Laura invested her money into a new one-bedroom home in Shoreditch. Previously living close by, she was already used to renting and living alone.
"My costs are marginally less now than what I was paying to rent an apartment in Wapping, a mile from my new flat, and I would never have been able to afford to buy in the area without the Shared Ownership scheme."
"[The reservation process] is very straightforward. I viewed the property on a Thursday and reserved by COP on the Friday."
Laura purchased her new one-bedroom apartment for £183,000, which is a 30% share of £610,000.
"I liked the location of this development, so I didn’t view anything else. I have several friends who had bought shared ownership and recommended the process; two friends even live in the same development. I couldn’t afford to buy outright, and was advised against Help to Buy as it was suggested that those properties have inflated prices, and I definitely didn’t want to continue renting."
"The actual flat is lovely, the balcony is a really good size and the doors open up really wide. And the location is fantastic."
"[The reservation process] is very straightforward. I viewed the property on a Thursday and reserved by COP on Friday by completing a form stating my preferred choices [of apartments]: first, second and third choices...and then waited to see if I’d been allocated.
"It was very quick. The sales consultant Lauren was great, really helpful and helped me chase mortgage advisers and solicitors where needed.
"The actual flat is lovely, the balcony is a really good size and the doors open up really wide. And the location is fantastic."
Laura plans on buying more shares as soon as possible, and intends on living in her new home for "at least five years, possibly longer".
