10th July, 2020

Home ownership later in life

After 15 years of renting, Christine and her husband Mike never thought they would be able to get back on the property ladder. Now, after discovering Torus Homes’ Kings Hill shared ownership scheme, the couple can proudly call themselves home owners.

Saving for a deposit is hard when you’re renting. Couple that with the added challenge of finding a short-term mortgage and becoming a home owner later in life starts to feel impossible.

With more than a decade of renting under their belts, and both in their mid-60’s the prospect of owning their own home felt like a pipedream for Christine and Mike, a married couple from the Wirral. But Torus Homes helped turn that dream into a reality.

We’d always wanted to own our own home, but we felt like we’d backed ourselves into a corner with our past decisions. The longest we’ve ever lived somewhere was 12 years and leaving that home was really difficult.

That was the worst thing about renting, the uncertainty and the lack of control. You can’t do major refurbs or make any big changes, and if you do, you’re only adding value to someone else’s home. As a keen gardener that was really difficult. I would spend time and money improving a garden I didn’t own.

After receiving a promotion at work, Christine hoped this change would be enough to secure Mike and herself a mortgage, but still, home ownership didn’t seem possible, that is until they decided to look at Kings Hill development in Birkenhead.

When we discovered the Kings Hill shared ownership scheme it was like a miracle sent from heaven! We never thought owning our own home would be possible.

It wasn’t long before Christine and Mike had reserved their plot and secured a mortgage for their new home.

The whole process, from enquiring to moving in was really quick, only 4 months, but at the time it felt like it was taking ages because we were so excited to move in.

Rebecca and Marika were always on the other end of the phone, regardless of how many times I’d already spoken to them that day.

They helped us understand the process of shared ownership completely before we moved in.

In January, the couple received the keys to their first home together.

When we moved into our home it was like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders.

The best part of owning our own home is the security.

I can’t thank Torus enough for all they’ve done for us. At mid-60’s we finally have our own home and can feel secure.

We still walk around and think “this is ours!”, we can live out the rest of our days here. It’s such a relief to feel like no one can take this away from us.

This is our home.

If, like Christine and Mike, you think home ownership is just out of reach, you might be surprised.
Our shared ownership schemes offer the benefits of owning your own home without having to put down a hefty deposit.