Meet Ed and Heidi.
Full-time employees working at a government organisation and an international NGO respectively, the couple and their 5-year old daughter escaped a 15 year rental trap! Thanks to a Mortgage Booster from Proportunity, they are now the proud owners of a 3 bedroom, 1000 ft² maisonette with an outdoor garden, patio and plenty of storage space.
Talk about a serious lifestyle upgrade! The best part? They’re investing in their future and in a home that has high growth potential all thanks to the Proportunity Home Index.
Camberwell, London
Home value = £442,500
Deposit = £22,125
Proportunity boost = £44,250 (10%)
Mortgage = 376,125
Owning without compromise
There is a misconception that owning means you need to give up the lifestyle you had while renting. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Ed and Heidi were able to stay in the same area that they loved living in while they were renting, only a half-mile down the road! Find out about their experience with using Proportunity's Mortgage Booster shared equity loan.
What was the most challenging part of getting on the property ladder?
Not having a good knowledge of the financial options available. Before becoming aware of Proportunity, we only considered Help to Buy or Shared Ownership, but we were also not keen on new-build properties.
We were desperate to get on the property ladder because we've been renting in London for about 15 years but struggled paying off debt, hence the difficulty of saving for a 5% deposit.
What does home ownership mean to you?
It opens possibilities for increasing your net worth, it can be cheaper than renting in the long term, but most importantly it gives us a more settled status in our community. We have put our own stamp on the property and we've been able to refurbish it to our liking while not worrying about our landlord increasing the rent or selling the property.
What was your experience of using Proportunity's Mortgage Booster?
It was relatively straight forward and a seamless process without any glitches. We received excellent advice and guidance from Proportunity from start to finish. The key thing was to have a mortgage broker and conveyancing solicitor with experience in second charge mortgages (Equity Loans).
What is the difference between your monthly rental payments and your current mortgage payments?
Only £200 more a month, but we have a 3rd bedroom, a garden and a large patio!
Tell us about your new home. Where did you buy, what is your favourite thing about the home and the area?
Our favourite thing about the house was that we had an opportunity to do some refurbishment and hopefully add some value to the property. We lived half-a-mile down the road so it was great to stay in Camberwell.
Describe your experience using Proportunity in three words:
“Met our needs”