Property Articles | Real Estate Articles

Falling house prices are not necessarily bad news for everyone; first-time buyers who have long been priced out of a rising market are now finding that the bottom rung of the property ladder is now back within reach.

In fact, thanks to the readjustment of property values, brothers and first-time buyers Darren and Stephen Franks not only managed to secure their first home but were able to leap-frog a starter property in favour of a spacious three bedroom house at Liberty Park, a new development by Crest Nicholson in Wainscott, Kent.

Darren (27), an accountant commented: “I had been thinking about buying a property for some time but prices were so high, they were well outside my reach. It wasn’t until house prices starting to come down, which coincided with my brother Stephen (25) qualifying as a teacher that buying our first home became a possibility.”

Darren and Stephen believed they could only afford a two bedroom apartment. They were pleasantly surprised when they visited Liberty Park and realised they could buy a brand new, highly-specified three bedroom house at the development.

Darren explained: “I knew that house prices were coming down as a result of the credit crunch but I thought that this meant we could now afford a two bedroom apartment, where as in 2007 we couldn’t even afford that. Upon visiting Liberty Park we were over-whelmed by the value of homes on offer and decided to upgrade our purchase to a three bedroom house instead.”

Liberty Park is a brand new unique collection of one, two, three and four bedroom homes situated in the village of Wainscott, near the historic town of Rochester in Kent. With a range of properties on offer, there is a home to suit all buyers.

Annette Cole, Sales and Marketing Director, Crest Nicholson (Eastern) Ltd. commented: “There has never been a better time to buy a new home. Like Darren and Stephen, many potential home-owners believe that buying a property isn’t financially viable at the moment. What many don’t realise is that the combination of falling property prices, affordable mortgage rates and developer deals means that now is a great time start paying their own mortgage rather than a landlord’s.”

The architecture at Liberty Park is a blend of traditional style with striking detail that echoes the surrounding Kentish vernacular. Characteristic bay and dormer windows complement stock brickwork, pale render and distinctively regional weatherboarding. However, internally the homes offer a stylish, contemporary living space that is ideal for first time buyers.

Darren was keen to secure a new home rather than a second-hand property. Darren commented: “I really wanted a new property because I didn’t want the expense of maintaining an older home. All the appliances are brand new and we were even able to choose the tiling.”

The specification of the homes at Liberty Park will be to the high standard associated with the Crest Nicholson brand. Kitchens will be complete with stylish fitted units from Manhattan and feature a full range of stainless steel integrated appliances including oven, hob, extractor hood and fridge/freezer. Bathrooms, ensuites and cloakrooms will be complete with smart white sanitaryware from Roca and complimented with chrome fittings by Hansgrohe.

Wainscott is well located and offers very good commutability to London and the wider Kent area. The development is just a short distance from the surrounding Medway towns of Strood (1.6 miles), Rochester (2.2 miles), Chatham (3.5 miles) and Gillingham (3.4 miles) which have a wide mix of facilities including shopping, leisure, cafes, restaurants and nightlife. In addition, the development has good access to the M2 motorway and A2, which are just minutes away. Nearby Strood Mainline Station also provides efficient services to London Bridge, London Waterloo East and London Charing Cross in just over an hour.