When driving into Chapelton of Elsick, it doesn’t take long to become entangled in the charm and tranquillity of the town. For local resident Sarah Ross however, the instinctive thought is always 'I’m home' when she returns. 

It’s a place Sarah, husband Graham, and children Ava and Zoe have called home since 2016 when they moved into the Buccleugh housetype on South Wolrige Gardens Lane. After eight years of making memories, and two growing girls (with growing friends in tow), the need to upsize became more evident. The family had their eyes set on the Montrose, a spacious and pristine four bedroom home with a double garage.

Hearts were set on life at Chapelton

“We couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” Sarah shares, “and we didn’t want to look outside of Chapelton, or a home that wasn’t from AJC. We were just super impressed with the quality of the build, finish, and the service with our first purchase, and we knew we wanted to stay with AJC.

“We’re now living in a Montrose in Benton Crescent and, to be honest, if the Benton Crescent phase didn’t come up, we would have just kept waiting until a new AJC home became available.”

There’s no question that Sarah and Graham were settled in their surroundings, but what attracted them to Chapelton in the first place? With family living close by in Newtonhill, living nearby was a draw in their initial search and once they discovered the future growth plans for the development, it was a huge selling point. 

Graham reflects: “It was the whole vision for the area that really got us - we could really see ourselves living here forever. Seeing how much it has expanded from when we first moved in to where things are at now, it’s really great to see.”

“I love seeing the development evolve and change around us,” Sarah adds. “All the new alleys, walkways and home fronts, it just changes all the time.

“All the greenspace is a huge bonus too. With other home developments, it just feels like it’s house after house with no distinction between them. There’s just so much character here and that’s what we really love.”

And on the topic of character, it doesn’t just run through the streets of Chapelton; character was also a prominent part of both their homes from AJC. They note the Buccleugh housetype as a 'really nice first family home'. They loved the open-plan feel that the L-shaped kitchen layout brought to the home, and it fit the daily routine of the family.

Sarah shares: “I think with AJC, the team just really thinks about the people living in the homes and how the spaces work for them. Storage was a huge perk and when you have young kids, any additional cupboard space is a blessing. The walk-in pantry was brilliant for us and definitely gave that ‘wow factor’ when we were showing around potential buyers.”

Searching for their new home

It wasn’t hard to miss that the couple had a fond affection for their first family home, but there was an imminent need to upsize. With a lot to weigh up in moving to a new home, having AJC in the equation made the process much easier. 

Graham details: “Space was a huge thing for us and that was a key factor in us sticking with AJC for our move. You really get a lot for your money in terms of the land, the house, the finishings and everything that comes with it.”

“It was also important that the look of the home was just as good on the inside as it was outside,” Sarah adds. “You find with some builders that all the effort is put into the exterior of the home, while the interior just feels a bit standard. Those extra little touches and attention to detail make all the difference - we really got the feeling that the home was just for us.”

Graham says: “I would say too that in our new home, we can really see the improvements AJC have put in place since we bought our first property. The quality we had eight years ago was still great but we can see that things have stepped up another notch. From the finishes to the overall flow of the home, AJC has really listened to what customers need and want.”

A personal level of customer service

Moving home is always a big decision and one that has lots of moving parts. Luckily for Sarah and Graham, their trust in AJC was deep set and they knew they were in safe hands. However, before they could move into their new home, they had to sell their existing one first - an uncertain process for many. But where the selling chain brought frustration, “the service on the AJC service front was seamless,” Graham recalls. 

“Selling was the most challenging part. The longer we waited the longer it impacted the purchase of our new home. It was tricky and the current market is challenging but throughout all of that, Wendy was always really assuring and would say ‘don’t worry, the house is still yours, we’ll work with you to get this aligned’ - if that hadn't been the case, I don't know if we'd have got it over the line.”

Sarah says: “The communication was always there throughout and we were never left in the dark. It never felt corporate - always really personal which made all the difference through an uncertain time.

“Wendy even made the move-in process simple. She let us into the property to do measuring whenever we needed, and with all that support we managed to get everything moved in over a weekend and it was business as usual by Monday. We just can’t fault the overall service.”

Chapelton’s timeless appeal

Although it's been just over a month and the dust hasn't yet settled, they have already made themselves completely at home. Before we finished our conversation, Sarah had one closing thought to share.

“The feeling never gets old; I just love being able to step out and enjoy walking around the town. I still drive into Chapelton every day and get that cosy feeling. I drive up that windy entrance road, and think, 'I'm home'. It's just different here, different from a lot of new developments I've seen — it’s such a welcoming place, and AJC plays a huge part in that.”

Benton Crescent is growing with the recent release of new plots. Visit our website to learn more about the available homes.