Could you buy a home without viewing it, and at the same time, live 8,000 miles away?
That’s exactly what the Smith family did when they bought on Genesis Homes’ St. Cuthbert’s development in Wigton.
It may seem very unusual, since the viewing has always been a traditional part of the home buying process, but for the Smith’s, buying a Genesis Home without viewing a show home or in fact, any Genesis home, just wasn’t a problem!
Originally from Scotland, the Smith family have spent a large time working abroad and have lived in various places around the world concluding in the Falklands Islands. With two teenage children, the couple wanted to move back to the UK and settle in a town with an excellent secondary school, that was within reach of family in Scotland and international airports.
No stranger to new build, and having lived in three new builds before, Rightmove brought up Genesis Homes’ St. Cuthbert’s development in Wigton. The Smith’s didn’t know the area, but they looked at the Genesis Homes website and brochure and chose a house type from floor plans; Sales Executives Jane and Pam then sent them lots of exterior and interior photos of houses via email.
All choices including kitchen units/worktop and appliances, bathroom cabinets, carpets and tiling were done via skype and email – in the end Mrs Smith just asked Jane to choose the flooring! The property was to be ready by February and the property was ready and waiting to welcome its new owners. It’s fair to say that this lovely couple are very relaxed – they bought their family car the same way, without ever test driving it, or seeing it in the flesh.
Caroline commented “The whole transaction was done by skype, phone and email and was seamless. The customer service and communication we’ve had with Jane and Pam has been second to none and although house buying can be stressful, we’ve actually found it very straightforward – we’d definitely do it all again!”
Lisa Telford, Head of Sales for Genesis Homes commented “In over 30 years of selling homes, I’ve never sold a property without it being viewed prior to purchase, although I believe it’s more common to do this in and around London. It’s been a great experience for us and the Smith family. Given today’s technology, there’s no reason why it can’t work, and I think we’ve proven that it can be an easy way to buy. That said, buying new build is a much safer option to buy without viewing than second-hand properties as buyers receive a 10-year builders guarantee which offers total peace of mind.”