FIRST home buyers Andrew Leggett and Nicole Wright moved in to Ripley recently as the first residents for masterplanned community Ecco Ripley.
With the fast pace of development all through the Western Corridor, it won’t be long before the rest of their suburb follows.
The 194ha Ecco Ripley development will boast more than 4000 homes on completion.
There are six homes around the young couple already completed and many more under construction.
One of the homes awaiting the final touches is owned by Mr Leggett’s parents from Springfield Lakes, who have built on a site around the corner and expect to move in the coming weeks.
“My partner and I are loving the fact we can decorate the house how we want to and that within the next couple of weeks we’ll be able to walk to my parents place for dinner,” Mr Leggett said.
The couple, aged 20 and 21, said they had placed a lot of importance on saving for their first home and building their three bedroom, two bathroom home was a huge achievement.
Mr Leggett said they had been looking to buy a townhouse in Springfield, but wanted more space and discovered Ecco Ripley.
“We were originally thinking a townhouse would be right for us, but then my parents told us about Ecco Ripley as they were also looking to buy there,” he said.
“We were renting in Springfield, but when we saw the size of the homes on offer at Ecco Ripley and the prices, we decided this is where we wanted to buy our first home.
“It’s exciting to be the first residents in the new community and seeing all the homes go up around us.”
Ecco Ripley development manager Frank Galvin said Andrew and Nicole’s arrival at Ecco Ripley brought the project one step closer to becoming a real community and the start of the growth of the Ripley Valley region.
“We have had a tremendous response from people for what we are creating at Ecco Ripley,” Mr Galvin said.
“Now welcoming our first residents is another sign that the work has been worthwhile.”
Developers launched stage three ahead of schedule last month.
Mr Galvin said strong buyer interest was behind stage three being fast tracked.
By Brian Bennion