Residential
When Lisburn couple Catherine Higgins and Ronnie Snyder went house-hunting they didn’t know whether to expect a fairytale or nightmare. It all ended happily ever after, thanks to local agents McClelland Salter
Lisburn couple Catherine Higgins and her fiancé Ronnie Snyder have joined a growing number of satisfied clients successfully completing on their house purchase.
"In the end it all happened very quickly,” says Catherine, a zoologist, originally from Lisburn who met her Dutch-born marine biologist husband-to- be through their shared love of the marine environment.
“Ronnie had a house and I had already sold mine and was living with my father, which meant we didn’t have a chain.
“We wanted a family home, a three bed-two reception semi with a garden but as we looked we quickly realised the new-builds were too expensive and the rest needed some work.”
The couple had registered their details with McClelland Salter in Lisburn and had just returned from a trip to Italy when the agents told them about a late 1960s semi which was on the market for £119,000.
“Offers were closing on the house in a couple of days’ time and there were three other couples viewing at the same time as us,” says Catherine.
“The previous owners had carried out many major refurbishments through home improvement grants – including central heating system, re-wiring, double glazing and insulation – it ticked all the boxes and we were really excited.”
But that was only the start. Having decided this was ‘the one’ the couple made an offer and found themselves in a bidding situation.
After counter bidding the other parties dropped out.
“When McClelland Salter rang they asked me to sit down and told me the house was ours.
“We just couldn’t believe it. Later that day we drove back to look at the house again and the agents already had the Sale Agreed sign up” said Catherine.
“So many people have dreadful stories to tell about buying property but our experience with McClelland Salter has been smooth and straightforward.
So although many people look for new-build properties, Catherine and Ronnie went for a resale home which was cheaper than a new build with a bigger garden and they could afford to personalize the property.
Catherine & Ronnie are looking forward to moving into their first ideal home after redecorations and some other improvements are finished.
