Best friends of 10 years decide to step onto the property ladder and buy their first home together

Having previously rented together in Forest Gate, best friends for over a decade, Amy and Alice, decided they should buy a home together. After searching high and low, they came across Countryside’s Feature17, located in the popular suburb of Walthamstow.

Alice says: “We were both ready to buy a property financially and, with us both being single, we were unlikely to move into or purchase a home with a partner in the near future, so it made sense for us to step onto the property ladder together. You don’t need to be in a relationship to buy a home!”

Amy adds: “Both of us have similar interests and tastes in terms of locations and what we were looking for in our first home. We both wanted to be in a characterful area, near parks and coffee shops to explore.”

Walthamstow, renowned for its ‘village’ feel within London, boasts a number of independent coffee shops and interesting bars, which have helped to create a unique identity for the area. The location was a key attraction for Alice and Amy, who fell in love with the unspoilt pocket in London’s East End.

Alice says: “We looked at a few places, but the locations we looked at lacked character. We immediately fell in love with Walthamstow, and Feature17 is ideally located, with so many things to discover including the beautiful cobbled streets and the traditional market right on our doorstep.”

Aware of the benefits of buying new, the pair focused their search on properties available with the Government backed Help to Buy scheme. Having seen a number of advertisements on Facebook and scrolling through the Help to Buy website, they discovered Feature17.

Amy says: “We wanted to buy a new build so that we could take advantage of the Help to Buy scheme. Feature17 was the only the second or third place I’d been to see, but I rang Alice and said I’d found the perfect place for us already.”

Having fallen in love with the location and the homes at Feature17, Alice and Amy secured their first home here; a two bedroom, two-bathroom property located on the second floor.

Alice continues: “One of the first things we noticed was that the bedrooms were a similar size. With a lot of the properties we found one bedroom was always much bigger than the other, so we were very impressed with the home we viewed at Feature17.”

Amy says: “Our home is wonderful. It ticks all of our boxes, with its open plan layout and even a balcony, as well as all the storage space. Alice is much tidier than I am – I seem to have so much stuff - so the storage was very important.”

With both Alice and Amy commuting to work, another advantage of Feature17 was its excellent transport connections and easy access to central London. Located a short walk from Wood Street station, regular trains to Liverpool Street Station in 20 minutes are available.

Alice says: “We lived in poorly connected areas previously, so we both prioritised good transport links for our first home. At Feature17 we are within easy access to both Wood Street Station and Walthamstow Central, which is fantastic.”

Feature17 will deliver an on-site Co-op supermarket, multi-use games area and thoughtfully designed landscaping providing open spaces and green parks.

Amy concludes: “We are excited to be a part of the growing community and we are really excited to see the development grow over the next few years.”