Genny and Lester D’Souza’s growing family meant they needed more space than their old three-bedroom home in Romford could accommodate.
Having bought the property shortly after they married 17 years ago, the older home had been exactly what they needed as newlyweds but no longer suited the couple now they have three children, aged 13, seven, and five.
Genny said: “We were ready to upgrade our home to something bigger, and knew we wanted to be somewhere close to the A12. Our previous property was bought when we first got married, so we’d grown out of it with three kids and were really lacking in space. I’d also always wanted to move to a newbuild, mainly because they’re a blank canvas for decorating.
“Because I work from home mostly, I also wanted my own space to work, normally I’m sitting on a dining table, but I wanted a separate study. As a family of five, plus our Siberian husky, we have so much washing and laundry to do, I knew we needed a utility room too. A garage was also a key consideration; as we have an electric vehicle, off street parking and an EV charging spot were essential.”
With a tick list in mind, Genny and Lester headed to Aylett’s Green in Kelvedon to find their dream home.
“Initially, we weren’t sure whether the mortgage would go through, and we weren’t sure how much budget we’d have since it had been so long since we’d bought a home. We used Cala’s recommended mortgage advisors, and the budget range we were given to work with was way above what we thought.
“We hadn’t realised we’d be able to afford our dream home until that moment, so we decided to go for it, and the home we ended up buying ticked every single box.”
Genny and Lester chose a four-bedroom, four-bathroom Argyll home, with separate laundry and utility rooms, garage and EV charging – exactly what their family needed.
“There are four bathrooms which was a big tick so we’re not fighting for a toilet, as previously we had only one, so this was exceptional. The hallway space on the top landing is amazing, and we love the big French doors, we have such a beautiful view.”
However, as a busy family of five, and with their children at critical ages in the school system, Genny and Lester knew they’d need all the help they could get with kickstarting their moving process.
“We always wanted to buy new, as it makes it so much easier for busy people, everything is done for you, but we didn’t realise just how easy Cala would make the process for us. Using their Part Exchange service*, it took all the complications of selling our old home out of the equation and sped up the buying journey.
“The Cala team managed the whole process, which was smooth and stress free, so it was perfect as we really didn’t want the headache of doing it ourselves. We wanted to move as quickly as possible, and we certainly got our wish – the whole process only took around four weeks.”
Cala’s Part Exchange service means that Cala will act as the cash buyer on a buyer’s existing home and so a move isn’t at risk of the problems that come with being in a chain. This also allows buyers to move chain-free into a new Cala home.
Genny continued: “We had such a quick turnaround, it’s been amazing to get into our new home straight away. Being a home’s first owners means we can decorate everything exactly how we want it with no history from previous buyers.
“Something else which has been an unexpected bonus is that our new home is so much more energy efficient than our old one. Usually I’m always cold, but I’ve been wearing shorts in the house even in January because it’s so warm. We barely need to put the heating on because the insulation is so good, and when we do put it on, we don’t need to leave it on for very long at all. The kids don’t need heavy duvets at night, and it’s so light and bright we don’t need to put lights on during the day.”
At Aylett’s Green, prices range from £465,000 — £820,000* and the 12 remaining properties span four-, and five-bedroom houses as well as two-bedroom bungalows.
The development is open daily from 10.30 am – 5 pm and is located on Doughton Road (off Coggeshall Road), Kelvedon, Essex, CO5 9NX with showhomes available to view now.
