From the Netherlands to Fusion at Paignton, with love

When Robin Hanselaar visited Torbay on an international work placement two years ago from Gouda in the Netherlands, she wasn’t expecting to fall head over heels in love and buy her first home at our Fusion development in Paignton.

Support Worker Robin, 21, met her partner George Irvine, a 22-year-old lifeguard, whilst both working at PGL, an activity camp in Torquay.

“We hit it off straight away, and when I had to go back home to Gouda it was really hard. We had a long-distance relationship for a year, and when I returned to my placement in Torbay, George went to America for three months. When he returned, we only had four days together before I had to travel back to the Netherlands. That’s when he asked me to stay in Paignton with him, and the rest has been history”, explained Robin.

“While we stayed at George’s parents house, we were looking to rent our own place together. However, when my grandparents visited us on my birthday, they persuaded us to look at buying a home together.

“We drove past Cavanna Homes’ Fusion development and decided to go and have a look. We instantly fell in love with the new homes, but at that time we didn’t think we could afford one. We had a look elsewhere but nothing caught our eye as much as the homes at Fusion, so we went to see a Mortgage Advisor to see how much we could get. As first-time buyers we were so surprised to find out we could afford to buy a new home. We arranged a second viewing on George’s birthday and still really loved the house. When the Sales Advisor told us that the home we were looking at was the last one left, we reserved it straight away”.

Robin and George moved into their two-bedroom ‘Constable’ style home in March this year with a helping hand from Robin’s grandparents from the Netherlands, who were regularly on Facetime when the couple visited their new home.

George commented: “The location was perfect for us, my family live close by, and both of our jobs are within easy distance to get to.

“There was a lot of paperwork which needed to be done, but the Sales Advisor Kayleigh was great and made the process as easy as possible for us and kept us updated throughout each stage. Kayleigh was on top of everything and we’re really grateful for her support.

“Buying our first home together has been an exciting step, and it’s been great to have our own freedom and space. We’ve had enormous support from both of our families which we’re incredibly grateful for”.

Robin added: “The idea of a new build home really appealed to us as no one had lived there before so it felt like a new beginning for us. We didn’t have a big budget for decorating so having a home which didn’t need much work doing to it was brilliant, and we loved the design of the kitchen and bathrooms – it really suited us.

“We definitely got more than we expected we would from a first home and it feels so spacious throughout. Both George and myself have really landed on our feet, getting good jobs and a wonderful new home together”.

We’re now selling the last selection of modern two and three-bedroom homes at Fusion. The towns of Totnes and Torquay are a short drive away, and a supermarket is within easy walking distance. Paignton has a selection of beautiful beaches, and is home to Paignton Zoo, a golf course and a range of schools and a college.

Kayleigh McNamara, Sales Advisor at Fusion said: “We only have a few remaining homes left at Fusion, so if anyone is looking to move to this brilliant location in Paignton, come and visit us to see if we have a new home for you.

“We wish Robin and George all the best in their wonderful new home – they are a great addition to our growing neighbourhood at Fusion”.

As well as providing 220 new open market and affordable homes, we have invested £150,000 for the local primary school and recently opened a new play park for local children to enjoy.

For more information about Fusion, please call our Sales Advisor on 01803 523850 or visit us, the show home and Marketing Suite are open daily from 10am – 5pm.