Resident profiles - Milly and Guy, Port Loop, Birmingham
When you work for a local estate agent, you know when a house is too good to miss. So when Milly Shaw started showing people around the new homes at Port Loop, she knew this was an opportunity that she simply could not ignore.
Fast forward three months and Milly, who works for Knight Frank, along with boyfriend Guy Clapp and French Bulldog, Suggs, has moved into her new Town House at Port Loop.
Before finding Port Loop, it hadn’t been the easiest house buying journey for Milly and Guy, having had four mortgage offers withdrawn at the eleventh hour on another apartment in Ladywood.
Talking about their experience, Milly said: “When relocating back to the UK from Hong Kong, we chose Birmingham as we knew that we wanted to buy somewhere and couldn’t afford the house prices in London which had previously been our home. Two years into our relocation however, we still hadn’t managed to get onto the property ladder. That is until we discovered Port Loop. Since then, our journey has been nothing but exciting.
“After showing the first few people around at the launch event, I rang Guy and said you’ve got to get yourself down here and see the new houses at Port Loop. He loved them just as much as I did.
“They say everything happens for a reason and that couldn’t be more true for us. We honestly couldn’t be happier.”
Even better for Milly and Guy, they were able to use the Government’s Help to Buy* scheme which meant they could purchase a larger house than they were originally looking for.
“We were familiar with Help to Buy before we started looking, however, we didn’t really think that it was something we would use as we felt a bit daunted about using a loan to cover the purchase. When we spoke to Port Loop’s recommended mortgage advisor though, she explained how easy it was and in the end it seemed like a no-brainer really.”
Of course, it takes more than a good investment opportunity to convince someone to buy a house and Port Loop certainly has plenty to offer when looking for a dream place to live.
“When you see the plans for Port Loop, it would be hard not to get excited. We really bought into the neighbourhood that is being created; it’s not just homes here but there’s also going to be an event and cultural space, places to eat and the developers are really promoting the use of the canal network which surrounds the new homes. Both Guy and I work in the city centre and we can get there in just 25 minutes by walking along the canal.
“Of course, the design of our house is pretty special too. We’ve got a huge open plan living area and kitchen covering the ground floor, with a central breakfast bar that we love. The middle floor has two bedrooms and the top floor is a massive master bedroom suite with an en suite, dressing area and a work space, allowing us to easily work from home. We love it and we’re already busy decorating and putting our stamp on the place.”
Port Loop is being delivered by developers Urban Splash and Places for People, alongside the charity, Canal & River Trust, and Birmingham City Council. More information can be found at port-loop.com.
*The Help to Buy: Equity Loan is a Government scheme whereby the Government lends you up to 20% of the cost of your newly built home, so you’ll only need a 5% cash deposit and a 75% mortgage to make up the rest. You won’t be charged loan fees on the 20% loan for the first five years of owning your home. Full details can be found here.
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