Help to Buy’s ‘Youngest’ Buyer Lands Dream Home at Morello Quarter, Basildon

Aged just 23, first-time buyer Luke Tully is one of the youngest people to take advantage of the Government ‘Help to Buy’ scheme, using it to buy a trendy new apartment in Basildon, Essex.

Whilst many of his friends are stuck living with their parents or paying over the odds in rent for substandard accommodation, the canny assistant surveyor is now a proud home owner at Weston Homes’ development, Morello Quarter.

As Luke works in the property industry, he knows a good deal when he sees one and didn’t hesitate after factoring in the great transport links, high quality of design and fittings, and perfect location. Despite living further out, the train journey is just 30 minutes into central London.

He said: “Affordability was high on my wish list, but I also wanted to live somewhere that offered me a manageable commute and that wasn’t too far from family. Basildon seemed an obvious choice.

“Morello Quarter is only a three minute walk from the train station, I can get to work in under an hour and my parents are about a 45 minute drive away. While I was looking for an apartment I was staying with them and my commute to Canary Wharf was an hour and a half. It’s a dream now in comparison.”

Morello Quarter is a stylish new development of 426 new-build apartments across four contemporary buildings. The buildings have sleek tiered facades with balconies, expanses of glazing, terraces and roof gardens. Landscaped gardens, decks and terraces on various levels provide ample amenity space and form a ‘green hub’.

The apartments are designed with open-plan living, kitchen and dining areas and offer generously-sized master bedrooms and bathrooms.

“The apartment is perfect for my needs and I really like that I’m the first person to live in it. A new-build is great as it’s a blank canvas that I can finish to my own tastes. I don’t just have a run-of-the-mill generic apartment like you see in some many new builds. I also have underground parking which is a massive bonus!” adds Luke.

Luke was keen to get on the property ladder after seeing prices rise, and following a work transfer from Leeds to his firm’s office in Canary Wharf, London, he also needed a location that provided an easy commute.

Deterred by the rising property prices in London his dream of homeownership was moving further out of reach and he decided to look further afield for better value for money. Prices at Morello Quarter currently,start from just £162,000 for a two bedroom, one bath apartment, making the dream of home ownership a reality for those willing to look in the right locations.

Using Help to Buy, Luke was able to secure his one bedroom apartment with a 5% deposit and to also furnish his new home with some of the savings.

“I’d known for some time that I’d be moving to London with work and that I wanted to buy my own place, but as a young person buying on my own I just couldn’t afford London prices.

“I’d been saving for a deposit and had enough to secure an apartment, but liked the idea of using the Help to Buy scheme to give me more flexibility. I didn’t like the idea of all my savings going towards my deposit and not having a buffer for a rainy day,” added Luke.

Morello Quarter is also an integral part in the transformation and regeneration of Basildon into a modern 21st century town, transforming the town centre and putting the area firmly on the map, whilst excellent transport links into London Fenchurch Street from Basildon mean that commuters can reach central London in less than 30 minutes.

Essex offers rolling countryside, boutique shops and country pubs as well as the convenience of excellent transport links for city workers to central London. Nature lovers cite the landscape as beautiful and varied, stretching from countryside to coastline, while families are drawn by the great choice of top schools.

Prices at Morello Quarter currently start from £162,000 for a two bedroom, one bath apartment. For more information, please contact the sales and marketing suite on 01268 520 512.