Property Secrets: Home-Start’s Suzy Moody has lived in Germany, Scotland and Wales

The Strategic Operations Manager for Home-Start Hertfordshire shares her property secrets…

Where are you from originally?

I never know what to say when people ask where I am from. My dad was in the RAF so my family moved around a lot; every three years, we’d be given a couple of choices of where we could move to next.

I was born in Wales and lived there until I was three. From there we were posted to Germany, then to Scotland, and then back to a different base in Germany, before eventually being posted back to England when I was 13.

When did you buy your first property?

I bought my first house which was in High Wycombe, Bucks, just before my daughter was born, and moved in six weeks before she was due. I was so excited and proud of my little home, I spent the next six weeks decorating, making curtains and putting up shelves – it is quite tricky climbing a step ladder when you can’t see your toes!

How long did you live there?

We lived there for six years, before moving as baby number two had arrived, and we needed more room. I was sad to move, it was my first house and I had lived there longer than I had lived in any house before.

Where do you live now?

My husband and I met whilst on holiday in Ibiza six years ago; a year later my children and I moved from Bucks to St Albans to live with him, his two children and the nutty dog!

What do you like about the area?

It’s friendly and has a real sense of community, it’s a nice area for the kids to grow up and has good local schools. With the town 10 minutes away, with a good mix of shops and restaurants, and the train link directly into London, it has a bit of everything.

Have you changed much about your house?

It was a three-bed house and suddenly we moved in and there were six of us living there, three of whom were teenagers! So, yes – changes had to be made. Fortunately my husband has a building company and is a carpenter by trade, so he was able to build a loft conversion. It did take a while and at times things were a little chaotic; I think I phrased that differently at the time, but it was well worth it as it meant that all the kids had their own rooms, which was really important for everyone’s sanity.

Do you see yourself moving in the future?

I always said that I didn’t want to move around lots like I had when I was young. However, life doesn’t always go as planned and this is now my fifth house.

We have talked about how lovely it would be to have a little cottage by the coast that we could escape to for long weekends, but who knows – we have everything we want here at the moment and are happy, so that is enough.

To find out more about Home-Start and the work that they do, visit www.home-startherts.org.uk/