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AT HOME WITH

A forever home

Solicitor and mum-of-two Kerri McHale found her
forever home 30 years ago, using ESPC.

Pittencrieff Park – which, exactly thirty years Three decades later, that aspiration certainly
later, they still call home. became reality, as the property is not only
Kerri and Michael’s home, but also home to
Kerri remembers clearly how their property their daughters, 19-year-old Molly and 15-year-
search went, and it was surprisingly old Lily, as well as Daisy the labradoodle.
straightforward: “We were looking for a
few weeks, and we were lucky, as we were It wasn’t just the house that appealed to the
looking when everything was a bit quieter. couple, as the area was incredibly alluring
The house was empty, as the owners had too, located in the heart of Dunfermline’s
been relocated by their employers, so we then town centre. “We live very close to
decided to put in a cheeky offer – luckily, it Pittencrieff Park, which is such a beautiful
was accepted.” place to walk the dog,” says Kerri. “We can
hear the peacocks calling when we’re in the
garden, and they sometimes visit! I also love
The couple weren’t set on finding a period
property, but were over the moon to find that we’re just a ten-minute drive from the
the house, which dates back to 1875. “We Fife coastline, and in 45 minutes we can be in
did look at other styles of property, but it either Edinburgh or Glasgow.”
ast your minds back to May 1994... With no online searches or apps available in was certainly a bonus that this one had so
Take That, Prince and Wet Wet Wet the early nineties, Kerri and Michael relied many period features. I felt that this house “As soon as we both walked into the living
Cwere topping the charts, and Four on ESPC’s weekly property newspaper, had good bones, and it just felt right,” says room, we knew it was ‘the one’. We loved
Weddings & A Funeral was launching at the circling the properties that caught their Kerri. “We were looking for a nice residential the proportions and the high ceilings, and
cinema. And at the same time, Kerri and eye and contacting the listed solicitors to area, and a house we could put our own though the décor wasn’t to our taste, with
Michael McHale were searching for their obtain the schedules. And that was how stamp on. We also wanted a nice garden, as swirly carpets and wallpaper borders around
first property in Dunfermline, three months they came across a four-bedroom Victorian we hoped to have children and dogs!” every doorframe, we could see the potential
before they tied the knot. end-of-terrace house, close to the beautiful to put our own stamp on it.”

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