NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP WITH SOUTHERN HOUSING NEW HOMES

Housing providers Southern Housing Group and Optivo merged in December to become Southern Housing, united by a shared mission to provide the best quality, affordable homes while creating communities that people love

Vikki Walker, Director of Sales & Marketing at Southern Housing New Homes, introduced the merger by saying, “By coming together, we will be stronger and more resilient, investing in opportunities from vibrant city centre apartments to traditional family homes in the countryside, and be a marketleading housing provider with a portfolio of over 77,000 homes and a commitment to delivering over 700 high quality, sustainable new homes in 2023/24.”

As part of the merger, the Southern Housing New Homes team will be unveiling its dedicated brand and website in April, showcasing a combined portfolio of high-quality new homes available across London and the South East through shared ownership and open market sale.

From Corner Place in Bethnal Green to Beck Gardens in Beckenham, or The Grove in Croydon to The Uncommon in Clapham, there are homes at varying price points to help people on to the property ladder. Outside of the capital, there are new homes in Hampshire, Kent, Sussex and Surrey, from stylish apartments close to the seaside like Home X and Grand Avenue in Brighton & Hove to homes in established market towns like Ockford Park in Godalming and Old Portsmouth Road in Guildford.

Jane Williams, Head of Sales & Marketing at Southern Housing New Homes, comments, “We firmly believe that we are ‘better together’ with a shared vision to create sustainable communities that people love and help more people to secure a dream home of their own, in more locations than ever.”

A large part of Southern Housing New Homes’s portfolio is shared ownership, which, following the end of Help to Buy, has recently come back into the spotlight. With shared ownership you finance a share you can afford, typically between 25 and 75%, while paying subsidised rent to a housing association on the remainder.

The key advantage is that you only need a mortgage for the share you buy, which means you require a much smaller deposit compared to buying on the open market. You can decorate as you please, sell your share if and when you want, or buy more shares over time (known as staircasing) up to full ownership.

Schemes such as shared ownership play an important role in offering alternative routes on to or up the property ladder, especially in these challenging times, with the cost-of-living crisis impacting everyone. Against this backdrop, Southern Housing

New Homes is also committed to building high-quality. energy-efficient, sustainable homes that are fit for the future. The group’s new homes benefit from EPC ratings of C or above, which means reduced running costs for owners compared to older homes.

To help guide people on their homeownership journey, Southern Housing New Homes prides itself on its industryleading customer service.

Vikki Walker, adds, “Our expert team is on hand to guide customers through every step of the journey. We make sure you know what costs to expect and offer you support to make an educated decision on what is right for you, and with a host of new customer tools recently launched, this process will become even easier.”

Keep an eye out for Southern Housing New Homes’ new website launching in April, where you can find out more about how it can make homeownership a reality for you: shnewhomes.co.uk

Located in the heart of Monton, one of the fastestgrowing property hotspots in the North West, this exclusive new development comprises a collection of new one and two bedroom apartments, unrivalled in their location and design. The Foundry is located on Lansdowne Road, within walking distance of Monton Village and just a stone’s throw away from a wealth of exceptional amenities.

With its central location and excellent transport links, The Foundry is the perfect place for a range of buyers. This exciting new four-storey development consists of five different apartment types, due to be ready to move into in April 2023.

All of the 36 apartments at