I Thought It Was A Pipe Dream, Says First-Time Buyer

Posted 19 May 2020 by Keith Osborne

The Lightfoots purchased with Shared Ownership after thinking that they would never be able to buy a home of their own...

Credit: Danny and Gemma Lightfoot

One of the first residents to arrive at High Park Grange, a 10-home Onward Living development in Southport, were the Lightfoot family, who after years of renting privately, and following several mortgage setbacks, were beginning to think that they would never be able to own a place of their own.

Gemma and Danny Lightfoot used Shared Ownership and bought a dream family home for them and their two young boys, Jay-Jay and Matthew.

Dental nurse Gemma explained: “We’d been trying to get a mortgage for a while and had been turned down many times. We kept an eye on the market, as you do, and this development popped up. We took a shot and here we are.”

Danny, a music teacher, added: “We came to view the show home in November. As soon as we walked in I was thinking ‘there’s no chance. If we could get this it would be a dream come true.’ With our situation and the amount of times we tried, I thought it was a pipe dream.”

However, after going through the details with Onward, Gemma and Danny found that they could make their dream a reality. With a little help from their parents, they were able to put down a £6,825 deposit to purchase a 25% share of their three-bedroom home.

And they’re already feeling the benefit. Gemma says: “We’re still recovering from solicitor’s fees, but it’s actually saving us triple figures each month moving from rented.”