A couple who feared rising house prices had scuppered hopes of securing their own home are delighted we have been able to help get them on the property ladder.
NHS pharmacist Jessica Sleight and her fiancé Cameron Webb, who is training to be a secondary school teacher, have been living with family in Dartmouth to save up for a deposit.
And when some new shared ownership homes went on sale at a site at Pinhoe Quarry, Exeter, the couple wasted little time in contacting us to express an interest.
Jessica, 22, said: “We were visiting family on the Isle of Wight and had been keeping an eye on the LiveWest website as we knew that some shared ownership homes in Exeter were close to completion.
“One day, the Pinhoe Quarry homes were released on the website, and I was struggling to get a signal on my phone.
“It was so stressful as we desperately wanted one of them. It was a race to pick a plot and I was literally running up a hill near my dad’s house to try and get signal.
“Eventually we got through and we tried to pick plot 27 but that had gone so we went for plot 29 which had an even bigger garden. When we got confirmation that it all gone through, we could hardly believe it.
“We didn’t ever dream we would be able to buy our own home. We were looking on the open market and there was nothing we could afford.
“Prices kept rising and it was becoming more and more unlikely. We didn’t even consider shared ownership until we spoke to some friends who had done the same.
“It all made sense as you can own part of the home and rent the other part. And as your financial situation changes, you can buy up more of your home.
“LiveWest were brilliant, they made everything so simple and kept us updated all the way through. They were always at the end of the phone to answer our enquiries and made the whole process a nice experience.
“Buying a home is a daunting experience, but LiveWest certainly eased our worries and made sure it was a smooth and straightforward process.”
We joined forces with Vistry Partnerships to develop 380 new homes for the 32-acre site at Pinhoe. It will take another six years for all of the homes to be completed.
The proposed scheme will include a range of homes, from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom family houses, with the open market homes being sold under the Linden Homes brand.
Jessica added: “The house is amazing, and we feel very lucky to live in such a wonderful community. Pinhoe Quarry is lovely and there are some nice environmental features around the development.
“The homes are exceptionally well built and the attention to detail is superb.
“The bedrooms are all of a good size and we love our back garden.
“If we tried to rent this home privately, we would be paying an extortionate amount.
“So if anyone is thinking about shared ownership and wasn’t sure, my advice would be to go for it.
“Affordable homes are so important for young people as it is becoming almost impossible to buy on the open market.
“For us, we are just enjoying having our own home at a price we can afford.”
Cameron added: “I never thought we were going to move away from Dartmouth, but we just couldn’t afford to miss out on this opportunity.
“The house is perfect for our little family, the surrounding areas has everything we need from dog walks to supermarkets. It’s the perfect location.”