Young buyers helped onto property ladder in Plaistow

The development offers shared ownership schemes (Image: Archant)

But 24-year-old Alix Kelly was able to do just that, taking advantage of a new shared ownership development in Plaistow.

Peabody’s Upton Village scheme, on the site of the former Plaistow Hospital, gives young professionals and first time buyers the chance to take the first step.

Alix had previously rented with a friend in the area and knew she wanted to stay.

She said: “I love this area and I feel proud to be a part of the East End.”

I love this area and I feel proud to be a part of the East End. (Image: Archant)

She started looking for her dream home early last year but was rejected by three other housing associations as she wasn’t earning enough.

After visiting the Peabody show home, she quickly found it was the place she had been looking for.

Alix said: “I felt instantly at home, it felt exactly like somewhere I would live. I saw the floor plans for the home I was interested in and had a quick look through the window to see inside; I registered my interest that day. A week later Peabody confirmed the sale.”

Alix has now moved into her new home, which provides her with an easy commute to central London.

She has bought 50 per cent of her home through the scheme and is saving up to make it 100pc.

“There was no way I would have been able to afford a home without buying through the shared ownership scheme,” she said.

“Being in my early 20s, buying outright on my own would have been impossible and I found I was being priced out of London, even in places I could commute from.”