CASE STUDY

Brighton

Home X home-x.co.uk 0333 210 0437

Home X is an exciting new neighbourhood, forming a key part of the Preston Barracks Regeneration on Lewes Road. The range of homes includes studio, one and two bedroom apartments plus three bedroom triplexes. A selection of homes have private outside space in the form of a balcony or terrace, while all residents have access to beautiful landscaped podium gardens. Internally, homes are light lled with a high-quality speci cation, including sleek matt blue tted kitchens with integrated appliances. As part of Home X’s travel plan, residents will also bene t from two years’ free car club membership and choice of either a Network Saver ticket, £150 bike voucher or 12 months BTN Bikeshare membership.

Croydon

Crescent Gardens

Croydon has been named the London Borough of Culture of 2023 and these 79 shared ownership apartments by Latimer are located in its exciting new urban culture quarter. The new studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments at Crescent Gardens deliver accessibly priced housing without sacri cing on design. High-quality xtures and ttings come as standard in these generously proportioned apartments, which all enjoy private outdoor space. Residents can reach East Croydon railway station in a few minutes via a new station entrance, with direct trains to Clapham Junction in nine minutes and London Victoria and Gatwick in just 15 minutes.

latimerhomes.com/new-build-homes/london/croydon 0300 100 0309

SOUTHALL, EALING

Union Walk at The Green Quarter

Buyers can choose from a collection of contemporary suites plus one and two bedroom apartments in this development along the Grand Union Canal, which will feature tree-lined avenues, 2,500 freshly planted trees and living green roofs to enhance the biodiversity of the area. Residents will also bene t from a buzzing community including a new school, retail and leisure hub, restaurants, cinema and two new parks. The homes are nished to an excellent standard, with modern-day living at their core. Inside, openplan living areas enable exible lifestyles, while stylish kitchens come complete with a range of integrated appliances. Many homes also bene t from private balconies.

latimerhomes.com/new-build-homes/london/ealing/union-walk-at-the-greenquarter 0300 100 0309

First time buyer Rhianne, 28, and her partner Sam, 29, had been renting a one bedroom at in Hampshire, but rising house prices meant buying a home in the south east was out of reach. Now, having purchased a three bedroom semi-detached house through the shared ownership scheme at Weston Woods by Latimer in Crewe, Cheshire, the couple have space to grow and are enjoying their new lives in the countryside.

Rhianne says, “House prices in Hampshire and the south east had rocketed and showed no sign of coming back down so we explored alternative avenues. With contemporary hybrid working, I realised we were no longer geographically constricted by work commitments. With my role as Global Visual Communication Manager at Reiss, I have the exibility to live outside of the heavily priced areas surrounding London and Sam did too.”

After discovering the Weston Woods site, Rhianne and Sam’s journey from viewing to completion took just six months. Rhianne recalls, “After the viewing, we knew this was the home for us. I am the sole mortgage holder and bought a 45% share of the property which has a full market value of £205,000 and required just a 5% deposit. Our monthly outgoing is about £100 less than our one bedroom rental in Hampshire, which my friends and family can hardly believe. For a lower monthly cost, we now have three bedrooms, a lovely garden and so much more storage space than our rental offered. I plan to staircase in the future and hope to eventually own 100% of my home, something which wouldn’t have been possible had we stayed near London.”

The couple are making the most of the location and rural life of South Crewe, and particularly enjoy the village community feel, “where everyone says hello to one another and helps each other out”. Rhianne continues, “The home itself is absolutely beautiful. It’s fresh, spacious and is in a wonderful location. We have converted one of the rooms into a home of ce and the other is used for guests. Our garden looks on to an area of green space which come spring will look incredible. We have made our home warm, cosy and full of colour and indoor plants.” The commute is no bother either. “I’m well positioned to reach all the big cities like Birmingham and Manchester,” Rhianne explains, “and a ticket to London is £40, nearly the same as when I was in Hampshire.”

As a rst time buyer and solo mortgage holder, Rhianne was particularly grateful for the Latimer sales team’s support and professionalism. “My experience was brilliant, it showed that buying a home is possible and can be a seamless process if you have a helpful sales team and make use of the shared ownership scheme.” In fact, Rhianne loves her home so much, she is documenting their new build journey on her home Instagram account @village_newbuild

Hristina, a business management student, and Vladamir, a lorry driver, have bought the house of their dreams with a 30% price reduction, thanks to a Government-funded scheme. The First Homes scheme allows buyers to own 100% of their home but pay 30% less than its market value, with the Government supplementing the rest. The discount will apply to the home forever, so when selling, the home must be sold to another rst time buyer at 30% less than the market value at the time of sale.

Housebuilder Chestnut Homes is the rst in Lincolnshire to offer the First Homes scheme, aimed at helping rst time buyers get on the property ladder. Helene Key, Sales Manager at Chestnut Homes, said, “The First Homes scheme is a brilliant way for rst time buyers to get on to the property ladder. The Government support will make a huge difference to the overall cost and may even allow some to purchase a home sooner than planned. We’re proud to be the rst housebuilder in Lincolnshire to offer the scheme, and we’re delighted we could help Hristina and Vladamir nd the right home for their family.”

