After years of renting and house-sharing, Vanessa, a 35 year old NHS nurse, has bought her first home in London at Pocket Living’s Woodside Park development, one of a limited number of schemes designed to support key workers and first-time buyers onto the housing ladder.
Having lived in London since 2017 after relocating from her family home in Portugal, Vanessa initially stayed in hospital accommodation before moving into shared private rental flats across north London.
“I thought I’d have to move out of the city to buy”
Like many first-time buyers, she assumed buying a home in the capital would be out of reach.
“I’d always thought about having a place of my own one day but with London being so expensive and deposits being so high I honestly thought it would never happen, or that I’d have to move out of the city to buy”, explains Vanessa.
“As a nurse, renting somewhere on my own just wasn’t possible and so I stayed in house shares so I could save, even though it meant sacrificing my own space.”
“Online mortgage checkers suggested I would need significantly more money than I had saved”
One of the biggest barriers for Vanessa was the assumption that she didn’t have enough savings for a London deposit.
A survey of 1,000 Londoners aged between 25 and 45 by affordable housing developer Pocket Living found that Vanessa isn’t alone in this view. The research found that more than a quarter (26%) of renters cite raising a deposit as the main barrier to homeownership, while a further 31% pointed to the cost-of-living crisis. Among key workers, 7 in 10 (70%) said raised living costs have delayed their plans to buy their first home.
“Online mortgage checkers suggested I would need significantly more money than I had saved, so I felt quite certain that homeownership was out of reach. It was only when I saw Pocket Living homes listed in North Finchley, which I knew were sold at a discount, that I decided to complete Pocket’s online affordability assessment, fully expecting not to qualify”, Vanessa said.
“I really didn’t think I’d pass the assessment. When I got the email saying I could book a viewing, I thought there must have been a mistake.”
The Woodside Park apartment was the first and only home Vanessa viewed and it immediately ticked her boxes when it came to its location and design.
Vanessa said: “I hadn’t even spoken to a mortgage broker when I went to see it. I was just curious, but I ended up filming the flat for my family and friends and one of them joked that I was already acting like it was my own.
“The location was perfect. I work centrally but also study in North Finchley, so having the Northern line and bus routes on the doorstep was really convenient. I was also struck by the building itself, and particularly fell in love with the brickwork and the rooftop terrace.”
After speaking to an independent mortgage broker, something Vanessa strongly encourages other first-time buyers to do from the very start of their home buying journey, she realised buying was genuinely achievable.
“The amount I was told I could borrow was completely different from the figures I’d seen online from banks, around £50,000 more. If I’d relied on those calculators, I would never have tried to buy”, said Vanessa.
Vanessa purchased her one-bedroom Pocket Living apartment for £299,000, supported by a 5% deposit incentive from the developer, alongside her own savings and money invested into her Lifetime ISA.
From first viewing in May 2025 to moving in at the end of July 2025, Vanessa found the process very straightforward.
“The whole journey was surprisingly smooth. Pocket Living recommended a solicitor who understood the product, and everyone was so responsive. Buying on my own felt daunting, but I always felt supported.”
“It really feels like a sanctuary”
Vanessa continues: “When I moved in, it felt very surreal and didn’t really sink in for a while. I almost felt like I was on holiday. There was a lot to organise, especially doing it on my own, but once I settled in and made it my own, I realised how happy I was here.”
Vanessa says the difference between renting and owning has been life-changing.
“Coming home after night shifts to a quiet, peaceful space that’s completely mine feels amazing. I can cook when I want and take my time, rest properly during the day and just switch off. It really feels like a sanctuary”, says Vanessa.
“As part of the wider development there is also bike storage, which is really convenient. I didn’t have that in my previous flat. Now I have the extra space I have upgraded my bike and am excited to use it to travel into work in the summer.”
Having lived in Belsize Park for a number of years, Vanessa knew she loved the North London area and the nearby green spaces, but was really struck by the quality of the high street in Woodside Park.
“The high street is even better than where I lived before. There are cafes, grocery shops, a supermarket, a gym and a great yoga studio – basically everything you could need, with lots of choice.”
“I wouldn’t have settled for a home just because I could afford it”
Reflecting on her experience, Vanessa believes there is a clear need for more schemes that support first-time buyers, particularly in high-cost areas such as London.
“When I was thinking about buying at Woodside Park, I researched prices of other newly built one bedroom homes in the area and I felt that they were way more expensive. As a first time buyer I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford them but I also wouldn’t have settled for a home just because I could afford it either.
“I wanted somewhere that was right for me, that was well designed and built to last. As well as its beautiful brick exterior, I was also pleasantly surprised by how spacious the Woodside Park homes were. The high ceiling heights create lots of space and let lots of light in, it’s the perfect size for me.”
Buyers own 100% of their property, which are sold at a 20% discount to the local market.
To be eligible to purchase a Pocket home at Woodside Park N12, the prospective buyer can’t already own another property, and must live or work in London. All buyers must earn under the Mayor of London’s income threshold for affordable housing (currently £90,000). When the homes are sold on, new purchasers must meet the original criteria including a household income below the Mayor of London’s affordable housing threshold.
For more information or to register interest in a Pocket home, prospective buyers can visit www.pocketliving.com or call 020 7291 3683.