Couple leaves life on the road behind thanks to Deposit Unlock

Amy and Calum always dreamed of travelling in their campervan, so in 2021, they sold their older Dorset home and set out on an adventure.

While they love van life for holidays in the UK and even Europe, this year Amy and Calum decided they were ready to move back to a more permanent home, while keeping enough financial freedom for their adventures.

Amy said: “We love camping and owning our own van was important to us, which is why we chose to sell our three-storey home in Dorset and follow that dream. Now, we’re ready to get have a more permanent home. We wanted to find a home that would tick all our boxes, while leaving our money from the sale of our old property free to use on our van.”

The couple found their new dream property with Legal & General homes at the Nobel Park development in Didcot, Oxfordshire. It ticked all the boxes they had in mind, with a wealth of local amenities, a proposed new primary school, cycle paths, access to abundant green spaces and fantastic connections, including a regular bus service on the doorstep direct to the nearby train station with regular services to London Paddington and to Oxford, where Amy works.

Amy said: “A two-bedroom apartment proved to be the perfect option for us – having come from living in a campervan for some time, it provided more than enough space for our lifestyle. What we really wanted to do was free up the money that was previously tied up in our old home to spend on the things we enjoy, so downsizing to a new build apartment was the ideal solution.”

With the perfect home identified, Amy and Calum began to look at the financials of securing their new property, with the goal of continuing their campervan adventures.

Amy continues: “We were keen to protect as much of our savings as possible to put towards our other life goals, so when the Nobel Park sales team told us about Deposit Unlock, it sounded like a great way to do that.”

Deposit Unlock is a scheme created by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) in conjunction with the housebuilding industry and mortgage lenders. It allows purchasers to buy a new build home with as little as a 5% deposit.

The scheme is open to both first time buyers and home movers who want to buy a new build home from a registered HBF member, with a deposit between 5% and 9.99%.

Amy said: “It felt like a great option. We knew putting down a 10% deposit would limit our finances for other parts of our lives, which was why we sold our old home in the first place. A 5% deposit for us was only £13,250 which gave us so much more freedom than if we’d had to part with £26,500.
“I’d definitely recommend Deposit Unlock to anyone in a similar position to us. In my experience it was a very smooth process and opened doors we knew would’ve been closed to us otherwise.”

Choosing a home built with energy efficiency in mind was also on the couple’s radar. In this regard, an apartment was their perfect solution as a smaller living space can mean that less energy is required to heat or cool it and heat retention can be a lot more effective with fewer exposed walls.

Amy said: “We knew with the price of energy higher than previous years, we needed an energy efficient home.
“Another thing to add to the mix is that we discovered I was pregnant in 2023, so while our van life goals are now on pause, we’re so grateful to have been able to afford our own home with our new arrival on the way!
“Everything else aside, it’s amazing to have our own space at a price we can afford without compromising the things that are really important to us. We can’t thank the sales team enough for recommending we consider Deposit Unlock.”

Explaining more about Deposit Unlock, Neil Simpson, Sales & Marketing Director from Cala Homes said: "Deposit Unlock offers more people an opportunity to own a new home by giving them access to low-deposit mortgages.
"It could help buyers to significantly reduce the time it takes to save for a new home, and it isn’t just for first-time buyers, the scheme is open to home movers and those looking to return to the market. For some buyers, this can mean being able to own a home while also freeing up cash for their lifestyle.

"In addition, for those who are currently paying rent but would prefer to put these funds towards buying a new home, it could be worth exploring what Deposit Unlock could do to make buying more affordable."
With 1 and 2-bedroom apartments in an idyllic setting, Nobel Park is an opportunity to be part of an exciting new community close to local amenities and great transport links.

For those looking to book a viewing, please call 01235 886568, or to find out more information or to register interest, please visit L&G’s Nobel Park page or Cala Homes’s Nobel Park page.