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HOUSE HUNTER
What we found… THE NORTHERN STAR Hollins Green Preston, Lancashire
FROM £50,000*
THE SUBURBAN HOTSPOT Millfields Middleton, Greater Manchester
FROM £269,995
This month FTB goes on the hunt with Richard and Natalie Cooke, who are after a home with two or more bedrooms, within a 60-minute drive of Manchester
PROFILE
Names Richard Cooke, 38, and Natalie Cooke, 36 Occupations Graphic Designer, Royalties Manager Maximum budget £350,000 Requirements A home with two or more bedrooms within an hour’s drive of Manchester. A peaceful setting with countryside close by and good local amenities is preferred, along with space for working from home
What they wanted… We live in a busy area of Manchester, where we’ve been for a few years. Since the first lockdown in 2020 we’ve both been lucky enough to work from home – and we’ve had time to realise that we’d like to get away from the city and into the countryside. As things go back to normal, we’ll both be working just one or two days a week from our offices in Manchester and the rest of the time we’ll be at home. We’ve wanted to buy a place for a while, and we now feel like this has freed us up to look further afield. As we’ll only be travelling to work twice a week, we’re happy to move somewhere up to an hour’s drive from Manchester. We’d like to find a new house that’s in a peaceful – possibly rural – location, with countryside easily accessible but some good amenities nice and close by. We’ll need at least two bedrooms for working space. We have savings of just over £35,000 and a budget of £350,000.”
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Set in a semi-rural location on the edge of Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland, Hollins Green in Forton offers a selection of stylish two, three and four bedroom homes. This new collection has good transport links, with the M6 motorway a five-minute drive away and nearby Lancaster station providing services to London, Liverpool and Manchester airport. The quaint village of Forton is perfect for rural relaxation and family time, while nearby Garstang has a wider choice of shops and supermarkets, along with Marketgate Shopping Centre a little further afield.
The Manchester suburb of Middleton is a popular place for homebuyers, with trains to the city centre taking under 10 minutes. The new homes at Millfields range from three to four bedrooms and have been created in a variety of styles. The three bedroom detached properties feature a separate lounge, kitchen/diner, downstairs WC and an en suite to the master bedroom. For everyday amenities, nearby Middleton is home to shops, supermarkets and eateries, while lovely countryside and great walking routes are minutes from the door.
laurushomes.co.uk
elan-homes.co.uk
*Based on a 25% share of the full market value of £200,000
What they thought… Forton looks like a lovely spot – with rolling hills all around and the coast nearby. The homes are a nice mix of traditional and modern, which we like. We love the kitchens – a vast improvement on our tiny flat’s outdated offering. This would be an ideal place to get away from the hustle and bustle, but Lancaster and Preston are both within easy reach. Manchester would take around an hour by car, which is perfect. It is quite far north from our families, but with the extra bedrooms we could easily have people to stay.”
We have friends who have moved to the outer areas of Manchester in order to buy bigger places, and they’re really happy. The commute into central Manchester is pretty easy from Middleton, around 25 minutes. Richard would probably cycle in, as it’s around six miles. We do quite like the idea of being outside of the city centre, but being able to visit really quickly. That way we get the best of both worlds. It’s also great that we’d be able to afford more bedrooms here, which is a huge plus.”
First Time Buyer June/July 2021
FTB 16-17 Househunter June-July21.indd 16
18/05/2021 16:00
