Redrow favourite for investor

Fri, Nov 3rd 2006, 11:00

Redrow homes got the ultimate thumbs up from a South Wales property investor, who has bought 35 homes to let and even took one for himself.

Gunter Lewis, 48, bought the brand new Redrow homes at developments across South Wales over the last 18 months. Among them are apartments in the desirable Cardiff Bay development, Celestia.

The apartments at Celestia impressed Gunter so much that he has bought one of the larger two-bedroom apartments there, where he intends to live full time.

Father of three, Gunter is originally from Liverpool and has been buying property to let for more than eight years. Along with business partner, Clive James Patterson, Gunter owns letting agency, Lewis and James and they currently buy almost exclusively from Redrow.

Gunter said: "I have been buying the odd house here and there for a long time now, and most of them were older houses. When we set up Lewis and James 18 months ago, we decided we would focus on brand new properties to reduce the maintenance cost that can be associated with buying older homes to let.

"The great thing about Redrow is that they offer two years maintenance for free. For a landlord, this is a big bonus, as it takes the worry out of moving tenants into a new house. Unless the tenants damage the house themselves, Redrow will pay to fix any problems during the house’s settling in period. "I have bought properties of all sizes, single and double-bedroom apartments, large and small three-bedroom houses, four-bedroom houses both large and small and also a couple of ‘coach house’ style apartments. I have found the quality of Redrow homes to be very high across the range."

Gunter has bought homes at a variety of locations, including Redrow’s Cwm Calon development in Ystrad Mynach, Cwrt Penrhiwtyn in Neath and, of course Celestia.

Bev Wookey, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (South Wales), said: "Celestia benefits from being right in the heart of Cardiff Bay, which is quickly becoming a trendy and desirable place to live."

"Celestia’s stylish collection of 457 luxury waterfront apartments is right in the thick of the action, adjacent to the Wales Millennium Centre with its packed diary of musicals, theatre, opera, ballet and dance, across the bay from St David’s Hotel & Spa and close to Mermaid Quay."

Made up of seven apartment buildings, each named after a star, there are a selection of one and two-bedroom apartments available. Currently, prices for a one-bedroom apartment start from £161,950 and two-bedroom apartments start at just £185,000. All apartments come with parking and a premium specification.

Many of the properties currently on release offer fantastic views right across Cardiff’s skyline and/or the Bristol Channel as far as the Severn Bridge and beyond.

 With the city centre less than 10 minutes away, Cardiff also offers all the culture, entertainment and shopping you could ask for in one of the freshest and most celebrated European Capitals.

If you are interested in investing in Celestia, visit the fully furnished example of a Celestia apartment found at the marketing suite, in Wyndham Arcade, St Mary’s Street, Cardiff, open seven-days-a-week. For more information and opening times, call Celestia on 02920 666 678.