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10 October 2003
The average age of the first-time buyer is currently an overwhelming 33, according to a recent report from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. In strong contrast to this trend that first-time buyers are getting older, Emily Thomas and Mark Wittham, aged just 19 and 21 respectively, recently got a foot onto the property ladder when they purchased a two bedroom house at Countryside Properties' 'Pelham Gate' development in Rayleigh, Essex. Emily, a student teacher, and Mark, a Quantity Surveyor, are currently living with their respective parents in Rayleigh until their new home is ready in November.
Emily comments, "Mark had been thinking about buying a property, but he didn't want to move out of Rayleigh and couldn't afford anything in the area. We hadn't even thought about buying a home together and it was purely out of curiosity that we went to have a look around the show homes at Pelham Gate. We were extremely impressed with what we saw and decided to have a look at the plans for the two-bedroom houses that Countryside were going to build.
"We were really keen to buy one of the houses as they have been built to a very high standard and they are in an excellent location. Since Countryside was only building five two-bedroom houses, Mark and I decided to queue outside the development so that we could be the first in line to put down our deposit. It was actually quite a memorable experience as one of the neighbours across the road from the development brought us drinks while we waited and we had a barbeque on the Friday night with the other people in the queue, so we had already met our new neighbours before actually buying the house!"
The new houses at Pelham Gate are being built in ten different styles, creating an attractive and interesting street scene. The development has been thoughtfully landscaped, with features such as a central tree-lined square, which creates an instantly mature environment from the day the new homeowners move in.
All of the new homes at Pelham Gate have traditionally styled exteriors, incorporating both rendered and brick frontages with timber features. This is stylishly combined with the contemporary and low maintenance interiors, which feature many modern details, including sanitary ware by designer Philippe Starck.
Situated approximately 35 miles from London and 9 miles from Chelmsford, Rayleigh's proximity to the new A130 extension, A127 and A13 makes the town highly accessible by road to most parts of the county and beyond. The local airport at Southend on Sea is easily accessible, while trains from Raleigh station travel directly to London Liverpool Street, with a journey time of 45 minutes (approximately).
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Information correct as at 10/10/2003