Jim and Jennifer

Caerlee Mill, Innerleithen – 2020

Retirees Jim and Jennifer Rainey have crossed the Irish Sea from Ballyclare in County Antrim to move into a new three-bedroom home at our Caerlee development in Innerleithen to be closer to their daughter and her family, who also live locally. With family literally on the doorstep, the couple were so keen to make Caerlee Mill their home, they were one of the first to reserve a new home at the development.

With moving to a new country, downsizing and a worldwide pandemic to contend with, it has been an extraordinary time as Jim explains: “Caerlee Mill ticked so many boxes for us. The location is perfect, it’s close to our daughter and her family and it’s so convenient that we can easily walk to the local shops and amenities in Innerleithen.

“When you consider the price that we’ve paid for the property, the quality of finish and attention to detail we’re very happy with our decision to move here.”

When the first houses at Caerlee Mill went on-sale, Jim and Jennifer knew exactly which plot they wanted to buy as he explains:

We wanted a house that had a driveway, had three bedrooms and enough space for our son and his family to visit from Minneapolis. It also had to have a scenic outlook to open space. Looking at the development plan, the house that we have bought was the obvious one for us and I was fully prepared to camp out to secure it!
“In fact, I had bought a small tent in case we had needed to camp overnight to be first in line! In the end we were able to simply call up and reserve and we are very happy that we did.

“We really like the house, the large patio doors running the length of our lounge being a stand-out feature, together with the view that we have to the surrounding hills and the open space of the football pitch on the other side of the garden fence.”

The ongoing health emergency did get in the way of the Rainey’s dream move from Northern Ireland to Innerleithen, but despite everything the couple are still very happy to call Caerlee Mill their home as Jim adds: “The process of buying wasn’t as smooth as we would have hoped with a number of delays impacting when we could actually make our move.

“Unfortunately, our purchase was also caught up in the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while we were disappointed not to have been able to move when we had expected to, we were very impressed by the customer service and helpful communication from Eve and Toria during what was a very difficult period for everyone. They kept us up-to-date and that’s all we could have really asked.

“The team here are great. On handover day Charlie, the site manager showed us around and he’s been excellent. When we got the keys, it was exciting, and we were instantly impressed with the quality of finish in our home. As you would expect with a new-build property, there are a few minor snagging issues, but we have let Charlie know about them and we know he’ll get those sorted for us as soon as he can.”

Everyone’s been so helpful – Mel and Toria are still looking after us when we have any questions. Throughout the process the quality of information supplied and standard of service from the whole team at Caerlee Mill has been excellent. We expected a quality home and we’ve not been disappointed.

Jim, who was awarded an MBE in 2009 for his ‘services in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, charity fundraising and his work with the Northern Ireland football community’, is planning to enjoy his retirement with a spot of salmon fishing on the River Tweed. He is also considering how he might follow his real passion for football locally. Jennifer is already enjoying having her daughter and young granddaughter so close by and plans to do lots more babysitting.