NEW PARENTS MAKE THEIR NEST IN A NEW HOME IN GLASTONBURY

MAKING a competition out of saving helped first time buyers Sorrel Harris and Jordan Williams secure a home of their own in Glastonbury.

They’ve moved to a new home at Avalon with their baby son Arlo, completing the purchase on March 31 – the final day they would have been eligible to use the Government’s Help to By equity loan scheme.

The couple, Sorrel, 22, and Jordan, 28, have been together for three years. When they initially started saving, they had no immediate plans of buying a home.

“We were each living with our parents when I became pregnant and we needed to find our own place,” Sorrel recalled.

“We worked a lot to raise the deposit. We were both working in the same pub, Jordan as a chef and I was bar staff. Jordan is very driven. It almost became a competition between us to see who could save the most. We got the point where we were only going out once a month.”

It was Jordan’s mum who suggested they consider buying a new build on the Elan Homes Avalon development in Glastonbury.

“We came to the site and viewed the show home. Everyone seemed really friendly and it felt like it was our kind of place. We’d only been saving for about a year at that point and wanted something where we’d only need a 5% deposit. This was the final home on the development available with the Government’s Help to Buy equity loan scheme,” Sorrel explained.

Groundworks on their two-bedroom home had begun when they first visited the development and they watched with interest as it took shape.

“We popped down when they put the roof on and when the walls went in and it had been painted and again when the flooring was laid,” Sorrel said.

“Jordan had wanted a new build from the start as that’s what he was coming from. He said they were reliable and liked the idea that no one else had lived there before. I liked that they were a clean start with the chance to put your own personal touches to it. We chose all the flooring and the finish of the kitchen.”

They had originally hoped to move into their home last September, either just before or just after Arlo was born. However, this was delayed because of an issue with phosphates, which saw Elan work with Mendip District Council to develop a mitigation strategy to reduce phosphates in water runoff and sewerage so it becomes ‘nutrient neutral’.

“The whole way through Elan were communicating with us,” Sorrel said. “It’s been a super positive experience. Everyone’s been really helpful and gave us lots of information.”

The final phase of Elan’s new homes in Glastonbury is now on sale. There’s a choice of three and four-bedroom designs, with current prices from £380,000.

Subject to build stage, buyers will be able to select from a range of options to make their home their own prior to moving day.

Homeowners should also be able to enjoy lower energy bills as Elan’s homes achieve a minimum EPC rating of B, making them some of the most efficient available.

While Glastonbury Festival is world renowned, the local area has much more to offer including the historic abbey, plus all the amenities people want from a neighbourhood including restaurants and gastro pubs, high street stores, quirky independents and a regular market.

For more information about the homes at Avalon see https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/developments/avalon.