For many people living in and around Essex, they can often feel trapped in the rental market when it comes to where they live. For many the prospect of having their own property can seem an unrealistic dream. And that was exactly how Annabel Law felt living in Colchester.
The Government’s Help to Buy scheme launched in April 2013 is designed specifically to help people onto and up the ladder. Annabel noticed the Northfields development in Colchester from Linden Homes had some apartments available on the Government scheme, so decided to look into it
She was delighted to find a beautiful one bedroom apartment which she could afford on Help to Buy, and in time realised that she would save significant money each month on her outgoings.
Annabel explains: “I had been renting for years and was fed up of lining someone else’s pockets. I decided it was pointless renting and I wanted a property of my own at last! I had saved up enough money for a deposit and had driven past the Linden Homes Northfields development. I popped in to take a look and was delighted to find out I was able to afford a one-bedroom apartment on the Help to Buy scheme.
Available for use at a number of new build sites across the UK, the scheme applies to properties up to the value of £600,000. Buyers like Annabel are required to provide just a 5% deposit to then borrow a further 20% from the Government in the form of an equity loan. Annabel has then had to find just a 75% mortgage from a lender to secure her new home.
Annabel was walked through the purchase and Help to Buy processes smoothly and efficiently and says the team at Linden Homes and New Homes Mortgage Helpline helped make the whole journey an easy one to follow: “The whole procedure has been very easy and the teams have helped me every step of the way.
“I wouldn’t have been able to afford the property without the Government’s Help to Buy scheme, so I’m really pleased it enabled me to get my foot on the ladder.”
Previously renting a two-bedroom property close by, Annabel was spending in the approximately .£600 per month. Since moving to her new own apartment from Linden Homes, she has found that her outgoings have been substantially reduced: “I can’t believe it – I used to spend over £600 each month on rent – now my mortgage payments are just around £360 – so my outgoings have nearly halved since buying my apartment using Help to Buy!”
Annabel has lived in Colchester for over five years and works at a private hospital as a rehabilitation worker. The nature of her job means that she is required to do shift work, so the location of Northfields is perfect for her getting to and from the hospital. Usually she gets a lift in to work with a colleague however Annabel says public transport links are excellent to work and into town: “There is a bus service right outside the development so getting around is so convenient and easy.”
The apartment that Annabel has purchased is a one-bedroom ground floor property, part of ‘The Parkland Apartments’. She was able to buy the apartment off-plan, so had the opportunity to select the property she wanted and watch the development evolve.
Annabel’s new home is modern in its appeal and offers open plan living in its spacious kitchen / living / dining area. The bedroom is a spacious double and the bathroom is very sleek in design.
As with all properties from Linden Homes, high specification appliances all come as standard including a washer-dryer and the stylish fixtures and fittings in the kitchen and bathroom give a smart finish to Annabel’s new property. She said: “I am useless at DIY so the idea of moving into a brand new home was particularly appealing – no decorating and the appliances all included are perfect to get me started in my first home.”
The development has been sensitively designed to incorporate plenty of green spaces. Annabel says it will give her some outside space to enjoy: “There is a lovely garden right opposite my new place so I have a lovely view out of the window and will benefit from that outdoor space. There is also a country park nearby, so I’m looking forward to exploring that and the rest of the development in time to come.”
As well as being close to park areas, the development is extremely near to a large supermarket and Annabel says she can walk into town: “I am so close to town that popping in there to meet friends is really easy and the supermarket is right next door, so that’s really convenient for me too.”
Launched back in 2008 Northfields is an award-winning and contemporary development in from Linden Homes. Northfields comprises of one, two, three, four and five bedroom houses and apartments. Christie Alaimo is sales and marketing director at Linden Homes Eastern and says it is the community of people that makes Northfields so appealing: “This is one of our heritage sites in Essex and over the years has become a thriving hub of activity. It is the people that make this the development of choice for house hunters. Visitors like Annabel are immediately struck by the sense of community here and want to be a part of it.
She continued: “We are delighted that we have helped Annabel get her foot on the ladder; Help to Buy really comes into its own when you see people like her manage to cut themselves loose from the rental market. You really can’t beat that feeling of home ownership!”
Currently at Northfields, there are one bedroom apartments available and a five bedroom home. For more information about the development, Help to Buy or Linden Homes’ Part Exchange scheme, please call 0844 417 3904.
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For further information, contact Claire Cathersides or Emma Cox on 01962 893893.
