“We sold and bought an Octagon home within 11 days!”

Following an Octagon sign to a brand new development in Cobham in 1998 led one young couple into an ongoing relationship with the luxury developers, which has so far spanned almost two decades.

Based originally in a London townhouse, Vanessa and David Tait already knew nearby Surrey well – as David’s two children were brought up and schooled in Oxshott. Due to frequent visits to the area, the couple were also familiar with Octagon properties, as this was one of the niche developer’s favoured Surrey locations for their stunning family homes.

So 20 years ago, as they drove into Fairmile Court in Cobham, Vanessa and David were bowled over by the new Octagon scheme underway – a crescent of large detached houses overlooking a circular green with focal point ornamental pond with antique stone fountain, alongside an elegant Victorian mansion, which Octagon were restoring and converting into two new homes.

After speaking to site staff who confirmed the homes were coming to market imminently, they singled out one of the mellow stock brick built Georgian style detached properties, loving both the house design and its superb location.

Vanessa explains; “The layout of the crescent was very clever, and the abundance of trees and lavish planting were a big selling point. It had lots of ambience and personality, and the landscaping really helped to create a mature and welcoming atmosphere.

“Unlike other new build developments, it already looked really established – the pond had been carefully placed, and the contrast of the brand new buildings and mature planting worked beautifully. We hadn’t seen anything like it before!”

At the time selling their London house proved more difficult than expected, with the couple eventually moving into their new home when their forthcoming son was already nine months old.

“Octagon went above and beyond to help us get our dream home – we knew what we wanted and were happy to wait for it, but it was wonderful to have their support whilst selling our townhouse. The transition from vertical to horizontal living went as smoothly as possible, and we ended up with a real ‘family home’ – both of our sons grew up at Fairmile Court, and most importantly, there was plenty of space for David’s children to come and visit.”

Staying in the house for 17 years, the family enjoyed a real community spirit within Fairmile Court, where neighbours came together for BBQs and parties on a regular basis. But with the couple’s eldest son leaving home, the 6 bedroom house became too big for their needs. This was when Vanessa and David began contemplating downsizing.

Getting back in touch with Octagon, they were introduced to St Georges Place, a private gated close of just 6 homes – two detached, and four semi-detached, on Esher Park Avenue which sits behind Esher High Street.

The semis were the ideal size, so the Taits set about putting their home in Fairmile Court on the market.

Vanessa says; “In terms of quality and design, the Fairmile house was still absolutely perfect. But in a buyer’s market, we were advised to make a few changes, so we upgraded the kitchen and put a swimming pool in the back garden. Sadly that didn’t work, so we took the house off the market and had to wave goodbye to the house in St Georges Place.”

A few years later, a local agent came across a potential buyer, and while the Taits’ house was no longer ‘on the market’, they agreed to show round the family anyway – who put in an offer after the first viewing.

“We had to make a very quick decision as to whether we did want to sell or not, and chose to go for it – the idea was to rent until we found another Octagon home to buy and move into!”

As the sale process began and the couple started looking for a rental, one of the St Georges Place semis came back onto the market with Savills in Esher, and Vanessa and David jumped at the chance to snap it up – before even completing the surveying.

“We sold and bought within 11 days, but there were never any doubts in our mind. Being an Octagon build, we knew it would be fantastic quality and we’d had such a positive experience with them before.

“The house was three years old at this point, but the previous owner had barely lived in it, so we did feel we were getting a brand new home. Whilst technically out of their warranty period, Octagon were on hand to help with one or two snagging issues we encountered (as you do with any new house) for no additional charge.”

Now settled into their four bedroom home with their youngest son attending a local school, the family enjoy the short walk to Esher town centre, and have once again made firm friends with their neighbours – one of whom had also moved to Esher from another Octagon home!

Vanessa says; “I would absolutely recommend Octagon to anybody – you simply cannot complain about the level of service they offer. Our first experience with them led to us essentially blindly buying the second time around, and we certainly haven’t regretted it.

“Laura from the After Sales team is a true ambassador of the brand – she really cares about her clients, and if she doesn’t have the answer, she will put you in touch with someone who does. We feel confident that we could call Octagon in five years’ time with any issue, and they would do their best to help us.

“St George’s Place is our forever home.”