With the help of the government-backed FirstBuy scheme, first-time buyers Natalie Faulkner and Carl Probert have bought a brand new home, big enough to start their own family at the leading housebuilder's Icon development on Lythalls Lane in Coventry.

Natalie and Carl, both aged 25, purchased a brand new three-bedroom house at Icon with the help of the FirstBuy scheme, meaning they were able to move out of Natalie's parents' home and into their own home for just 80 per cent of the price and with a much smaller deposit.

Natalie who works as a nurse explained, "Carl and I met in the casino where he works in Coventry, we've been together about three and a half years and after living together at my parents just round the corner from Icon for six months, we couldn't wait to move out and find a place of our own."

"We bought a three-bedroom 'Maidstone' property so that when we start raising our family, we don't have to move again. We didn't want to move too far from my parents either so this development in Coventry was the ideal place for us."

Carl comments, "After looking at older properties, we were very impressed with the quality of the homes at Icon, and they were really affordable too."

Natalie adds, "We feel really safe in the community round here, the school that I went to as a child is near here, so it's perfect for when we begin to raise a family. We're really excited about it all!"

"We were one of the first people to register our interest at the development and we bought off plan so we could choose some of the fixtures and fittings. In the kitchen we went for black granite tops and oak coloured doors -it's just what we wanted."

"We just can't fault the service from Barratt and Julie, the sales adviser, has actually become a really good friend out of it all. Ricky, the site manager, and Kerry, the mortgage adviser, they were all just so kind and professional, they couldn't do enough for us."

Natalie continues, "Because we were first-time buyers, we were able to take advantage of the FirstBuy scheme which allowed us to receive a 20 per cent loan on the value of our home. It allowed us to buy the house that we wanted but which we might not have otherwise been able to afford, and, it required a much smaller deposit than if we hadn't used the scheme.

Carole Ashworth, Sales Manager for Barratt Mercia commented, "The government backed FirstBuy scheme is ideal for those who are looking to get their foot onto the first rung of the property ladder. It allows purchasers to receive a 20 per cent loan on the value of their new home and means that, for example, they could move into a two-bedroom house priced at £80,000 for as little as £60,000.

"We currently have a great selection of houses available to buy and with the chance to use our FirstBuy scheme, there has never been a better time to buy, so why not call us today to book an appointment to view?"

Icon currently offers a selection of one-, two- and three- bedroom houses priced from £80,000. For more information, please contact the sales office on 02476 637 630 open Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5pm.

Alternatively please call the sales hotline on 0844 811 9988 open seven days a week from 8am to 9pm or log on to www.barratthomes.co.uk

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NOTES TO EDITORS: 

1)    For further information about Icon or Barratt Mercia please contact Hannah Elwell, Director of PR or Sophie Redman, PR Account Executive on 0116 247 1777 or Hannah@unsworthsugden.co.uk or sophie@unsworthsugden.co.uk

2)    Barratt Group sold 11,171 homes in the last financial year, making it the biggest housebuilder by volume in Britain.

3)    Barratt Group was named Housebuilder of the Year at the Housebuilder Awards 2011.

4)    Barratt Group was awarded a maximum five star rating for the third consecutive year in the 2012 Home Builders Federation Customer Satisfaction Survey.

5)    In 2011 site managers working for Barratt Group won the highest number of NHBC Pride in the Job Quality Awards for a record seventh consecutive year.

6)    Barratt Group is the only housebuilder to guarantee the fixtures and fittings in place at the time of purchase of its new homes for five years.

7)    Barratt Group is also one of Britain's foremost sustainable housebuilders. It has now started on site at the Hanham Hall development near Bristol which will be the first Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 community in the UK when it is completed.

8)   Images of a selection of developments are available to the media at http://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/barratt/en/media/mediakit/lib