Andy and Michelle Laird had lived in Lupset for 18 years as WDH tenants. With two young sons they were beginning to investigate how they could own a home.
Andy said: "We had been WDH tenants for 18 years. We did love that home as we had always lived in the area and it was close to family, but we found out that it wasn’t possible for us to buy the property through schemes like Right to Buy. We really wanted something of our own which we could one day pass down to our boys."
Andy and Michelle began to look at shared ownership online. Andy added: "We were already aware of what shared ownership is and looking at the shared ownership page on the WDH website we realised it could be something that would be right for us."
Shared ownership is a national scheme that helps you to buy your dream home. Start by buying between 10% and 75% of your home and paying an affordable rent on the rest. Buy more when you can. This means a smaller deposit, smaller mortgage repayments and the flexibility to increase your shares whenever you're ready.
Andy got in touch with the shared ownership team at WDH and got the ball rolling: "Alison was fantastic to work with. No question was a silly one, and she was easy to get a hold of. Everyone in the team was friendly and always kept us up to date. It made the process so much easier."
The couple found their forever home on the new Colin Barnaby Court development in Wakefield.
"When we moved it was bittersweet, but we're still close to extended family and this home is bigger for young boys to grow up in. The area is so quiet and family friendly, it is everything we wanted."
They are now looking to the future with plans to staircase. Staircasing means buying more shares of your home until you own 100% of it. Andy said: "We would like to staircase until we own our home outright, so we have something we can pass on to our children."
To anyone thinking about shared ownership they should definitely give it a chance and look into it. It can give you the step you need to get started on the property ladder, so you have something to pass on later in life."
For more information on Shared Ownership by WDH or to see our available homes visit our shared ownership page.