From my new home, I now commute to my job in Woolwich by boat, and the novelty still hasn’t worn off!
October 2023
A Southeast Londoner born and bred; Jordan was living at home with parents in Bexley, the neighbourhood where he went to school and spent the first years of his twenties, before deciding it was time to take his first step onto the property ladder.
Eager to leave home and begin living his independent life, Jordan began his property search in November 2022, having saved some money towards a deposit whilst living with his parents. He explains, “I was ready to find a place of my own, but buying in London is ridiculous – the property prices are so high and you get a lot less compared to areas outside of London. However, I was keen to stay close to my family in Bexley so started exploring my options for homeownership and how I could make my budget go further.”
Using the Share to Buy property portal to search for first-time buyer homes in East London, Jordan put in his postcode to discover the newbuild developments nearby. “I wanted to find somewhere which was in a more central borough and was better connected than Bexley”, Jordan explains, “and I wanted a newbuild home – a blank canvas which I could put my stamp on.”
“I had my mum and stepdad helping me search for developments. They actually first found Barking Riverside and sent me the link. The homes looked like just what I was looking for – spacious and modern apartments in a development with good transport links.”
Having registered his interest and been approved for Shared Ownership, Jordan arranged his first viewing at Barking Riverside.
He recalls, “I could really envisage myself in the apartment. A balcony was high on my priorities list, and it ticked that box, as well as being really spacious and offering integrated appliances which came at no extra cost.”
“I really liked the riverside location – even though I’ve moved north of the river, I can still see the south side and it feels like I’m closer to home! On a second visit, I took a walk around the development with my mum and stepdad and got a really good feel for the development. I was impressed to see how close both the riverboat pier and train station were to L&Q’s homes, which would significantly shorten my commute. I also liked that there were lots of green spaces and walking routes along the river.”
Jordan purchased a 25% share of a one-bedroom apartment at Barking Riverside (full market value: £255,000).
“I had a really positive buying experience with L&Q,” Jordan comments, “my main contact was Alanis from the sales team who was really helpful – no question was too big or small and she was always willing to help or find out more information for me.”
Already home to an array of on-site amenities and facilities, including the award-winning community, ecology and events space The Wilds which hosts locally run café GROUNDED and hot desking spaces, Barking Riverside is a growing new neighbourhood. As London’s only “Healthy New Town”, the development will soon welcome a new Health Hub as well as a new commercial zone which will become a destination point for new community facilities, cultural events and business opportunities.
Speaking about his new life in East London, Jordan says, “Barking Riverside is up-and-coming and buying here has been a really good investment for my future. It feels like a really exciting time to be moving here and I’m looking forward to seeing all the infrastructure, restaurants, shops and facilities that will be coming to site in the future. The whole riverfront area is going to be transformed and that was one of the main things that attracted me to the development initially.”
“I’m already benefiting from the new transport links that are here. From my new home, I now commute to my job in Woolwich by boat, and the novelty still hasn’t worn off! It takes just 35 minutes door to door which is much faster than when I was living in Bexley, and the boat runs all week. We also have the Overground station which means I can get into central London really easily – I can reach Liverpool Street in just 37 minutes from the development.”
Designed as a scheme for first-time buyers to own more of their home as and when they can afford to, Jordan is looking forward to making the most of the Shared Ownership process. He comments, “I initially purchased a 25% share of my apartment, and the great thing is that when I’m earning more, I’ll be able to buy more shares. The more I own the better in my opinion and it’s great that Shared Ownership enables me to do that at my own pace.”