Second Homes - Catherine Butler

“We wouldn’t have felt so confident about buying
abroad if we hadn’t gone halves with our friends”
Already good friends, the Corbetts and the
Joneses kept costs low by sharing the price
of a three-bedroom stone house in Corfu.
WE BOUGHT A
HOME ABROAD
ANN CORBETT (above, far right), 58, lives
in South Wales with her husband Malcolm,
61. They have two children, Rachel, 26,
and Marc, 23.
“We’ve always gone to Corfu for family
holidays, and for years we dreamed of having a
second home there. When our friends Chris and
Jackie fell in love with the island, we began to
talk seriously about buying somewhere together.
A British architect working in Corfu told us
about a small derelict village that was being
redeveloped as holiday homes. Chris and
Malcolm flew over to take a look and loved
what they saw, so we decided to buy. We
agreed to rent the property out for most of the
year to cover our costs, and share eight weeks
a year for our own use. Jackie and Chris are
restricted to school holidays, but our kids are
grown-up, so our dates never clash.
We wouldn’t have felt so confident buying
abroad unless we’d gone halves. Luckily, we all
have similar taste and agreed on colour schemes
and furnishings, most of which we got from
Ikea in Athens. I recommend buying together
– we now own a beautiful home that we love.”
JACKIE JONES (above, far left), 49, and her
husband Chris, 52, live in South Wales and
have four children, Simon, 23, Anna, 22,
Olivia, 11, and Ella, eight.
“When Chris suggested we buy a house in
Corfu with Ann and Malcolm, I was delighted.
From the start we treated the venture like a
business: we drew up a contract stating what
would happen if one of us wanted to sell, and
we’ve all made sure that everyone has agreed
before every decision was made.
There always seems to be lots to organise
and discuss, which can be time-consuming, so
we split phone calls and paperwork between
us. And we’re constantly calling each other so
we’re all kept in the loop. We meet at the end
of most months to discuss finances and what
we’ve all had to spend in upkeep. It can be
stressful when you’re buying abroad, and
doing it together eased some of the anxiety.
We’ve had some great times in the villa
and it’s a beautiful place to be.”
Cyclamen House sleeps six to eight and is
situated on The Rou Estate, rouestate.co.uk.
For lettings information, go to cvtravel.co.uk.
Price per person per week is from £565 to
£935, based on six sharing, and includes
flights, taxi transfers, accommodation and
welcome food hamper. >>
COST PER COUPLE: PRICE £255,000 FURNISHINGS £6,000 MONTHLY OUTGOINGS £500
(service charges) HOW WE MAKE IT WORK We rent the villa out for the remainder of the year.
and you can too!
Ever fantasise about owning a bolthole abroad? Catherine Butler
hears how it’s still possible to a�ord a second home in the sun
64 woman&home A BRAND NEW ATTITUDE
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
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