Myself and my partner recently bought our first home, a brand spanking new build – some may tut (and even give us the odd eye-roll like I used to do) for buying a “characterless” property, but it’s changed our lives and now I get it.

People buying properties built by developers across the country are also often slammed for contributing to the “pop-up toy towns ruining our green spaces”, as I have read many times on social media.

But although building companies creating new estates in our towns and cities are sometimes slated for their designs and treatment of customers, our experience couldn’t have been better – it wasn’t a horror story and it’s changed our lives.

I felt very lucky choosing my own kitchen and bathroom tiles (Image: Newsquest)

For the last four years we had been renting a house that to put it frankly, needs knocking down and rebuilding.

It will forever hold a special place in our hearts as it became our first “proper” home after being together for eight years – it’s where a lot of “firsts” happened, as we got a dog, got engaged, bought our first sofa (real adulting), the list goes on.

However,........

© The Oxford Times