Shared Ownership Week 2019 Announces Ambassador
“If I had known about Shared Ownership three years ago, I wouldn’t have had to move back in with my Dad!”
Shared Ownership Week ambassador, AJ Odudu
Shared Ownership Week is the ultimate guide to home ownership and takes place from September 19th – September 25th. Event ambassador and TV presenter AJ Odudu, who has just taken her first step onto the property ladder, comments: “I feel extremely lucky that I have a family member who offered me a rent-free home whilst I saved up. Now I’ve finally achieved my dream of owning a home, I feel like a weight’s been lifted from my shoulders.”
The event brings together the UK’s leading housing associations to provide invaluable information, ensuring that prospective first time buyers come away armed with all the information they need and reassured that their home ownership ambition is achievable. AJ continues: “My home ownership journey was an incredibly stressful experience. There are so many obstacles and there’s a huge lack of reliable information out there. This makes the prospect of even researching your home buying options really intimidating, so the expert information provided during Shared Ownership Week is a great place to start.”
From stunning apartments with riverside views to unique conversions in convenient commuter locations, the event showcases the huge range of properties available through the scheme. AJ continues: “Renting in London means having to move all the time. It’s exhausting! So, it’s amazing to know that I finally have roots somewhere and my very own space. There’s a wonderful new sense of calm that comes with this stability. However, if I’d known about Shared Ownership, I might have been able to spare my dad the pain of having me as his house mate for three years and got on the ladder sooner!”
Following the Government’s proposed plans for a new national model for Shared Ownership, which will make it easier for owners to buy more shares in their home, the scheme will potentially become even more accessible. Qammer Hussain, Head of property sales and marketing at Newlon Housing Trust commented “Shared Ownership remains the best route into home ownership for people who cannot afford to buy a property outright. Proposed changes to make the purchase of additional shares simpler and more financially viable will be welcomed by Housing Associations and first time buyers with aspirations of owning 100% of their home.”
Conscious of how hard it is for Londoners to buy a home in the Capital, AJ concludes: “I decided to support Shared Ownership Week because my homeownership journey was a very bumpy one. The guidance offered during this event is so valuable and becoming a proud homeowner has been life changing for me. There really is nothing like it!”
If you’re interested in finding out more about Shared Ownership Week, or want to watch AJ’s videos in full, please visit sharedownershipweek.co.uk.