Alex, a journalist, bought a house in Hampshire and paid a £75,000 deposit.

We are expecting to stay in this place for the next 10 years.

March 4th 2023.

Alex, a journalist, bought a house in Hampshire and paid a £75,000 deposit.

We're speaking to Alex this week, who resides in Hampshire along with her husband and two young children. She sold her first London flat in 2021 and moved in to this three-bed property. Alex shares her buying experience and offers some advice for other purchasers.

Alex is 31, a journalist mainly working from home with some office days and is currently on maternity leave. She lives with her spouse Dan, 32 and their offspring Minna aged 1 and their son Lando, 4 weeks.

Their residence is in Petersfield, Hampshire, an attractive town with a twice-weekly market and lots of activities, set in stunning countryside. They moved in September 2021 and their property cost £365,000. A £75,000 deposit was put down. The monthly cost of living there, including mortgage and bills, is £1,450.

Alex and Dan saved up for their deposit by selling their first flat, which had been shared ownership, and using their savings. Getting a mortgage was complicated when Alex began her first maternity leave, but they had a fantastic mortgage broker who made the process as smooth as possible.

Prior to this, they were living in a shared ownership maisonette in North Greenwich, which they sold in March 2021. After this, they moved in with Alex's parents in Essex as they tried to buy a house. They wanted to purchase rather than rent as they wanted to be on the property ladder and to have a place they could call their own and make changes to.

This was the fifth property they tried to buy and they made an offer rapidly after briefly looking around and seeing potential. The place was in a run down state and they thought they could turn it into a happy family home.

To make the place feel like home, they have done a lot of building work. They removed a decrepit conservatory, extended the kitchen, built two bathrooms upstairs and a new bedroom for the kids. They also painted each room in lovely colours to make everything brighter and more homely.

(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)

They are now 95% of the way there with the renovation.

(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)

Alex, who is 31, is chatting with us this week

Welcome to What I Own – our series where we talk to homeowners about their buying journey.

We are speaking to Alex this week, who lives in Hampshire with her husband and two small children.

She sold her first London flat in 2021 and moved into this three-bed property.

Alex reveals her experience as well as her advice for buyers…

Tell us about yourself.

I am 31, I’m a journalist, mainly working from home but with some office days – but I’m currently on maternity leave. I live with my husband Dan, 32, and our two children, our daughter Minna aged one and our son Lando, four weeks.

Where is your property? What do you think of the area?

I live in Petersfield, in Hampshire. It’s a vibrant town, with a twice-weekly market and lots to do, surrounded by gorgeous countryside.

When did you move in?

September 2021.

(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)

She and her husband have two young children

How much did your property cost?

£365,000.

How much was your deposit?

£75,000.

What is the monthly cost of living here now; both mortgage and bills?

£1,450.

How did you save for your deposit?

Gradually. We sold our first flat, which had been shared ownership and the rest of the deposit came from savings.

What was the process of getting a mortgage like for you?

Because we had some issues in the purchasing process, we actually had to get a couple of mortgages.

It became more complicated when I started my first maternity leave, but we had a great mortgage broker who kept it as smooth as possible for us.

(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)

They put down a £75,000 deposit

Where did you live before this – did you rent or live with family?

We were living in a shared ownership maisonette in North Greenwich, which we sold in March 2021. As our own buying process was tricky, we then moved in with my parents in Essex while we tried to buy a house.

What made you want to buy rather than renting?

Being on the property ladder, and having somewhere we could call our own and make changes to as we wanted, was important to us.

How did you find this property? What made you pick it?

This was actually the fifth home we tried to buy – unbelievably we had had offers accepted on four houses before this, all of which had fallen through.

When we saw this one we looked around it very briefly, saw potential, and made an offer quickly and then just had to hope for the best. It was very worn out but we thought we could turn it into a happy family home.

How have you made the property feel like home?

We’ve done a lot of construction work. When we moved in it still had a stairlift from the previous owner attached to the wall, plaster was peeling everywhere, everything needed rewiring and there was only a downstairs bathroom – not ideal with babies.

We’ve removed an aged conservatory, extended the kitchen, built two bathrooms upstairs and a new bedroom for the children. We’ve also painted every room in nice colours which makes everything feel brighter and more welcoming.

We’re 95% of the way there with the renovation and I can’t wait for it to be totally completed.