A New Home Thanks to Shared Ownership at Ebbsfleet Garden City
Alexandra Mihalache, 28 and Ovidiu Napau, 28 were stuck in a familiar situation, as they found that they were unable to get on the property ladder, despite a significant proportion of their salaries were being eaten up by housing costs.
The couple had been renting a flat in Gravesend, in Kent for the past two years but were keen to own a home of their own. After around six months of looking for a home, they heard about the Shared Ownership scheme.
Alexandra says: “We heard been about Shared Ownership through friends and some of our own research on internet. Buying a new home in the current market was very difficult for us, but Shared Ownership made it possible for us to get on the ladder.”
The couple had heard about Clarion’s new Castle Hill development in Ebbsfleet Garden City, which appealed to them for a number of reasons not least the proximity to their work in Longfield, near Dartmouth.
Castle Hill is a new development at Ebbsfleet Garden City, encapsulating a new and thriving community within the area. Buildings with residential, business, retail, leisure and community uses will be built on the site, creating of 10,000 homes and 20,000 jobs.
The development also boasts quick connections to central London and Paris via Ebbsfleet International - trains to Kings Cross take 17 minutes and Stratford International only 11 minutes.
Through Shared Ownership they paid £146,250 for a 45% share of a three-bedroom home Castle Hill (full market value of £325,000).
Having moved into their new home in the summer, they are planning on staying at Castle Hill for the long-term.
Alexandra says: “We have made this house feel like home very quickly. We are enjoying living in a new place with lots of things to do and new people to meet. We are very happy with our choice and are planning in future to buy more shares in the property until it is all ours.
She adds: “Moving to Castle Hill was a big change in our lives and we are very excited as this is the start of our future. Now we have a home we can plan for a family and lots of good memories.”
Clarion is in January 2018 releasing another 29 homes for Shared Ownership at Castle Hill. Prices start at as little as £91,000 for a 35% share of a home, with a full market value of £260,000. Buyers can register interest by calling Clarion’s sales team on 0300 100 0309.