The Journey Home: Donna and Mark on moving to their forever home
“When you find that place, it’s just something inside. A gut feeling. I knew it was the house for us and I just had to make it happen.”
Even when you think you’re happily settled in your first house, your true forever home might still be out there. Donna and Mark discovered their forever home in their own neighbourhood – and in this blog we learn how, as soon as they stumbled across it, things moved quickly for them and their young family.
Finding your permanent place
“The moment I realised the house was for sale?” Donna recalls. “I was out walking the dog when I spotted it. Straight away I was researching online, finding out everything about the house that I could. I made the call immediately to the estate agent to get them to come, value our house and get it up straight away. And then onto the mortgage consultant, so we could start the process of getting the mortgage in place to buy it.”
Was Donna’s partner Mark as quickly convinced?
“I did have my qualms about it,” Marks says. “But once we came to see the house at the viewing, I thought ‘yeah!’.
“The driveway was a big part of it because parking was becoming an issue with the old house. The big garden was a massive deal. Thinking about what I could do with it… Get the hot tub in! It’s much nicer to be sitting out there in the sun than in our old little garden.”
“Now we’ve got more space to work with.”
Donna can immediately give a list of the things she loves about their new abode.
“The ability for us to bring in all those things that we used to have to go outside the home to get,” she begins. “The gym, the music room, the office – which became essential. Even things like the utility room. So, just having that space. I constantly keep looking at the potential for other projects and more changes we can make to the house, to make it completely ours.”
And yes, one of the first things they did was put a hot tub in…
“It was actually a lifesaver during lockdown because it almost felt like you were on holidays!” Mark laughs.
Making the move
Donna notes how it was a “big transition” for their daughter. “Although it was only going across a field, that was the house that she grew up in. She had the attic bedroom, and it was all done ‘just so’, the way she loved it. The day we made the move, she went to school leaving the old family home and came back from school to the new place!”
Family adjustments aside, the process went smoothly with permanent tsb.
“Getting onto the mortgage consultant was very helpful,” Mark remembers. “He helped us figure out what we needed to do to sell the house. The process happened a lot quicker than we expected.”
“They will just hold your hand throughout.”
“We were already with permanent tsb so moving across the mortgage was very straightforward,” says Donna. “They helped us with all the paperwork, everything was explained… It all just fell into place. We also decided to move over all our current accounts so we had everything in the same place.
“It was one of the parts of moving that really gave no hassle. When we contacted the mortgage consultant, things just happened quickly and it was all made so simple – everything in terms of pricing and interest rates was explained to us. It’s that comfort of not having to go and find out everything yourself.”
The right person on your side
Their mortgage consultant worked closely with the pair throughout.
“He was so personable and friendly,” Donna says. “We just got on with him from the get-go. Lots of phone calls… towards drawdown, he was always available. It was very much a two-way as well, in that if he needed anything, he was straight on to me. So there was never anything that we’d missed and needed to get to him.”
“The communication was amazing.”
“The whole thing went so smoothly that I’d no problem recommending him to my sister and now she’s dealing with him”, says Mark.
Another permanent tsb advantage came in the form of cashback.
“With the mortgage the second time around,” says Donna, “as long as you have an Explore current account with permanent tsb, you get the 2% cashback on your monthly mortgage repayments. So worthwhile doing. It’s a big saver. With the 2% that we get back, it helps to pay for the electricity for the hot tub!”
Support the second time around
Finally, what would they say to other potential Second Time Buyers?
“Part of it is making sure that, financially, you’re ready for it,” says Donna. “But, if it’s ticking all of the right boxes, I’d say never fear the unknown. You can become so comfortable in your house, you’ve put a lot of work into it…. But it’s the next step, the new adventure. The whole reason you’re looking is because there’s probably something not quite right with where you’re at. So just go for it!”
“Don’t be afraid of taking that step.”
Mark agrees: “You can be more cautious buying your second house. A lot of people persevere and jump in on the first one, when you’re spending a lot of money and don’t really take into consideration all the aspects of that house. Is there going to be sun in the back garden? Little things like that. So, the second time around, we looked at all the variables and went ‘this is what we want.’”
Wherever you are on your home buying journey permanent tsb are there to support you along the way. Book an appointment to start your journey home with us today or find out more over on our Mortgage Section on our website.
Featured customers received a gratuity for participating in this advertisement. Cashback offer available to new applicants who receive full letter of approval within the qualifying period. Excludes 4 Year Fixed Home Loan New Business Rates, tracker, buy-to-let, negative equity and applicants refinancing an existing permanent tsb mortgage. 2% cashback monthly will be paid until 31/12/2027. Your monthly mortgage repayment must be made from a permanent tsb Explore Account and meet qualifying criteria. The Explore Account carries a €6 monthly fee for maintaining the account. Any items that are returned unpaid (including Direct Debits and Standing Orders) will incur the appropriate unpaid item charge and other charges may apply. eStatements only. 2% cashback monthly offer applies to home loans only (i.e. excludes buy-to-let). Qualifying criteria applies.
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