The couple are the rst recipients of the scheme at Chestnut Homes’ development, The Quadrant, in Boston. To be eligible for the scheme, buyers must be able to get a mortgage for at least half the price of the home and be part of a household where the total income is no more than £80,000. Hristina and Vladamir, who have two children, had originally hoped to buy a family home using the Help to Buy scheme but found out they didn’t meet all the requirements.

Hristina recalls, “One day we were driving home and stumbled across a Chestnut Homes development and it felt like fate. We knew we wanted to buy soon, so we decided to pop in and speak to the sales staff to nd out what we could get. We were told we couldn’t use Help to Buy on this occasion, which was disheartening until we were told about the First Homes scheme. We had never heard of it before, and it happened that we t the criteria.”

Hristina adds, “After the pandemic, so many people lost their jobs and we had to reassess our dream of getting our own home. I can’t thank Chestnut Homes enough because no matter what silly questions we had, their staff supported us throughout the entire process. Even when we moved in, they checked in multiple times to make sure we were settling in. We’re so thankful we came across The Quadrant and without their recommendation, we wouldn’t have found our dream home.”

WELWYN GARDEN CITY SO Resi Welwyn Garden City

This collection of new one, two and three bedroom homes forms part of an impressive development around the landmark of the city’s famous Shredded Wheat factory. The light and inviting are ideal for those who love the vibrancy of modern life surrounded by endless green space. Welwyn

City bridges city and country and sits a 29-minute train journey from London King's

All apartments will bene t from private balconies and terraces to the local scenery. soresi.co.uk/ nd-a-property/so-resi-welwyn-garden-city 020 8607 0550

TOLWORTH, KINGSTON UPON THAMES Signal Park

Guinness Homes has launched Phase One of its new development in Kingston upon Thames comprising 78 one bedroom apartments, 103 two bedroom apartments, six two bedroom duplex apartments and 24 three bedroom apartments. Situated within a three-minute walk of Tolworth station, Signal Park is strategically located among nearby amenities; its central location is ideal for young people and families. The line leading through Tolworth station takes travellers directly to Waterloo in 31 minutes, stopping at Clapham Junction and Vauxhall beforehand for convenient access into the city. guinnesshomes.co.uk/ nd-a-home/signal-park-tolworth 020 3824 9500

FONTWELL, WEST SUSSEX Fontwell Meadows

Fontwell Meadows is a development of two, three and four bedroom homes located in the village of Fontwell, close to Barnham – a perfect location for semi-rural living. Each home comes with a fully tted modern kitchen and a spacious living area. Homes also bene t from private gardens and a garage or allocated parking. Surrounded by scenic countryside with amenities and several Ofsted-rated Good schools nearby, it is a great location for families.

dandara.com/fontwell 01903 337 449

FROM £310,000

HENLOW, BEDFORDSHIRE

Annington – Nene Road

This collection of refurbished mid and end-terrace cottage-style homes include new carpet and ooring throughout, with updated bathrooms. The former MOD homes bene t from good-sized gardens, access to an off-road driveway and dedicated cycle stores. Some homes come tted with an electric vehicle charging point. Arlesey railway station is only a ve-minute drive away from the development, offering services to London King's Cross in 45 minutes.

annington.co.uk/portfolio/sales 01462 459 643

Bracknell

SO Resi Bracknell

Currently available are a collection of one and two bedroom apartments, located just a twominute walk away from Bracknell train station, SO Resi Bracknell is ideally located for those returning to their city of ces, with London Waterloo under an hour’s commute away.

soresi.co.uk/ nd-a-property/so-resi-bracknell 01462 459 643

FROM

OVAL, LONDON Zone at Oval Village

This chic collection of one and two bedroom shared ownership apartments, by Peabody, are ready to move into. All homes are nished to a high speci cation, with a private balcony and access to signi cant landscaped communal gardens; a city oasis for those who enjoy the great outdoors. Residents also bene t from a concierge service and pay-as-you-go gym. The development is located in Zone 1, within 10 minutes’ walk of Vauxhall, Kennington and Oval stations, offering transport connections via the Northern and Victoria Lines.

sharetobuy.com/developments/4263 020 7021 4842

This beautiful development, by Moat Homes, offers a limited collection of art deco-inspired two and three bedroom houses. The on-site facilities are set to include shops and of ces, a new school, wildlife corridors, a cricket pitch and much more. Canterbury city is 12 minutes away, and the seaside town of Whitstable just 20 minutes. Both Canterbury East and West railway stations provide excellent links into central London, making this the perfect location for rst time buyers looking to embrace country living while maintaining those all-important city connections.

The location of Micklewell Park, on the outskirts of Daventry, was perfect for Ben and his apartment has excellent countryside views from the balcony. He says, “I’m surrounded by the countryside and I’m able to go for scenic walks, without having to travel far. I’m also close enough to shops and everything I need, but far enough to enjoy the outdoors.”

The layout of the apartment was ideal too; it has suf cient space for a big desk, meaning he can work comfortably from home. In fact, his friends and family say it’s much bigger than they expected and are now asking him to host dinner parties and get-togethers!

Ben found the experience of buying his rst home very positive. He says, “My mortgage adviser was fantastic and the team at Orbit Homes were super responsive to any questions I had.”

*Based on a 30% share of the full market value of £350,000