Couple make English home at city’s Riverside development
AFTER two years of searching, Michael and Priscilla Lee have found their perfect apartment at Sovereign Point, Bath Riverside In 2003, after living and working in the UK for more than 20 years, pair made the life-changing decision to move to the United States and later retired to Florida. Keen to keep a bolthole in the UK, and specifically in the South West, where their children and grandchildren live, they had maintained a two-bedroom apartment in Bristol city centre. However, over time they realised that the Bristol apartment wasn’t right for them. Michael said: “Florida became our main home but we still spend three to four months a year in the UK. We found ourselves hankering after more space to be able to entertain family and friends. And while our city centre location was very good in terms of connectivity, the area could have been more attractive and so we started our search for a new home.” ‘Discerning’ is how Michael describes his and his wife’s approach to their search for a new apartment. he said that early on in their twoyear search they created a list of ‘must-haves’– if a property didn’t meet all the criteria listed, it wasn’t for them. He said: “With time on our side, we knew we could afford to be very specific about our requirements. The basics were simple – two bedrooms, two bathrooms, parking and no less than 1000 sq ft. From there we started a list of essential criteria. “Location was top of the list. We travel extensively and so good transport links were an imperative. We wanted to be within close walking distance to shops and eateries too. Plenty of apartments ticked these boxes but we were looking for more from our location. “From our time in our apartment in Bristol, we realised how important a quiet and pleasant location was to day-to-day living – we wanted views to enjoy and pretty and tranquil surroundings to spend time in. Suddenly the search became more challenging. “However, that wasn’t the extent of our must-have list. Having owned many different shaped and sized properties over the years, we appreciate the importance of good design. We wanted a clean and modern interior – whether this be a new build or a conversion – but found the layout of many of the apartments we looked at to be compromised in some way. It was hard to find a building that inspired.” Savills supported the Lees throughout their search, advising them on the market within different areas and providing additional information on properties they were interested in. This was particularly valuable given that much of it was conducted remotely from their home in the States. Michael said: “We met with Giles Harling at Savills early on in our search and he was by our side for many months. With a genuine appreciation of our exacting requirements, he became a trusted adviser, and did a lot of the hard work for us, which meant that we could make good use of the limited time we had to visit shortlisted properties.” “It was Giles who introduced us to Bath Riverside. Having spent time in Bath we had walked past the development many times as it was being constructed, but had decided it wasn’t for us. We were initially put off by its scale but we had only seen it from a distance. It wasn’t until we visited Royal View when it was nearing completion that we realised it wasn’t anything like we had imagined. “The scheme is thoughtfully considered, making fantastic use of its location. We appreciated the landscaped areas, which lead on to areas of parkland and the water. That first impression was very good – we could see that when it was completed the development would be of a high quality. From this point on we were very interested.” The apartments at Royal View had already been sold so when Sovereign Point was launched, Michael and Priscilla were first in the queue to make an off-plan reservation. Michael said: “Nicola, Christine and Lynda and the rest of the staff in the on-site marketing suite were fantastic and made the whole buying process a pleasure. “We had never bought a property off-plan before but having seen Royal View, we were reassured by the high quality of design and finish. We were also able to get a good sense of the expansive views over the Bath skyline. We loved the bold design of Sovereign Point and the layout of the apartment we chose was excellent. For example, storage is all too often a problem – and in the UK we need it more than most as the changeable weather requires a whole host of hats, gloves and wellies and the like. Our apartment has two storage rooms, which we will make good use of.” Michael and Priscilla reserved their apartment earlier this year and moved in before Christmas. Being abroad for much of the process, they appreciated Giles’ involvement in the purchase. Michael said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to host Christmas in our new apartment this year. With our children and their families, there were eight of us around the table. We enjoyed spending quality time together in the apartment, and chasing the grandchildren around outside to work off our Christmas lunch. “We had friends from Scotland to stay with us over the New Year, and enjoyed showing them the delights of Bath. There is so much to do and see in in the city over the season – all within walking distance.” “It was wonderful to have the support of Giles and the team at Savills, who were with us every step of the way, to guide, advise and ultimately to secure the right apartment for us. We feel very lucky to have found our new home at Bath Riverside and will look forward to many happy years here.”