RETIRING COUPLE ESCAPE FROM COMMUTERVILLE TO CANTERBURY

After spending 40 years in the family home in Dartford, Lorraine (66) and Michael Shorter (72) decided that the time had come to up sticks and find the perfect home to retire to. The couple set their sights to the east and purchased a three-bedroom townhouse at David Wilson Homes’ The Woodlands development just outside of Canterbury, a slight upsize with plenty of room for their children and grandchildren to visit.

With the average house move taking on average between 12 weeks and six months, Lorraine and Michael made a very fast sale on their previous home, with the entire process taking just six weeks to complete.1 Lorraine adds: “Thankfully we were already mortgage free, so didn’t have to worry about getting a mortgage deal. What we didn’t anticipate is that our old home would end up in a bidding war!” Thanks to a last minute cancellation at The Woodlands, the couple were able to secure their preferred plot, paying £360,000 for the property, with some equity left over to furnish the property and put towards their retirement.

The couple had grown tired of the fast pace of life that accompanies living within the commuter belt. They knew they wanted to move further into Kent towards Canterbury or Whitstable for a more leisurely lifestyle, particularly now that Michael has retired and Lorraine is hoping to retire this year. Lorraine says: “We moved into our old home when my son was a month old – now we have grandchildren! We’re entering a new stage of our life, and we’d always said that we’d move when I retired, and then suddenly that time had arrived. It made sense to make all the life changes in one go, so we began the house hunt.”

Lorraine was looking for a traditional downsizer home – an older property, preferably a bungalow. Michael, however, had his heart set on a new build home, and convinced his wife to include new builds in the search. “In our old house, our main bedroom was extremely small – a very stark difference to our home at The Woodlands!” Says Lorraine. “The property is set across three floors, and I can’t believe how much space there is upstairs. The main bedroom takes up the entire top floor of the property and we absolutely love it! I had never imagined myself living in a new build but now I can’t picture us living anywhere else.”

Michael’s brother had recently moved to The Woodlands, and the couple decided to follow suit to stay close to family. Lorraine adds: “The thing that I’m looking for above all else is a sense of community. Dartford is a commuter town, and though we knew

our neighbours, it felt quite transient. The good thing about moving to a new build development is that everyone is new – we’re all in the same situation. We’re one of the very first residents at the development so we’re looking forward to helping the community to grow. I’ve even applied to become a local councillor as they are looking for some in the local area!”

With two children and two grandchildren visiting regularly, the couple needed plenty of space to accommodate their growing family. “It’s lovely have enough room to get together regularly, especially with Michael’s brother also living at the development. Both our children and their families comes to stay, including my son with his two dogs, so we’ve already explored the surrounding countryside and all of the local pubs!”

Natalie Perry, Sales & Marketing Director at David Wilson Kent, comments: “Canterbury and its surrounding villages is one of the most desirable locations in Kent and is proving particularly popular with families looking to put down roots in a thriving community. The Woodlands is no exception, and once complete will be home to acres of green open space to explore, alongside play areas and allotments. Quite often we’re seeing home movers that are reaching the age of retirement, but are still in the thick of busy family life, and need more room, not less, when it comes to moving home.”

With Michael now retired, Lorraine commutes into London once a week to work for a law firm. With fast rail links from Canterbury West station, workers can reach London St Pancras in just under an hour. David Wilson Kent is currently building new homes at its The Woodlands development in Broad Oak with a range of two, three and four-bedroom homes now available. Prices start at £294,995 for a two bedroom home at The Woodlands. For more information on the development, please visit www.dwh.co.uk or call 0333 3558 503.