Testimonials

When Lee Tatum and his partner decided it was time to move in together, they knew that finding the right house to accommodate them and their four children was going to be a challenge.

And the fact that they had set their hearts on buying a house in the beautiful cathedral city of Ely – where Lee resided and where his partner had lived previously – did not make their search any easier.

But thankfully, the five-bedroom, three-storey Fletcher house at Linden Homes’ Willow Woods development on the edge of the city ticked all the boxes for the newly-formed family of six – in fact, the couple say it meets their needs so perfectly that they could not have designed it any better themselves.

The couple, who have been together for four-and-a-half years, began the process of selling their existing properties and buying a new one in the autumn of last year. Lee was living in a three-bedroom house in Ely with his two children, aged 18 and 15, while his partner was also living in a three-bedroom property with her two sons, aged 20 and 15.

Lee, 45, who is originally from Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex, said: “I have been living in Ely on and off for about 20 years. When I first moved to the area I lived in Chatteris and ever since than I had my heart set on Ely – this was the place I wanted to be. It’s a lovely city which is just the right size.”

His partner, who is originally from Bournemouth, said: “Living in Littleport for a few years cemented the decision for me. I missed living in Ely and being in amongst it. When I lived in Littleport I had to drive everywhere but here everything is so accessible.”

The couple looked at both new-build and second-hand properties but nothing quite fitted the bill – until they saw the Fletcher at Willow Woods.

Lee added: “It was the perfect house for what we needed – five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, a nice big lounge and a big kitchen. We knew we wanted to reserve this house as soon as possible. If we had designed it ourselves, I don’t think we could have designed it any better.”

After putting their houses up for sale last autumn, the couple were hopeful of moving into their new home by the following April. However, delays in selling their existing properties meant they weren’t able to complete the purchase until the middle of June.

Lee said: “Solicitors were the cause of the delay and it was at our end. It was quite tricky but Damien the sales advisor was very patient and understanding. It took seven-and-a half months for my house to complete and there was only me and a first-time buyer in the chain. It was a bit of a frustrating situation because the home was ready from 1 April. Everyone had to wait two months to move.”

With hindsight, the couple said they would have used Linden Homes’ recommended panel solicitors to handle the sale and purchase of their properties.

Lee said: “We weren’t to know but with hindsight that would probably have been a lot less stressful.”

The couple bought their new house for £560,000 with a £250,000 deposit using equity from the sale of their old properties. Their monthly mortgage payment is substantially less than they were paying for their two previous homes combined.

They received a cash incentive from Linden Homes worth five per cent of the purchase price of the home, with £18,000 of this covering the couple’s stamp duty bill, and the remaining £10,000 going towards flooring. This meant the couple had some extra money to spend on landscaping the back garden, where the family have enjoyed spending a lot of time since moving in.

Lee said: “It’s a really big space, about 10 x 10 metres. It’s such a lovely place to be, especially with the warm weather we have been having recently. It’s much nicer than the garden I had before which was quite small and shaded.”

The family have also been enjoying spending time indoors and experiencing the delights of Ely itself.

Lee’s partner said: “The best way to put it is that everyone is really enjoying every room. The kitchen is a really nice space for the family and the lounge is a good size.

“There are lots of really nice bars and restaurants in the middle of Ely and the river is a really nice place to walk. For the kids there’s the leisure village with a cinema and restaurants, and the clubs that they are part of. It’s a nice place to bring kids up.”

Lee added: “The train station is only two miles away and now the kids are getting a bit older they sometimes get the train to London which only takes an hour.”

Since moving in, the couple have been particularly impressed with the build quality of their new home and the aftercare they have received from the Linden Homes team.

Lee said: “We had our standard two-week snagging meeting with George the site manager and it was almost the next day that people were coming in and out of the house to repair things.”

His partner added: “We have been really pleased with the aftercare. Everyone has been really approachable and nothing has been too much trouble. The last house I bought was a new build and the experience there was completely different. Here, the aftercare has been so attentive, which just helps you settle in a bit more.”