Charlotte

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Charlotte Nelson, 26, lives in a two-bedroomed shared ownership house in the village of Elstow, Bedfordshire, which she purchased through Grand Union Homes.

Charlotte had been looking for a place of her own to get herself on the housing ladder; somewhere with a good location, not too far from her job in Bedford, but that still had a rural feel.

“Elstow is perfect for me. It’s close to the bypass so I can get to work easily but I can still have the village life that I enjoy.

“Around the corner, I have Moot Hall, a grade II listed building that I can walk around. There’s also a church, pretty lakes and a cricket pitch where you can watch a match at the weekends. There’s a horse you can feed too.

“All my neighbours are lovely and I can walk to the shops or the pub.”

Charlotte has a degree in Social Welfare from Worcester University and certainly knows a thing or two about housing, having worked at a local housing association for four years.

“My first role was in Customer Care, but I’ve also worked in the Insight and Sales teams. Soon I will be working as a New Homes Officer, inspecting new homes with the Clerk of Works. I’m really looking forward to it! I really want to progress and my ambition is to manage a team.”

“I have a 50% share of my home. Buying this way suited me much better than having an equity loan and I can’t afford anywhere on the open market. This is a great start to being on the mortgage ladder.

“Buying this house was the easiest thing ever. Shared ownership is perfect for first-time buyers, retired people or for anyone who wants to get on the housing ladder from being in private rented accommodation.

“As for the future I would quite like to staircase (buy more shares) until I own 100% but I’d be equally happy if someone bought my home from me because then it helps them to get on the property ladder.”

Charlotte is a fan of technology and interior design, evident from her stylish homeware and automated lighting.

“My main hobby now is shopping for my home; my favourite stores are Homesense, Dunelm and local outlet stores.

“When you buy a new-build you can’t decorate for a year, but because this is a re-sale I was able to put my own stamp on it immediately and make it more of a home straight away. I just love it!”