Like many Londoners, Jamie had become frustrated with the capital’s rental market. Having rented in Greenwich for a number of years, he was keen to purchase his own property in the area, but high property prices on the open market made this seem completely unachievable.
While Jamie had a deposit of £36,000, his income at the time meant he was unable to get a mortgage to cover the cost of purchasing a property on the open market.
Jamie registered his interest in Greenwich Square, Greenwich, through L&Q’s PricedIn website. “I was contacted by one of the representatives who talked me through the whole Shared Ownership process and then I booked an appointment with the sales team to view one of the flats.”
“I used to live just up the road and saw the development being built from the very early stages, but I never imagined I’d be able to afford such a place.”
“I first looked at this apartment on the 2nd January 2015, and I actually had the keys and was moved in on the 30th of the same month! The mortgage brokers and financial advisors said it was one of the quickest purchases they’ve ever seen! I really think that’s down to how the simple the process was with L&Q.”
Jamie’s financial circumstances changed shortly after purchasing, meaning he was eligible for a larger mortgage, and able to buy the remaining shares in his home – through a process known as staircasing.
“L&Q held my hand throughout the staircasing process, sent me the easy step-by-step guides on how to do it. They were on the phone whenever I needed them, keeping me updated with what’s going on their side. L&Q were very helpful in introducing me to solicitors who have previous experience with staircasing. I didn’t feel like I was being pressured to use them. They said these are the ones we recommend, if you have your own person, if you have your own contacts then great, you can do so.
I bought the remaining 40% of the property and the process only took around a month to do. In the end, it worked out that the stamp duty was pretty much half of what it would have been if I had purchased the property in one go.”
Crucially, staircasing gave Jamie the opportunity to invest in an area he aspired to live in, Jamie concludes, “I never thought I would be able to own a one-bedroom flat in Greenwich.”
For further information about the next steps after buying a Shared Ownership property, visit www.lqpricedin.co.uk/future