Publication Date: 05-09-2023 09:00
Nottinghamshire couple find wedding venue and new home on the same day
A couple who got engaged at the start of this year discovered their perfect home quite by chance when they were returning from a visit to a potential wedding venue.
Alexandra Hans, 37, and Karl Burton, 36, spotted a sign for Bellway’s Gateford Quarter in Gateford, near Worksop, when they were driving back from a visit to The Pumping House in Ollerton one Sunday in February.
By the end of the week, they had reserved their first home together – a four-bedroom detached house in Bellway’s Scrivener style. It was also a big yes to the venue as they have booked it for their wedding in the summer of 2025.
The couple moved into their new home at the end of July and are settling in with Karl’s son and daughter – 10-year-old Kade and seven-year-old Ava, who live with them part of the time – and their six-year-old cavapoo Rupert.
“We love the house, it ticks every box,” said Alexandra.
It was a bit of a whirlwind on the day they discovered the property as things moved quickly.
“At this point there was no showhome on site,” said Alexandra, “but they sent us to a showhome at a development near Nottingham. We saw the Scrivener there and loved it and then came back for more info and decided there and then ‘let’s do this!’”
There was a lot to sort out though, because the couple, who are both self-employed, had originally intended to wait until later in the year, when they had their next set of accounts, before embarking on a house purchase.
Alexandra is a vocal coach and singer with studios in Sheffield and Rotherham for her business The Voice Academy. Karl is a tattoo artist whose business is based in Worksop.
But they knew right away this was the house for them, so it was all systems go from that point to get a mortgage arranged.
“The next day I was on the phone to multiple mortgage advisors,” said Alexandra.
“We sat down and crunched the numbers. We knew we really wanted this to happen – it just felt right – and we knew we would try to do everything we could. We were nervous because we really didn’t want to lose the house and that Monday I was not off the phone.”
By the Thursday everything was in place, and they reserved their new property. They paid a 10 per cent deposit.
And they were just in time to be able to make their own choices about fixtures and fittings – so less than a week on from first discovering the development, they were sitting down to select kitchen and bathroom finishes and tiling for their new place.
They were very happy with the customer service they received as they were kept well informed throughout the purchase process and have received plenty of help since moving in. “I couldn’t recommend them enough. The customer service was really good,” Alexandra said.
The couple each already owned their own homes. Alexandra has a two-bedroom semi-detached house, near Rotherham, and Karl has a property in Worksop.
They decided to rent out those houses and keep them as an investment for the future.
Initially the couple had considered purchasing an older house, but when they saw what their money could buy at Gateford Quarter, they didn’t think twice.
Alexandra said: “Our jobs take up a lot of our time. We thought, we don’t have time to renovate an older build and spend weekends and money on doing that – especially with a wedding to plan.”
Everything about the house suits them. The location is less than 10 minutes from Karl’s workplace and is around half an hour from each of Alexandra’s studios. And as she also works as a professional singer, including being a member of vintage-style vocal harmony trio The Bluebird Belles, she is often gigging around the country at shows, events and festivals – so being within 15 minutes of the A1 and the M1 is very convenient.
The couple also like the plot which looks out onto a green open space, and they find the development as a whole to be a peaceful place. As for the house, they like the size of the bedrooms, they have a garage and a large driveway, and they love the way the exterior looks with its stone finish and grey roof.
“A big selling point was the kitchen/living space,” said Alexandra. “It’s got a big breakfast bar and the living area opens out onto the garden which is lovely.
“There’s a downstairs cloakroom and an en suite with our bedroom which we didn’t have before, and the kids have their own bathroom, plus it’s got a good size garden.
“It’s nice having space and room and when we are all around the breakfast bar together it’s great – a real family home.”
There’s currently a choice of two, three and four-bedroom homes available to reserve at Gateford Quarter, with prices starting from £194,950. To find out more, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/east-midlands/gateford-quarter or call the sales team on 01909 238173.
