East Londoner buys off-plan
35-year-old IT manager John Liao had never considered buying his first home off-plan but after doing some thorough research, John found the perfect home at Telford Homes’ Bow Garden Square development.
John hand-picked his sixth floor, two-bedroom apartment for under £650,000 paying a 10 per cent deposit, which is due for completion next year. The landmark development is ideally located in the heart of Bow, East London’s vast and vibrant regeneration hub. A lively location, without having to compromise on fast transport connections, suited John down to the ground.
Bow Garden Square is an innovative development comprising 83 homes built above a primary school within the exciting arts district of Bow. Crowning the development is a unique collection of just 12 two and three bedroom sky villas, forming the top two floors and offering panoramic views across London. One of these two-bedroom duplex apartments, located on the sixth floor, is set to become John’s new home once completed. The expansive views from this contemporary and spacious apartment promise to present the most extraordinary backdrop when entertaining family and friends.
John currently resides in a rented house-share in Greenwich. Having grown fond of the area, his house-search began in Greenwich Village before branching out to viewing properties in nearby Deptford. Certain that he would firmly remain South of the river, John just so happened to be passing the site in Bow when the hoarding caught his eye. He decided to call the sales team to ask for more information and the more he learnt about the development and the wider area, the more intrigued John became.
‘They were able to help with all the questions that I had, especially all my concerns about buying off-plan’ John said. ‘ After speaking to the sales team and doing some research, I began to visualise how my apartment would look and feel once it was finished – something I hadn’t been able to imagine in any of the homes I’d seen before.’
The thought of buying off-plan was daunting to John to begin with – so doing his homework on the development and the purchasing process was paramount.
‘I wanted to make sure that for my money I was getting a high quality fit and finish,’
‘I wanted to make sure that for my money I was getting a high quality fit and finish,’ John explained. ‘The idea of parting with my hard earned money to reserve a home that I had never seen was, at first, quite a scary thought. I made sure I did my research before I decided to definitely buy.’
One of the main reasons John eagerly awaits moving into his new apartment is for the vibrant arts district in Bow.
‘I couldn’t help but notice the amount of regeneration going on in the area,’ John stated. ‘It makes me think that whilst this is promising for me personally in terms of new shops and amenities, my financial investment in the property seems to be safe and secure with so much growth taking place nearby.’
Currently undergoing a renaissance with regeneration, East London is promising to transform the skyline and increase the desirability of being close by to London’s financial hub. Bow Garden Square will not only provide much needed new homes, but an opportunity to live in a dynamic urban village with some of the capital’s most renowned independent art, retail and culinary institutions alongside East London’s finest green spaces.
Another reason why John chose to buy a home at Bow Garden Square was for its range of transport connections in the local the area.
‘It is convenient, accessible and makes getting across London so easy,’
‘It is convenient, accessible and makes getting across London so easy,’ John said. ‘I definitely wanted to be in Zone 2 to keep travel costs down and it’s close to the cycle highway routes too for when I want to take my bike to work.’
Residents at Bow Garden Square will benefit from unrivalled transport connections with nearby Mile End station, served by the Central, District and Hammersmith & City underground lines offering journey times of just 7 minutes to Bank and 4 minutes to Stratford. Devon’s Road, served by the DLR, just a short walk away from Bow Garden Square, makes Canary Wharf within a 7 minute reach and on to London Bridge in just 14 minutes. International travel is also easy, with journey times of just over 20 minutes to London City Airport.
First completions are scheduled at the beginning of 2019 with prices at Bow Garden Square starting from £390,000 for a one bedroom suite. Help to Buy is available.
For more information potential buyers can visit www.bowgardensquare.co.uk or contact Telford Homes on 020 3620 8005.