It’s great to be a part of the community


Chris Savvides, 28, an IT network engineer, and his fiancée Tanya, who works for the NHS, have stepped onto the property ladder with the help of Thames Valley Housing. They have purchased their first home, a new two-bedroom apartment at Greenacres near Fleet.


The couple have enjoyed the space their new apartment offers them. “We are expecting a baby in July 2012, so the spare bedroom will change from being an office to a nursery,” says Chris. Previously living with their parents, the couple were thinking about looking for a place of their own when they happened to drive past Greenacres. “It happened by chance. We popped in, had a look around and instantly knew we wanted to live here,” Chris explains. The development immediately appealed to them, offering a balance between the city and the country. With the Shared Ownership scheme, they were able to buy 35% of their two- bedroom apartment for £72,625 and only had to raise a deposit for the share that


18 HomesinHants Roundup - Spring Issue


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they were purchasing. “We were able to afford a place of our own so we could start a family,” Chris explains. “It is a lot cheaper, and the deposit is comparably less, meaning the interest rate on the mortgage is less too. It meant we could get a new build property much more easily.” “We are keen to increase our percentage share in future, hopefully to 100%. Owning a shared ownership property means we can save and possibly re-mortgage in March this year to increase our share.” he explains. “The whole process was very straightforward – I know that first-time buying can be a bit of a minefield for some people. Thames Valley took us through it step-by-step making the whole process a lot easier.”


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