Barratt gives Londoner £17,500 help package!

After living most of her life in Canada, Aisha Douglas was shocked when she returned to Britain two years ago and discovered that London property prices were a lot higher than in Toronto.

But when she finally decided to take the plunge and buy a home of her own, she chose Forest Place, Barratt’s latest development of in Walthamstow, north-east London, where she has bought a stylish one-bedroom apartment.

Aisha, 29, said: “For the past two years I have been living with my family in nearby Woodford Green. I originally moved to Canada with my family when I was 10 and planned only to came back over here for six months, but that turned into a year – and I always said if I ended up staying here, I’d buy somewhere of my own.

“So I began looking at property - and became rather disillusioned by the fact that the property market in London was nothing like it was in Toronto. By comparison, the prices were outrageous! I was planning on spending around £180,000 – but I soon discovered it would get nothing like it would back in Canada, where I had sold a place with a garden, double garage and so on.”

Fortunately, finding Forest Place offered a brighter prospect for London-born Aisha. “I had driven past several times but always assumed it would be out of my price range. Then a friend who had bought a two-bedroom show apartment there said the apartments were really nice and she recommended me to check it out.

“I visited the site in September and discovered I could afford a one-bedroom apartment with some help from my family. I bought it off plan” she said.

Aisha’s second-floor apartment cost £190,000, but as a first-time buyer, Barratt paid her 5% deposit. And as it was one of the last remaining one-bedroom apartments for sale, they also did a special deal and included an allocated private parking space - which normally costs £8,000 extra - in the price. The help package was worth around £17,500.

Also included were an oven, hob and extractor, plus microwave in the kitchen and carpets throughout.

The second-floor apartment consists of a spacious double bedroom, fully-fitted bathroom, and an open plan living/dining room and fully-fitted designer kitchen, with balcony off the living room.

Aisha, who works with her uncle in a business which imports and distributes Caribbean food to retailers across the UK, said: "It’s the first flat I have ever owned. The location is perfect. My family live just round the corner – it’s a five-minute drive to their home – and my uncle’s business is a 20-minute journey from here when the traffic is quiet.”

Forest Place, which is under way on a famous old ex-industrial site once owned by aircraft builders Hawker Siddeley, offers 184 new homes for sale. In addition, a new school is being built nearby and stylish 1930s office buildings refurbished as part of a comprehensive community regeneration scheme.

Set well back from the road, Forest Place offers a range of stylish modern apartments rising to four storeys. As well as a gymnasium for the exclusive use of residents, the development includes private parking and a magnificent landscaped formal garden running through the centre of the scheme. A concierge is on hand to help residents day-to-day.

Walthamstow is an established and attractive area of London with a huge range of shopping, bars, cafes, pubs and clubs, plus excellent road and rail connections.

Prices for homes at Forest Place start from £154,995 for one-bed ‘city-pad’ apartments, £191,995 for one-bedroom apartments, and £239,995 for two-bedroom apartments.

A marketing suite and showhomes are open daily from 10.00am to 6.00pm (10.00 – 2.00pm Monday).