Advantages of moving in early
Staking a claim at the start of a development can bring many bonuses, says Kirsty Mcluckie
Getting in at an early stage when purchasing a brand-new home can have some distinct advantages.
If you are happy to commit to a property before it has been built, you could get a discount from developers keen to secure buyers and there may be additional valuable incentives.
Buying promptly can also ensure that you have the pick of the plots and, depending on the build stage, early buyers are sometimes able to personalise a home with a choice of fixtures and fittings, or even change the layout – opting to turn an integral garage into a second sitting room or extra bedroom, for example.
In a rising market, there is also the possibility that your new home could be worth more than you paid for it by the time you move in.
The disadvantages are that you have to rely on your imagination to picture the finished property in situ, but larger developers may have showhomes at other sites so you can view your house type before it is built.
On a larger site, buying one of the first completed properties can involve living amid a building site until the other homes are completed, but you do get
the opportunity to watch a community take shape around you.
Mactaggart & Mickel is currently offering a selected number of earlybird properties at its development in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire.
Stewart Gardens, situated at Malletsheugh on the western edge of the town, will consist of 114 homes, in a range of house styles and price points.
The developers are hoping to attract young families, with landscaped play areas, as well as those seeking fast commuter access to Glasgow and downsizers keen to stay in the locale.
Newton Mearns is one of East Renfrewshire’s most soughtafter residential areas, and within catchment of high-performing secondary schools. What is more, a recent study by the Royal Mail found that East Renfrewshire is the happiest place to live in Scotland.
Transport connections to Glasgow, seven miles away, are excellent and open countryside is on the doorstep.
The first phase will offer 30 units, ranging from three-bedroomed semidetached to five-bedroomed detached homes.
Mactaggart & Mickel’s Early
Bird Option offers buyers free home reservations on a flexible, no-obligation basis while the development is under construction, giving purchasers time to market and sell their existing properties.
Six units are available for reservation priced from £475,000 for a fourbedroomed detached home, to £520,000 for a five-bedroomed detached.
Joanne Casey, director of Mactaggart & Mickel, says: “We are proud of our heritage within Newton Mearns, with a number of our popular developments already established in the local area. We have already received high levels of interest from the community about our plans for Stewart Gardens and we look forward to creating a new neighbourhood with quality homes for the next generation to enjoy.”
Examples of house types on offer in the early bird release include the Maclaren, which is a flexible fourbedroomed home with a large rearfacing covered balcony off the master bedroom.
The Miller offers imaginative design in a four-bedroomed home, while the Telford is set over three storeys and boasts five-bedrooms.
The Elliot is also five-bedroomed, with a lounge and family room on the ground level and a flexible study or bedroom on the first floor.