Page 38 - ESPC_May24

AT HOME WITH

Serendipity

in Shandon

“After our first viewing, we found ourselves talking
We catch up with Louise and Luke Crighton, whose
about how we could restore it to its former glory, and
second step on the property ladder came to them all the improvements we would make. The property
in a twist of fate… needed more work than anything we had undertaken
previously, so we were hesitant to make an offer
straight away, and instead we registered a note of
interest and arranged a second viewing,” Louise
hen we last spoke to senior UI designer Louise explains. “The second viewing made us realise that
Crighton (then Brown) back in October 2021, she was perhaps we loved it even more than the first time,
Wpreparing for her imminent wedding to electronics and we knew it could be a family home for us to grow
engineer Luke and enjoying life in her beautiful one-bedroom into. We jumped at the chance to get a good deal,
flat in the Shandon Colonies. We interviewed her for this very knowing what other properties were selling for in the
feature, speaking to her about how she and Luke found their area, but before we made an offer, we arranged for
first home on ESPC and all the work they’d done to it – but by more in-depth surveys, so we could be clear about
the time we went to print, the couple had unexpectedly (even the renovation work we would need to take on.”
to them) submitted an offer on a bigger property, just around
the corner. Almost three years later, Louise shares the details of After their initial research, Louise and Luke made an
how a twist of fate led them to their current abode. offer, which was accepted, but the process wasn’t
smooth sailing: “Our offer was accepted on the
“We knew that our previous flat wouldn’t be our forever home, condition that we would sell our home within three
and we always kept an eye on the market,” Louise tells us. “We months. While this normally wouldn’t be an issue in
loved living in Shandon but had started to give up on the hope Edinburgh, we weren’t yet on the market, it was in the
that we might one day afford somewhere bigger, within budget run-up to Christmas when everything is quieter, we
and still in the area. I was (and am still) constantly peering into were still in the throes of the pandemic, and we were
the windows of solicitor estate agents and browsing espc. due to get married three weeks later! We also had
com, but one day we saw a ‘for sale’ sign at the front of a some delays due to legal issues; previous changes
property around the corner from us. We looked it up on ESPC the seller had made required building warrants that
straightaway and saw that it was double our existing floor had since expired, and we were only able to move
space, within budget, and most importantly, still in the area and forward once we had an indemnity policy in place.
community we knew and loved.” Our solicitors from ELP Arbuthnott McClanachan did
a fantastic job of supporting us through each step,
The property, having lain empty for ten years, needed immediate and we sold our home through Blair Cadell, who are
and substantial renovation, but their interest was piqued by the one of the biggest sellers of property in Shandon and
potential it offered. know the area better than anyone else.”

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