Shared Ownership Success Stories: Terry and Ashley

First time buyer couple find perfect Shared Ownership home on Share to Buy

Share to Buy is a one stop shop for first time buyers who are looking to get on the property ladder with the help of Shared Ownership. On our website, you can search for properties, compare mortgages and find out all you need to know about the scheme with our helpful FAQs and guides.

With the help of Shared Ownership and Share to Buy, Ashley Ray, who works at the Internet Archive at the Wellcome Collection in Euston Square, and her husband Terry, a Roto Prep Supervisor in the VFX industry, were finally able to find a home to call their own!

Desperate to move out of the small one bedroom apartment they had been renting in Stratford, East London, the couple wanted to finally buy a home of their own. Looking to find out more about the Shared Ownership scheme, Terry and Ashley registered with Share to Buy, the UK’s largest portal for Shared Ownership homes. They also visited the London Home Show, a free-to-attend affordable homes exhibition aimed at helping first time buyers get a foot on the property ladder. The show, hosted by Share to Buy, is held bi-annually in the spring and autumn at Westminster’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre.

Ashley comments, “We first visited the London Home Show in 2016. At the time, we knew very little about affordable home ownership options, and weren’t sure what we were looking for. We joined on to the live Q&A sessions at the show, which gave us a good introduction to Shared Ownership. I’m a US National, and I honestly wasn’t sure if I would even be eligible for a mortgage here in the UK. Getting some free one on one time with a mortgage advisor at the show was invaluable – she went through a number of options, which gave us a real boost. We came away feeling really positive that our dream of buying a home could become a reality!”

Terry adds, “By the time we went back for a second visit to the London Home Show in March 2017, we were ready to buy and knew exactly what we wanted: a two bedroom Shared Ownership home in East London, with an easy commute into central London.”

“We found a property by L&Q that we really liked the look of – a brand new apartment, nestled into an existing community in Custom House. The area really appealed, we researched and found that the London Borough of Newham are investing in the area, plus, the arrival of Crossrail at the end of this year will make our commutes to work even easier.”

Shortly after the show, Ashley and Terry arranged a viewing, and fell in love with the show apartment.

Ashley continues, “We viewed the property on a beautiful warm day, and it just had such a nice feel about it – it was so much bigger than the one bed we had been renting in Stratford, with the added bonus of a huge terrace.“

“We were delighted when our application was successful, we moved in a few months later and settled in really quickly. It definitely feels different now we are home owners. It’s so satisfying knowing we own this place – the apartment is ours, so we can paint the walls and really make our mark on the property!”

Terry concludes, “We’ve already recommended Share to Buy to a number of our friends – there is no doubt that Shared Ownership is a good way to get onto the housing ladder in London.”

Share to Buy is a one stop shop for affordable homes. On our website, you can search for properties, compare mortgages, and find out all you need to know about alternative home buying schemes using our FAQs and guides. You can also hear from more buyers on our Shared Ownership Success Stories and Help to Buy Success Stories!