Over the seven years of renting, they calculated that they had spent £49,000, with nothing to show for it. The couple are originally from Belfast and were always unsure as to whether or not they would stay in England permanently so decided renting was the best thing to do at the time, but when Dorrena became pregnant with their son Rossa it spurred them on to look more seriously for an owned home and settle in Cumbria for good.
Knowing that they would soon have a newborn baby, Paul and Dorrena knew that buying new would be the most stress free route. The couple visited their local Gleeson development, and from the moment they spoke to their Sales Executive they knew they wanted to buy their new home at Briar Lea Park. As soon as a Lisburn house type became available the couple reserved. Their Gleeson home is now bigger than their previous rented property, and is far more modern and bright, plus it has a garden which their rented home lacked. In addition to this, their mortgage is only £350 per month, so they are saving £200 per month, totalling a huge £2,400 per year.
The couple loved their buying journey, and as they counted down the days until their home was ready, they counted down the days to Rossa’s birth, and miraculously Rossa was born on their completion day.
Paul said: “People don’t often believe us when we tell them about how everything unravelled – going for our home demonstration and then Dorrena going into labour at 3pm on the same day and Rossa arriving the next morning. We then collected the keys the next day after that, and moved into our new home the week after. We can’t thank Gleeson enough and are so thankful for how things all fell into place.”
Dorrena said: “It’s has been a whirlwind experience with having our first child, and owning our first home. We loved how affordable Gleeson homes were, and how energy efficient they are too. With us being a young family, we needed a home that was manageable budget-wise so that we can continue to enjoy treats and family holidays. We are saving a lot of money per month on our previous rent cost, which will allow us to grow our family in the future.”