Pocket homes are sold at a 20% discount, but they’re 100% ownership. That’s why we get asked a lot – ‘What exactly is the catch?’.
There is no catch – but you do need to be eligible to purchase one of our Pocket homes. That’s because our mission to make sure we’re helping middle earning Londoners (we call them city makers) onto the property ladder.
Read on to find out about the Pocket eligibility criteria.
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Ever check your bank account and wonder how your pay cheque disappeared so fast? Don’t stress – saving money is a problem that most people face at some point in their lives. Whether you are looking to pay for a house, or treat yourself to a nice holiday, knowing about ways to save money allows you to do the things you enjoy without worrying about the cost. Thankfully, it is never too late to start saving, and 2021 is a perfect time to think about how you can improve your finances. Find out some of the best ways to save money by using our saving tips below.
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Thinking of living in Walthamstow and wondering about things to do? You’re in luck, the borough of Walthamstow is alive with activity, sights to see, and places to visit. Not only is it home to a God’s Own Junkyard and William Morris Gallery, it is also a great spot to take a country walk, and has emerged as one of the best places to live in East London.
Stunning new Hackney scheme for 29 local first time buyers
Rosina Street E9 was designed by Hackney-based Waugh Thistleton Architects, and completed in March 2017. The Pocket flats were sold at a 20% discount to the surrounding market and the building is now home to 29 local first time buyers. It’s the second Pocket Living scheme in Hackney, and it’s one we’re especially proud of – when you look at these photos, you’ll see why!
Tomorrow London goes to the polls to elect a new Mayor of London. The Mayor is responsible for making London a great place to live, work and visit. For example the Mayor is responsible for things such as policing, transport and the fire service. But significantly for first time buyers, the Mayor has important housing powers. The Mayor must produce a housing strategy to invest in London’s housing and to meet the needs of London’s growing population.
So good they invested twice
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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.
Pocket Regen, is our submission for the NLA’s recent competition, ‘New Ideas for Housing London’. Pocket Regen is a new way of managing estate regeneration. By engaging openly with estate communities, and offering real reasons to welcome regeneration, we can provide additional 100% affordable housing for the very people that make this city great.
Like marriage, the secret to a successful first time home purchase is compromise.
In what has become a supply-starved London housing market effected by rapidly rising prices, Pocket have built their model around the one facet that first time buyers are not willing to compromise on – location.
The London-based developer prioritises location over size allowing it to deliver first-time buyer homes in good commuting locations at a minimum of 20% below the open market rate capped at the current top price of £260,000.
“Pocket brings a rational approach together with the sort of design flair that makes spaces feel generous and desirable. As the current crisis forces new thinking, Pocket’s initiatives provide a positive example to other housing providers when new ideas are thin on the ground.” Peter Murray, New London Architecture
London’s a big place, and most developers think big when it comes to land. Big regeneration opportunities with big profits attached. At Pocket, we take a different approach. Our mission is to provide as much affordable housing as we can on a site, so we tend to favour ‘infill’ sites; land that either doesn’t have any particular purpose, or is no longer used for the purpose it was previously intended. Idle land. This includes old garage sites which have become under-used storage facilities for junk, community centres which are not used by the community any more, or just spaces between buildings.
It makes sense to develop these sites. They’re already within an existing community, they can tap into the existing infrastructure and services, they allow the densification of London, rather than pushing its urban boundary out into the green belt. Here are some examples of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of ongoing projects which are a fairly typical plot size of anything up to 1 acre:
Marischal Road SE13, Lewisham. Disused garages. 0.185 acres. 26 Pocket homes
This site in Marischal Road SE13 is perfect for Pocket. We’ve designed a scheme that brings 26 Pocket compact apartments to Lewisham, just a stone’s throw from the bustling market, shopping centre and excellent transport links of Lewisham DLR and overland. We’re starting construction in August 2015, with sales going live in Spring 2016.
