Customer: John & Frances McCormick
Housetype: ‘The Tewel’
Development: Countesswells
Having recently tied the knot, John and his wife Frances decided to take the next step in their lives and purchase their first home together.
With cramped working from home set-ups and the hopes of starting a family soon, they were excited to find somewhere with more space, and with a 2 bedroom city centre flat to sell before they could make their move into their dream new home, the pair were over the moon when they discovered Kirkwood’s Part Exchange scheme.
Now all settled into their new home in our Countesswells development in Aberdeen, we caught up with John to find out more about their move to this sought-after location, what they love most about their new home and the process of buying with Kirkwood.
What options were you considering when searching for your home, and why did you choose Countesswells?
“At the beginning of our house buying journey, we were considering areas like Portlethen and Cove, as we really liked the idea of being close to the city but still being a short distance away. We were avid visitors of other local house builders’ websites, determined to find the perfect fit for us. That’s when we discovered Kirkwood’s Countesswells development, which ticked all our boxes right away - it was even closer to the city, but benefited from a real countryside feel.
“My wife and I recently married in September and started searching for our first home together shortly after. The thought of selling my flat in the height of a pandemic was weighing heavy on my shoulders and it was beginning to dawn on us that we might not be able to move. When I discovered that Kirkwood Homes was offering Part Exchange, it took this stress away as they would be my guaranteed buyer - and we were over the moon.”
What housetype did you choose and why?
“We chose the ‘Tewel’, a three bedroom semi-detached home. Finding a property which suited our budget was the main consideration for us, and as it was such a high quality home located in a prestigious area of Aberdeen, we definitely got that value for money we were searching for.
“In the near future we also have plans to grow our family, with the hope of having 2 children. The size of the ‘Tewel’ will allow us enough space to do this and has so much potential to be a busy family home one day!”
What do you love most about your home?
“This may sound really silly, but I love having stairs. Owning my own house has always been such a big dream of mine, and being so used to living in a one storey ground floor flat the stairs are such an upgrade for me. I like the idea of being able to separate living and sleeping, and there is just so much space compared to what I’ve always had.
“The open-plan kitchen and dining area is amazing and will be ideal when we eventually expand our family. The separate lounge is also so spacious and bright. My wife took her L-shaped sofa which perfectly splits the room for relaxing, and she has commandeered the other half for her home office set-up - but there is still plenty of room, it’s not crammed at all.”
What attracted you to Countesswells?
“For our first home, we were really chasing that suburban feeling. When we went to view our home for the first time, it was our first experience in Countesswells. Coming from the busy city centre we were so glad to be welcomed by the peacefulness it had to offer, with the surrounding countryside and walking routes. There were a lot of people out and about walking their dogs and playing with their kids, and it was so refreshing and inviting. We knew then it would be the perfect place to live and also raise a family one day.
“Upon further conversations with our sales representative, we also discovered the many exciting plans for the area, including GP surgeries, primary schools and supermarkets. We are already loving living in Countesswells, so the prospect of it expanding sounds fantastic and we can’t wait for what the near future holds.
“With that said, we aren’t in desperate need of any amenities. We are not far from Westhill or Kingswells, and even the city of centre of Aberdeen is nearby. We can find everything we need while also being semi secluded in our lovely development.”
What is the development like?
“Every single house is so well positioned and very spacious in terms of parking. We have 2 parking bays, which will be so useful when we can socialise a bit more. Coming from a flat with on-street parking, I am now so much more relaxed about the wellbeing of my car now that I have the luxury of a space, instead of peering out my window every time I hear a noise or car alarm!
“We love having garden space in the front and back of the house. We have a south-facing garden and have been told to expect lots of sunny afternoons and evenings when summer rolls around. This is something we can’t wait for and a major selling point, especially coming from a flat with no garden at all.”
Is there a sense of community?
“Absolutely, which is so rare to have already experienced so early in our stay. We are semi-detached and on one of our first weeks our neighbour popped round to explain he had a lot of beers and wasn’t sure he would manage to drink them all - I happily accepted and knew from then we would get on well here! Everyone we’ve had the chance to meet has been extremely friendly and welcoming.”
What was the buying process like with Kirkwood and what impressed you?
“The process was about as stress free and smooth as it could have possibly been. Everything was straightforward and extremely well explained, and with this being the first property my wife and I have bought together, this was very comforting. Our sales advisor Michelle was very organised and on top of all communication and we were always kept in the loop no matter how small the update was.”
