Westcountry homebuilder Cavanna Homes has secured its first virtual new home reservation from a couple looking to relocate from Australia. After almost 40 years of living overseas, the last 10 in rural Western Australia, Chris and Emma Brown are packing-up to move home to Devon – a 9,000 mile relocation to a brand new home they’ve chosen, reserved and fitted-out entirely online and via video calls.

The global pandemic and lockdown forced the retired couple to consider exactly where they wanted to set down their roots, and a visit to Chris’ family hometown of Newton Abbot in 2019 where they noticed signage for Cavanna Homes’ new Wolborough Hill development led them to the local homebuilder’s website a year later.

“My family are from Newton Abbot, so I know the area well and each year Emma and myself spend between three to six months in the UK visiting friends and family. When the lockdown was announced and we were unable to make our annual trip, we realised just how much we missed being in England. We spent time thinking about where we wanted to set-down our roots and call home, and it was the UK that won,” said Chris.

Emma added: “On previous visits to Newton Abbot, we’d seen signs that Cavanna was building new homes at Wolborough Hill, so we took a look on their website and fell in love with the attractive style, design and finish of the homes – this certainly helped with our decision when choosing whether to stay in Australia or move to the UK.”

Chris and Emma will be leaving behind their home in the town of Yallingup, near Margaret River, with kangaroos regularly jumping through the garden, to live at Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill with panoramic views over Newton Abbot and out towards Dartmoor and within easy reach of Decoy Country Park.

With the help of Cavanna Homes’ Sales Advisors, Janine Dixon and Sarah Bowden, the couple did a virtual reservation of a modern four-bedroom Hampton style home, complete with underfloor heating, high-specification integrated appliances, a study, plus an integral garage with a private driveway and access to the development’s exclusive tennis court for residents.

“We knew that trying to buy a house on the other side of the world and during a pandemic wasn’t going to be easy, but as soon as we spoke to the Sales Advisors, they were incredibly helpful and having good technology in place has made the process so much easier for us.

“Due to the time difference, we had a lot of contact over email and Cavanna were brilliant with sending over any extra information we needed as we couldn’t visit in person. We had regular video calls over WhatsApp with the Sales Advisors and even chose our tile, carpet and kitchen choices over the phone with them! We also received lots of photos on the progress of our house, such as when the roof was being fitted, which was a lovely touch.

“When it came to reserving, we were nowhere near as nervous as we should have been. Knowing the location well and having regular updates and support from the Sales Advisors was a huge help. We’re so excited to move to the UK and start our new life in our gorgeous new home. We’re hoping to complete by March 2021 and move in as soon as Covid restrictions allow, so fingers crossed”, explained Emma.

Cavanna’s Sales Advisor, Janine Dixon, added: “This is our first virtual reservation, and with it being from Australia is incredible. It’s been a pleasure supporting Emma and Chris through the process of reserving a new home and choosing their fixtures and fittings online – it’s been a learning curve for us both, but it’s worked brilliantly.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming Emma and Chris to Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill in the spring and we can’t wait to meet them in person to hand over the keys to their brand-new home. We’re now selling our final homes at Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill, so if anyone is looking to move to this fantastic location close to Newton Abbot town centre, get in touch today to book your appointment.”