Hannah Godwin, Author at Pocket

Pocket receives strategic investment from US company

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

Related Companies makes a ground-breaking strategic investment in Pocket

We are extremely excited to announce that we have attracted a new investor to Pocket. This week we became equity partners with Related Companies, the largest owner and developer of affordable housing in the US. This strategic investment in Pocket is a trail-blazing deal as it brings investment from across the pond into the UK’s affordable housing market. Related have acquired a 50% stake in Pocket, and will be working with us to scale up our delivery of discounted flats for sale and rent in London.

Pocket bond on Crowdcube attracts double-investors

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

So good they invested twice

We launched the first Pocket bond on Crowdcube back in March 2015, offering 7.5% interest over a four year term, and we quickly achieved our funding goal. Our second bond, the Pocket Land Bond, launched last week and we are already 10% funded, thanks to a good level of repeat investment. We are very grateful to those who show continued support for Pocket, and we contacted a couple of our ‘double-investors’ to find out what it was that attracted them to the Pocket bond – twice.

Pocket gets moving in Lambeth

December 7, 2015December 7, 2015 Hannah Godwin 6 Comments

On track to deliver 127 new Pocket homes in Lambeth in 2016

It’s all happening in Lambeth! Having just started building our latest development Mountearl Gardens SW16 in Streatham, Pocket has this corner of London on the brain. One of the boroughs where city makers most want to buy their first home is Lambeth, and what’s not to like?! Lambeth stretches all the way from the River Thames (overlooking Westminster) through multicultural Brixton, down to leafy Streatham. There’s something for everyone, and we are underway with Pocket schemes dotted from the top of the borough to the bottom, between them delivering 127 affordable Pocket homes, most of them one bedroom.

Construction at Wynne Road SW9 is well underway, and having started last week on-site at Mountearl Gardens SW16 we are really excited about the innovative modular construction methods we’re using, working with Donban Contracting UK, to reduce construction times and improve economies of scale – getting these homes delivered sooner. Sail Street and Juxon Street are due to start construction January 2016, using this same innovative approach. Here’s a round-up of all our upcoming Lambeth schemes:

Help for Help to Buy!

December 1, 2015December 7, 2015 Hannah Godwin 4 Comments

Helping to make Help to Buy helpful

Help! The government has its heart in the right place, trying to ‘help’ first time buyers with its Help to Buy schemes… and as of today a new one has launched, the Help to Buy ISA. It can all feel very confusing – we’re not promising to ‘deconfuse’ things completely, but here is a brief summary of how Help to Buy works with Pocket, and links to some nice clear explanations.

Mayor kicks off first Pocket homes in Lewisham

November 27, 2015November 27, 2015 Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

Pocket was delighted that Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham and Lewisham Housing Chief Cllr Damien Egan kicked off the construction of 26 affordable Pocket homes yesterday for local people in Lewisham.

How London Help to Buy might work for Pocket buyers

November 26, 2015December 7, 2015 Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

Announced in the government’s Spending Review yesterday, ‘London Help to Buy‘ is a punchy new addition to the Help to Buy family. And now that we’ve got our heads around how the Help to Buy equity loan works in principle, we can easily understand the London version. When coupled with the government’s commitment to create 200,000 starter homes, things should be easier for first time buyer in London, which is great news.

In simple terms, from early 2016 first time buyers in London will be able to borrow up to 40% of a new property’s value from the government, interest free for five years. This means that buyers will need to raise a smaller mortgage, which will open the market up to more people on lower incomes. Pocket hope this will help even more first time buyers to get a foot on the property ladder.

Furnishing your new Pocket home

November 23, 2015April 12, 2021 Hannah Godwin 3 Comments

A house doesn’t become a home until you put a personal stamp on the place. After the potential stress of buying a house, the real fun begins with decorating. Helpfully, our Pocket homes provide plenty of space and flexibility, whether you are buying furniture for your new home, picking out a specific living room rug or catching the eye with a statement art piece.

However, with various rooms and functions to consider, knowing where to start is far from easy. If the idea of how to furnish a new home gives you a headache, this guide could be useful for you.

Fair to Middling: Report of the Commission on Intermediate Housing

November 18, 2015September 16, 2020 Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

Fair to Middling, and how Pocket fits in

The latest report to be published on London’s housing crisis, Fair to Middling, is specifically focused on intermediate housing, whether it’s working, and how it can be improved. The Commission on Intermediate Housing (COIH) was set up following the Centre for London’s 2014 report, Hollow Promise, which highlighted that London needed to prioritise ways of making housing for low- to-middle income earners more affordable. The COIH has been jointly chaired by councillors from two very different London boroughs, Kensington & Chelsea and Haringey, with input from a range of eminent contributors – including Pocket’s very own CEO, Marc Vlessing.

Home sweet Pumpkin – fully booked for 1st phase viewings at Western Road UB2

October 30, 2015September 16, 2020 Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

1st phase viewings at Western Road UB2 fully booked

Becoming a homeowner means all sorts of things – one of which is having your very own front door to showcase your pumpkin-carving skills. It so happens that tomorrow, Saturday 31^st October 2015, is Halloween, and we have invited nearly 30 potential buyers for our latest development in Western Road UB2, Southall, to visit our Camden show flat. We have back-to-back appointments, and while the launch has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween (although we may have some spooky sweets to keep our sales team and their visitors going through the busy day), it could mean that the 1^st phase of Western Road UB2, sells out before the trick or treating starts!

Pocket comes to Southall – 36 affordable homes launch for sale

October 20, 2015September 16, 2020 Hannah Godwin 2 Comments

Pocket’s latest development Western Road UB2 has launched!

We’re really excited about our new Pocket community, located right in the heart of vibrant Southall. Our building was designed by the well-known architectural practice JTP, and contains 36 compact one bedroom apartments, all available for sale to first time buyers at the discounted price of £165,000 – it’s a great way to get your foot on the housing ladder. Each home is a perfectly-formed 38m2 with kitchen-living room, double bedroom, shower room, and heaps of built-in storage. There’s a huge garden to the rear, perfect for practising your gardening skills and meeting the other residents, all of whom will be owner-occupiers too.