During lockdown, Alison and Jordan decided to purchase a two bedroom home together along with their beloved pet Henry, at the exciting Waterside Heights development launched by BE WEST
Living with six people proved a little challenging during lockdown and Alison explains, “Over lockdown it was a case of starting remote working and living with six people, which can get a bit hectic with everyone working from home. We had been thinking about it for a while and considering our options. Every so often we’d have a look at what was on the general market and what was on the shared ownership market. We were just keeping an eye out for good opportunities. We figured out that in order to stay in our area, shared ownership was the only option for us. We’d been saving for the past couple years. It was always coming but just happened at a time when we weren’t expecting it really.
“I lived with family and then Jordan moved in with us. Living with family was great for saving purposes but we were always going to move out. As much as I love living with my parents, it was time to move on. We looked between shared ownership and Help to Buy, but we decided that shared ownership was the better option for us. I started looking at what was available and then over the course of viewing many properties, I got to know more and more about it. Now I feel like an expert, knowing the ins and outs of how shared ownership works, which was helpful for family who don’t understand the scheme.”
Alison and Jordan viewed about four developments in their area and to buy on the open market would have meant moving further out, which wasn’t an option for them at this time. Alison continues, “We want to be close to friends and family. Waterside Heights by BE WEST is great because it’s close to the station, near to the shops and still in the same area we want to live in. The whole process was super simple. After we got the video from BE WEST, it was literally just sending a form over and working with the financial adviser to find out affordability and what we could get.”
The couple were very excited when they were eventually able to see the property they wanted to buy. “Finally seeing the property after the videos and photos was very exciting as I had an idea in my mind of what it would look like – being able to step through the front door and thinking, this is going to be our place.
“The whole process has been quite smooth. BE WEST were always there to answer any questions and being a pet friendly development really sold it for us as a lot of the other developments would not allow any pets, so that was a great part of it. We are now very excited about actually moving in to our first home.”
They have been showing the video to friends and family who have all been very enthusiastic. Alison has been planning the interior too and says, “I have been deciding where we can put the sofa and the bed and deciding what shelves we’re going to buy. I have been decorating it in my mind before we’ve even got the keys! I’ve also been getting small things like kitchen accessories and making sure they match, so it’s all very aesthetically pleasing. It’s been the fun part of planning and getting excited and bit by bit being ready to finally move in.”
When it comes to staircasing and buying more shares Alison explains, “It is something we would need to think about. It’s not something we are actively considering at this moment in time. We’ve got the right percentage that we need at the moment. But as our circumstances might change in years to come, it could be different in the future. I think we’ve got a five-year fixed mortgage, so I think we’ll see at the end of that how we’re feeling. First stage is to move in and figure everything out after that. We are very excited that Waterside Heights will soon be our home.”
