Springhead Park offers a helping hand to first-time-buyers

With banks continuing to tighten their lending criteria in the wake of the credit crunch it has never been such a difficult time for first-time-buyers to get on the property ladder.

According to recent figures from The National Association of Estate Agents, only 8.3% of the overall home buying market was accounted for by first-time-buyers in March 2008, which according to the NAEA was a significant dip on the 11.7% recorded in the previous month and is the lowest figure to be recorded since April 2006.

With 100% mortgages now a thing of the past and not all first-time-buyers having the luxury of being able to tap into The Bank of Mum and Dad, astute first-time-buyers are looking for other ways to secure a much needed deposit.

For many struggling first-time-buyers, Springhead Park provides the ideal location, with joint development partners Countryside Properties and Land Securities offering to pay a 5% deposit for all first-time-buyers. 

This mortgage securing incentive was immediately recognised by young couple, Lee Ousby, a Telecom Engineer and Katy Atkins, a Pension Administrator, from nearby Welling and Sidcup in Kent, who had wanted to get their foot on the property ladder for many months but were worried that their limited deposit wouldn't secure them a mortgage.

Explaining their decision, Katy says: “We have wanted to move in together for a while now, particularly as we are both still living with our parents, but were unsure if we could afford it. We were looking in the Ebbsfleet area because of the station; the domestic train service that starts running in 2009 is important to Lee as he works in central London.

I also love the fact that Springhead Park is so close to Bluewater, which I normally have to spend half an hour driving to.  When we are living at Springhead Park it will be a matter of minutes away!”

The nearby newly opened Ebbsfleet International station, which provides services to Paris in just two hours and five minutes, Lille in one hour and 10 minutes and Brussels in one hour and 41 minutes, will also begin running a domestic service from 2009 with rapid services to London St Pancras in just 17 minutes.

Katy continues: “We couldn't believe it when we heard that we could get 5% of our deposit paid at a development like Springhead Park and combined with our additional savings it meant that we could afford to buy here straightaway.

The development occupies such a great location for all of the local amenities and has really high quality apartments for sale, something which we never imagined we could get for our money.”

For those not as lucky as Katy and Lee, 95% mortgages are available when you purchase a property at Springhead Park, the first residential development at Ebbsfleet Valley.

The development will provide a mixture of one and two bedroom apartments and two, three and four bedroom homes. Katy and Lee were among 20 other purchasers who snapped up the first apartments that went on sale in March.

 Springhead Park will eventually provide over 600 homes in total, centred around a large two and half acre new formal park known as Penn Green with a new 15 acre park which will run along the edge of development.  The scheme will also feature a new community centre, a place of worship and a doctor's surgery. 

Spanning more than 1,000 acres in total, Ebbsfleet Valley will provide up to 10,000 new homes over the next twenty years, together with employment, leisure and other facilities and will create in the region of 20,000 new jobs and around 400 acres of new parks, lakes, woodland and open space.
 
Springhead Park will have a clean, modern, yet classic feel to it.  A tree lined boulevard will run through the heart of the development branching into more intimate residential streets and spaces.  At the centre of Springboard Park, the formal Penn Green will be beautifully landscaped focusing on a central plaza with play area.

Further recreational space will be provided in a new park, running the length of the development including playing fields as well as informal parkland. 

Katy adds: “Buying a new apartment at Springhead Park has also saved us a lot of money on carrying out surveys. We know that there are no nasty surprises or extra costs waiting for us when we move in, which is a big weight off our minds. I

 think this is a great opportunity for other first-time-buyers who are in a similar position to us and want a hassle-free move. We have been able to save the money that we would have spent on a deposit, surveys or repair work on furnishing the apartment, and with Bluewater just down the road, shopping for this is made easy!”

Inside the homes will be finished with a fresh and contemporary feel. Offering quality fixtures and fittings, with contemporary co-ordinated kitchens and featuring a range of stainless steel appliances, the interiors at Springhead Park boast a level of detailing that appeals to all buyers.

The bathrooms contain white sanitaryware and chrome taps and fittings, with many of the two-bedroom apartments and houses having the added benefit of en suite facilities leading off the master bedroom.

Ian Hepworth, Sales Director for Countryside Properties commented: “Whilst there is a degree of uncertainty in the property market at present, our experience at Springhead Park indicates that demand for good quality housing in the right location will still result in sales.

Springhead Park isn't just another development of new homes; it stands apart from the crowd as its residents will benefit from major improvements to local facilities and infrastructure.

We appreciate that for first-time-buyers this is a particularly difficult time to get on the housing ladder, this is why we are offering incentives such as paying their 5% deposit.”

Potential purchasers' can now visit the new sales and marketing suite on Springhead Road, where they can view an interactive fly through of the development, a site model and five chic new show  homes.

Prices at Springhead Park start from £140,000 for a one bedroom apartment, £150,000 for a two bedroom apartment and £199,000 for a two bedroom house.  For further information please contact the sales and marketing suite on 01474 335195 or visit www.springheadpark.co.uk 

The Group is the Overall Winner of the Housing Design Awards 2004, 2005 and 2006.

For further information visit www.countryside-properties-corporate.com