were very pleasantly surprised to see that the rooms downstairs were of a similar size to the large rooms we were used to. We knew that this was the house we could move into.”
The couple paid £414,995 cash for the property and moved into their new home in August 2024.
[A person and person standing in front of a house Description automatically generated]“We wanted a place that was smaller so there would be less maintenance inside and outside and this house ticked so many of our boxes,” said Roger. “It is well-finished, will require no DIY and should save us up to £2,000 or so on our heating bills as it so well insulated and has energy-efficient appliances.
“With regard to the ground floor of the house, we have managed to downsize without losing too much room. The spacious kitchen/dining room, which has French doors to the back garden, is a fabulous big space and the lounge, where we have our TV, is big enough to comfortably take two sofas and armchair.
“The back garden is great because it is mainly lawn, which is easy to maintain, and we have extended a patio area to give us a bigger area in which to enjoy the sunshine. The garden is south facing, so we get a lot of sun out there and it’s like having another room to the house.”
Like their granddaughter Emily, the couple enjoyed a smooth homebuying journey with Bellway.
Roger said: “Estelle, the sales advisor was lovely and made the whole process very easy. The guys on the site were very helpful and we are very happy with the customer service we received from Bellway. We are very glad that we chose to buy with them.
“We are still getting used to our new surroundings and are taking daily walks which allow us to explore the local area. There is a lovely walk across the fields towards Greenstead Green. We have walked half an hour in that direction and half an hour back as we are building up to go the whole 40-minute distance to the village where there is a farm shop. The plan is to have a restorative cup of coffee and a slice of cake before heading home.
“We retired more than 10 years ago and have been mortgage-free for a long time but living here is new chapter in our lives. It is time for us to slow things down a bit and take time to smell the roses and spend our time doing what we want to do.”
Bellway Essex is building 80 homes at Oakfields Park, off Tidings Hill, with a choice of two, three and four-bedroom homes currently available to reserve, priced from £334,995.
