Studios help first time buyers get a foot on the ladder

What do you do if you are 25, single, seeking to get your foot on the property ladder and want to live in the middle of a lively area? You buy a stylishly designed studio apartment at Skyline Plaza the new development in Basingstoke, Hampshire by Berkeley Homes Southern.

Carl Whatford did just that, and he is immensely pleased with the result. Carl, who had been living in Ashford, near Heathrow with his parents, bought a studio apartment on the scheme for £116,000.

“I wanted a place that was new, well built and in an area with plenty of amenities – bars, restaurants, cafes and night life,” says Carl. “I’d been on a shopping trip to Basingstoke a few years prior, and I got a good feel about the town. Then, when my brother and fiancée, who live in nearby Camberley, recommended the new development that Berkeley Homes was putting together, I went and had a look at the show apartment. I just fell in love with it.

“At first, I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford a brand new home, but after speaking with the Berkeley Homes sales adviser, he made me realise that it was possible. I arranged a mortgage with my bank, and everything has gone smoothly since then.”

Carl’s property is on the sixth floor of Skyline Plaza. The main living area features a modern kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances to one side of the room and floor-to-ceiling glazing to other side creating a light and airy environment which forms the hub of this home. The bathroom has a white Twyford suite, Hansgrohe fittings and a luxury thermostat-controlled shower. The apartment is also wired for Sky TV.

Carl was particularly pleased that Berkeley Homes invited him to view his new home two weeks prior to completion, so that anything he was not happy with could be ironed out.

“It was marvellous. I didn’t have to decorate or change anything when I moved in – except buy lots of ‘toys’,” he quips.

For busy professionals at work during the day, Skyline Plaza offers a laundrette facility, a concierge service and a creche for people with young families.

The scheme was only launched in August 2007, yet by the end of November more than half the properties had already been sold; a tribute to Berkeley Homes reputation for providing quality new homes.

Carl works as a lift engineer, and his travel needs are covered by Skyline Plaza’s ideal location. Basingstoke main line station is 100 yards from his door (London Waterloo is just 47 minutes away, while Basingstoke is on the Reading and Southampton lines). If he needs to travel to sites by car, junction 6 of the M3 is on the south edge of the town, providing easy access to London, Southampton and Portsmouth.

As a young, single person, Carl is delighted with the amenities that Basingstoke has to offer. The Plaza is right by the Festival Place shopping mall, which boasts 165 shops and 28 restaurants, bars and cafes. In addition, there is a 10-screen cinema and sports centre.

Carl recommends buying off-plan. “In my situation, it was the sensible thing to do,” says Carl. “I am extremely happy with the service provided by Berkeley Homes. Their show apartment gave me an idea of what my own apartment would be like – and it’s turned out even better than I thought.”

The marketing suite for the Skyline Plaza scheme features four show apartments that are open daily from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Prices start at £116,000.

For more information, visit Skyline-plaza.co.uk. Information on all Berkeley Homes developments can be found at Berkeleyhomes.co.uk.