
“We’ve found our dream home in this neighbourhood, for the second time!” – Fiona’s Experience of Life at The Arbour
October 2024Four years on from purchasing a two-bedroom Shared Ownership apartment from L&Q at The Arbour in Chelmsford, Fiona Dodwell (39) began looking for a home with more space for her and her growing daughters, Bonnie (7) and Jolie (5). Without looking very far, Fiona found her dream home within the same development, just two-minutes down the road!
“We loved where we were, we just needed more space. The area is beautiful. It’s so well set-up for families, with lots of green space, schools, a coffee shop, a pub and even a vet nearby. We knew we didn’t want to go far but couldn’t believe our luck when we found out about the new houses coming up at The Arbour.”
“It sounds really silly, but my eldest daughter opened a fortune cookie, and it mentioned finding a new home to live in. I took it as a sign and the next day I headed down to the Marketing Suite, where Karen from the L&Q team laid everything out for me and was really helpful in getting my application started.”
Fiona purchased a 30% share of a three-bedroom Shared Ownership House at The Arbour, Beaulieu.
When asked about her experience with selling her previous home at The Arbour, Fiona explains “We loved our old home at The Arbour, and we were sad to let it go, but we’d outgrown it. I wanted a garden for the kids to play in and I wanted them to have their own rooms. We put the flat on the market through the L&Q Resales Team, and it sold the same day! I couldn’t believe it.”
“The Resales Team at L&Q were really fantastic – they couldn’t have been more helpful. I was always able to get through to them on the phone easily and they always knew who I was. Moving and selling your home is stressful, but L&Q really helped to minimise this all they could. I’m really grateful for that.”
As a Client Support Manager for a mortgage brokerage, Fiona was well aware of her options for stepping onto the property ladder. When asked about her choice to buy through Shared Ownership, she recalls “when I first bought a share in our old flat, back in 2020, Shared Ownership really was my only option. The process was very smooth – I secured a mortgage easily and before we knew it, we’d moved in just two-months from the first time I came across Beaulieu via a quick Google search!”
“When it came to buying our new home, I was able to use all of the equity from selling our flat to cover the deposit, resale fee and solicitor fees. I just had to throw in a small amount to top up the first month’s rent.”
Now settling into her new home, Fiona explains why she was happy to buy through L&Q for a second time: “Both of my experiences of buying through L&Q at The Arbour have been very positive. Karen and Deanne are always on hand to answer calls and emails. They couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. They supported us through the process from start to finish – any issues, and they’d solve them for you without a fuss.”
“I also knew that the quality of homes at The Arbour are something I can trust. I’m absolutely in love with the navy-blue interiors of our new home. The build quality is seriously impressive – there’s not a speck of paint out of place. Both times, we’ve been able to move in and just get on with our lives. The integrated appliances in particular are such a bonus.”
Looking towards the future, Fiona is keen to staircase to 100% ownership of her new home at The Arbour: “We are so glad to have found our dream home in this neighbourhood. We’ve really got everything we need here, from local schools to the beautiful surroundings. This is my forever home.”