When people say that buying a house is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do in life, they certainly weren’t kidding. For me, 2013 has begun with my boyfriend and I making the life changing decision to buy our very first home.
Nobody prepares you for the long and mind boggling journey that you are taken on by a house purchase. The rollercoaster of emotions has seen me go from incredibly excited by the prospect to incredibly overwhelmed, as I make ‘grown up’ decisions about the home I am soon to call my own.
As I sit with my blank facial expression, unconvincingly pretending to know what my solicitor is talking about, my mind casts back to one of our clients – Persimmon Homes – and the penny drops.
All of the house building lingo that has continuously cropped up during monthly PR meetings with my Persimmon Homes regions now starts to make sense. Having bought a new build property ourselves, we have experienced first-hand the benefits of buying off-plan, the purchasing schemes available for first time buyers and the liaison process between mortgage brokers, developers and solicitors.
Having worked with Persimmon Homes for more than eight months, I have only now begun to fully understand the trials and tribulations of buying a property. I also have the benefit of seeing the process from a housebuilder’s point of view.
However irritating the chasing emails from our developer are, I am now able to appreciate their day-to-day battles with sluggish solicitors and uncertainties over completion dates. As a result, I refrain from expressing my frustration and simply respond with “I shall look into that for you” (typed with a gritted smile!).
I was never too keen on the idea of buying a brand new property, as I typically wanted the history and character of an older house. Working with Persimmon Homes certainly changed my opinion on the matter and has opened my eyes to the financial support that is available for first time buyers.
Having bought our house off-plan, my boyfriend and I shamelessly drive past our new home on a weekly basis to witness the latest building work that has taken place. Last week I shrieked with delight as I noticed the back garden fence was now in place!
This morning our completion forms arrived in the post meaning we are at the final stages of our house purchase, with a view to finally move in around April time. On top of that, I can also now walk into my Persimmon Homes meetings feeling quietly confident that I fully understand the terms, processes and emotional journey that comes with building and purchasing a new home.
Laura Newton – Account manager