Mark Richardson, 44, and Jemma Unwin, 37, are settling into their new four-bedroom detached house – along with their three-year-old son Ollie, dog Rocco and cat Milo - having moved from their previous two-bedroom property on the same street at the end of January.
The couple were first-time buyers when they purchased the two-bedroom house on a Discount Market Value scheme and they fell in love with the area.
Mark said: “We love it round here; everyone is lovely and very friendly. It’s very much a countryside area and I like it for the dog walks. Part of the appeal is that from our house you walk out of the house and you’re onto fields.
“It is very green, and each house has got a decent space. When you drive onto the development, Bellway have made the entrance nice with greenery and trees. They have thought about the location and there are paths and a public walkway.
“And it will be nice to see how the site develops over the years. It will be good to see it grow.”
Mark and Jemma decided to move house because they needed more room for their growing family, with their son growing up, Mark starting to work from home more, and Rocco – being a 60kg American Akita – taking up a lot of space.
Mark and Rocco attract quite a lot of attention as they go for their walks around the development, partly because Rocco is so large and partly because they are often accompanied by cat Milo.
“When the builders see us, they say, ‘you’ve got a cat following you!’” Rocco also likes to pay a visit to the sales team, where they always have a dog treat for him. It’s been a great way to get to know the neighbours as other dog walkers tend to stop and chat.
The location is good for travel connections with the A19 nearby and the A1 around 15 minutes away. Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Mark’s hometown Sunderland are all within easy reach by car.
Mark, who works for BT, travels to the office in Manchester once a week and Jemma is a staff nurse at Darlington Hospital so while their workplaces are not on their doorstep the road connections make it workable.
The couple reserved their new home, built in the Scrivener house style, last September and enjoyed keeping an eye on how the build was going – taking pictures whenever they could.
They reserved early enough in the build to be able to choose all the fixtures and fittings for their bathroom and kitchen. And they picked out exactly what they wanted as they consider this to be their ‘forever home’.
Mark and Jemma used the Your Bellway portal which gives customers greater control over the home-buying process, allowing them to track the progress of the build and access all key documents in one easy-to-navigate location.
“You got an app where you can check on the build of your house every time they pass the next building stage. It was really good,” said Mark.
The couple were also extremely pleased with the customer service they received from the sales team at Wellfield Rise.
“Angela, the sales advisor, was really good, always happy to help and to go the extra mile. And whenever we go in, she always gives Rocco a treat.”
Mark and Jemma sold their previous property for £115,000 and bought their new one for £280,000. They put down a 10 per cent deposit of £28,000 which included a contribution from Bellway.
“Getting the keys was really exciting and a monumental moment,” said Mark. “I probably never thought I would get such a house. There’s so much space.”
A selection of three and four-bedroom homes are currently available to buy at Wellfield Rise, with prices starting from £177,995.
For more information about Wellfield Rise, visit the website or call the sales team on 01429 411737.