A family of four have moved into their dream home after searching for somewhere suitable in Somerset.
Jason and Rhonda Williams with their two children Emily, 14, and Ryan, 11, started the process after knowing a friend who lived in the area.
They were seeing what developments were being built there to see if anything suitable came up for them.
So, they opted to purchase an open market home on a development in the village of Lympsham which is made up of 20 homes with a mixture of open market, shared ownership and rental properties.
Being a not-for-profit organisation, we use the surplus generated by open market sale to reinvest in its homes and communities, and to build more affordable housing.
Rhonda, a primary school teacher, said: “We always loved the area, but we didn’t feel we could make the move but working from home, we made the decision it could be possible.
“We were so excited when we heard about the new development. As soon as we knew when it would be we went out to have a look at it.
“We knew there and then we wanted to move so we made our decision there.”
The family had a four-bed house which they hadn’t thought about selling yet.
They enquired with us but were told their house needed to be sold to reserve a property. After initially thinking they had missed out, they were encouraged to try to sell their home to see if it would be possible.
Because of the market they were able to sell their home in a few weeks and put a deposit down for the Lympsham house.
They rented for six months in Glastonbury but knew it would be worth it for their dream home.
Rhonda said: “When we had the dates for moving in, we were ecstatic. Then to be able to get in the house and just to wake up and sort of see those views in the morning it’s just been amazing.
“We love the house, and we couldn't have wished for anything better. I'm never moving again in my entire life.
“The children are happy; they love the house. It's just given us a whole new enthusiasm, because we want to make the highest our own by doing all of our own little bits and bobs.”
The couple lived in a more suburban built-up area in Bridgwater for nine years where the traffic was increasing so they wanted to move to a quieter area.
Jason now works from home which was a deciding factor for the move.
Jason said: “We’re both familiar with the area and wanted more of a village life. The backdrop and the view were a massive selling point for us. I think the number of houses for the area of Lympsham is about right.
“It’s a very desirable area with the catchment area for the schools just down the road as well. But it’s just nice to have a LiveWest property to see in the area so you get to view the build quality and what it will be like.
“The transition has been fine but you’re going to get snags in any new build you move into.
“You get the impression that LiveWest along with the other authorities had to be very stringent with the drainage and the pink houses keeping it like the central village and keeping it complimentary with the village and locals so they’re happy too.”
The development has been delivered through a collaboration between Sedgemoor District Council, Lympsham Parish Council, EG Carter and LiveWest.
Rhonda said: “Lympsham is just a lovely little village, it’s just a chocolate box village. The community are just so welcoming. From the minute we moved them, we felt like we were part of the community.
“But it's been the things like the bat box, we have a bat box on the garage and a bee block, and also the little hedgehog holes on the fences, I just think that is just so lovely. For my children, it's educating them for the future. I really do think that this development has been so well thought out.
“We’ve got the corner plot, so we’ve got the views of two fields. It's lovely to be able to go out there and just have a coffee on a Saturday morning. I just pinch myself because the views are just beautiful.
“We haven't actually done anything with the garden because the views are just so beautiful. You can see around the development the green spaces it’s a luxury nowadays when you look at different developments, but I think LiveWest have got it right.”