A young family who’ve just made the step from rented to home ownership say it’s a decision they’ll never look back on - and they’re saving money now too.
Sophia and James Blake were living in a two-bedroom flat in Medway Gate for just over three years, paying £850pcm.
They thought home ownership was too expensive, but the young couple then came across our new shared ownership homes at St Johns Road, on the Help to Buy website and realised it’s a really affordable way to buy a home.
The couple, parents to four-year-old daughter Isabelle, were handed the keys to their new two-bedroom home in Hoo last month.
"This feels really good, we’re really excited about it, it’s like a next step up from having a rented property.
"It felt amazing walking in here for the first time. I feel quite emotional, when I was driving here I was telling myself ‘don’t cry'."
Sophia Blake, resident at St Johns Road
The spacious garden, with generous patio area is a huge benefit to the young couple and their daughter, who can now play freely outside, as often as she likes.
“We’re coming from a flat to a house so there’s lots of differences in terms of the amount of space and having a garden is a really big thing for me”, Sophia said.
Shared ownership offers buyers like Sophia and James the chance to purchase a percentage of their home with the potential to staircase and own more: “It’s much more beneficial to have these homes because it’s so difficult to get a mortgage.
“We’re paying less a month now, than what we were in private renting – it’s really surprising”, she added.
Three of the two-bed homes on this site, formerly made up of disused garages, are shared ownership. The other two are affordable rent, which are allocated through Kent Homechoice.
It took just five weeks for Sophia and James to buy their home - something which Currell Sales Negotiator, Connor is very pleased about.
"It’s always a pleasure working with first time buyers, their enthusiasm and eagerness to purchase makes the whole process go very quickly for everyone involved.
"Former garage sites like these offer great opportunities for housing and the fact they sold so quickly shows there is a huge appetite for affordable homes in Medway and Kent".
Connor Moore, Sales Negotiator at Currell
This site, and two others in Hoo and Rochester, are examples of us, alongside our partner Chartway Group, replacing disused garages to provide new, fresh homes that utilise space and totally renovate the local area.
Fleet Road and Hoopers Close were also completed this year
"We’ve transformed these sites into great communities, providing well designed homes to meet a range of housing needs.
"It’s fantastic to see how these projects have contributed to alleviating the housing crisis in north Kent and are really changing the lives of people in Medway".
Sarah Paxton, Assistant Director of Development and Regeneration at mhs homes