Welcome back to another What I Own – Metro’s property series where we chat to homeowners about their buying experience.
We’re in Chelmsford this week, chatting to Charlie Day, who lives with her husband and son.
They bought their home last year, after moving from another part of Chelmsford.
Here’s what Charlie had to say about her experience of the property market…
Tell us about yourself.
I’m 34 and I live in Chelmsford, Essex. I’m an entrepreneur and my business is called Charlie Day Sales. Day to day, I help fellow female entrepreneurs make more sales in their business and, as a result, earn more money.
I am also the host of the podcast, Sales Is Easy – If You Just Know How. I live with my husband Lewis and our six-year-old son, Ernie.
Where is your property? What do you think of the area?
My house is in Channels, Chelmsford. It’s a new development that used to be a golf course – they have built houses around a lake. It’s tranquil and lovely.
When did you move in?
We moved in September 2022.
How much does your property cost?
We bought the house for £1,000,050.
How much was your deposit?
Our deposit was £350,000.
What is the monthly cost of living here now; both mortgage and bills?
I pay half of the household outgoings, which in total comes to:
- Mortgage: £2,200
- Other bills: £600
- Council Tax: £350
- Insurance: £231.48
How did you save up for your deposit?
In 2020, I launched a business alongside the current business I had – and I saw such a tremendous growth that I was able to add to the deposit we already had, in order to buy a bigger property.
What was the process of getting a mortgage like for you? Did you find any parts challenging?
The challenging parts were the increasing rates and there was also an increased scrutiny on affordability.
We ported our old mortgage and topped up to buy the new more expensive house, using a broker called CMG who helped us and they made everything quite easy.
Where did you live before this – were you renting or living with family?
Before this we were living in Chelmsford, Essex. We lived in a lovely house but we wanted to move out of town to somewhere with a bigger garden, a drive, and a bit more space.
My business had grown and grown and we suddenly had a lot more money to buy a house with, too.
What made you want to buy rather than renting?
We already owned a house so renting wasn’t on our agenda at all.
How did you find this property? What made you choose it?
We were looking for a property, and lots of the houses we looked at needed work on them and we really didn’t have any time to that, and neither did we want to.
When we bought this property there was nothing to look at apart from plans, we were waiting at least 18 months for the property to complete, and because of Covid (and coming out of the EU) there were lots of set backs, but once we moved in, it was all worth it.
How have you made the property feel like home?
We immediately felt at home in our house, it’s so airy and light and just a really lovely space. We can walk out of our door to some really nice areas, and take our little boy out on his scooter etc.
Getting our things into our house made it feel like home for us, we moved our hot tub, all our art work, and our little boy’s stuff in, and it suddenly felt like home for us.
What’s the inspiration for your interior decor style?
We have been working with an interior designer in our house. We’ve loved picking things out and working together to work with the best features of the house. For example, there’s loads of light as there are floor to ceiling windows in each room, which is great as it’s so light and airy, but downstairs means that it is quite overlooked. Our designer suggested using a sheen curtain so the light still comes through, but people can’t see in.
What’s your favorite room and why?
Definitely the living room, it’s super cosy and I love being in there after a busy day.
Do you feel like you have enough space?
Yes, we definitely have enough space!
Do you have plans to change the property?
No plans to change the property at the moment. The very reason we moved into it is because we don’t want to have to work on our house as we are too busy with our jobs.
Are there any problems with the property that you have to deal with?
At the moment they are still completing the whole development, so we have diggers, tradesman and traffic constantly down our road, which can be a bit annoying.
Would you like to feature in What I Own?
What I Own is a Metro.co.uk series that takes you inside people’s properties, to take an honest look at what it’s like to buy a home in the UK.
If you own your home and would be up for sharing your story, please email [email protected].
What do you want people to know about buying a home?
If you buy a new build it will take much longer to complete than they tell you.
What are your plans for the future, in terms of housing? Do you plan to stay here long term?
We will stay here for a couple of years as our little boy goes to the local primary school, but one day I would like to move to an even bigger house with a swimming pool. Onwards and upwards.
Shall we take a look around?
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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