Madeleine Hall, 27, and partner Harvey Wilsher, 25, are both lifelong residents of St Neots and had their hearts set on staying close to family.
Unfortunately, the housing market had other ideas, with two attempts to purchase properties locally falling at the final hurdle for the couple.
Then, despite their initial scepticism about new-build properties, a chance discovery on Rightmove changed everything.
Almost a year later the couple couldn’t be happier in their four-bedroom home, just a mile from both sets of parents.
Wintringham by Morris Homes is a stylish new development in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. It offers a range of high-quality homes designed for modern living in a sought-after location.
“We never thought we’d go for a new build,” says Madeleine, an account manager at a manufacturing company. “After two chains falling through and months of waiting, we decided to give the Morris Homes development a look - and I’m so glad we did.”
The first-time buyer’s journey began in October 2023, when they found a property that they loved. But when the sellers couldn’t find a new home to move into, the entire chain stalled.
Disheartened but determined, they tried again in January 2024 - only to face the same situation. By April 2024, they were still stuck in limbo.
Frustrated with lengthy buying chains, they decided to explore new-build options for a quicker, more seamless approach.
That’s when they found their dream home, a £449,750 detached property located on a new housing scheme in their hometown.
The couple were able to view a property that was near build completion, so they could walk through the home and get a feel for the space before committing.
“We wouldn’t have bought it without seeing it first,” Madeleine admits. “But this was perfect – construction work had finished, and the only remaining tasks were the kitchen and bathroom fittings. Purchasing when we did enabled us to pick the finishes ourselves, which made it feel like our home from the start.”
Madeleine and Harvey, an Openreach engineer, were impressed by the quality and attention to detail. With the reassurance of a builder friend - who confirmed the house was built to an extremely high standard - their doubts evaporated.
“The choices for kitchens, tiles, and flooring were better than any other developer we’d looked at,” Madeleine adds. “And because the neighbouring house was already fully finished, we could see exactly what ours would look like.”
The couple’s journey to homeownership was made easier by Angela, their dedicated Morris Homes sales advisor.
“She was incredible,” Madeleine says. “She guided us through every step, was always on hand to answer questions, and even let us check measurements for various things before we moved in.”
With a mix of personal savings - Harvey had been saving since he was 18 - and gifted contributions from both families, the couple managed to put down a larger deposit than expected. After reserving their home on April 7th, they moved in on June 28th, 2024 - a stress-free day they describe as ‘smooth and easy.’
As with all new builds, minor snags were to be expected and the couple couldn’t praise the customer care team enough.
“Anything that needed fixing was small, and the site team was amazing from the start,” Madeleine says. “They’ve gone above and beyond for us.”
Now settled in, they’re thrilled with their decision and would wholeheartedly recommend new builds to other first-time buyers.
“If you’d told us a year ago that we’d be living in a new build, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Madeleine laughs. “But after everything we went through, this home is perfect - and it was worth the wait.”
“It was certainly a case of third time lucky for Madeleine and Harvey,” said Joanna McGarvey, Sales Director at Morris Homes.
“We're delighted the couple found their perfect home in St Neots and have been able to remain close to both families. It’s great to have been part of their journey to homeownership and we hope we can continue helping other first-time buyers in similar situations.”