Over the past few years Anasthasia McCarthy has had two ambitions. One was to buy her own home, the other was to qualify as a Crossrail train driver.

The 27-year-old admits she didn’t have any idea where she wanted to buy a flat or if she would ever be able to save enough to put down as a deposit.

To give her the best possible chance of boosting her savings she is living at home with mum and dad in Iver. It’s the village where she was born, brought up and has lived all her life. It’s paying off.

Back in February her dad spotted an ad for a collection of apartments being built by Howarth Homes opposite Iver station. The flats were priced from £249,995.

She reports: “I registered my interest on the developer’s website and then started getting weekly updates right up to the day the flats came on the market.

“A week or so before the launch date in March, details of a payment plan were outlined, ie an initial deposit of £2,000 to exchange on a property with further deposit payments staggered over two years leading up to the final instalment being paid when the flats are ready to move into.

“The staggered payment plan meant I was potentially in a position to seriously consider the possibility of buying one.”

To say she was excited is an understatement.

“Suddenly my dream of owning my own home was beginning to look it might become possible sooner rather than later. I sat down with my dad and we did some number crunching and worked out that as the deposit payments were staggered over two years, it allowed me enough time to save up the remaining funds I still needed.

“Once I decided to go for it and buy at the launch, I started to google ‘queuing for a property’ as I’d heard there might be queues.

“Then I read an article about a development in Hounslow where people slept overnight on the street in order to get their first home. It made me realise I was going to have to get there early.

“As it got closer to the date, I decided I would bite the bullet and head down to the launch the night before. My original plan was to arrive at 6pm, then I decided to make it a bit earlier - 5pm and then 3pm but when I woke up on Wednesday morning (the day before the launch) I just decided to head straight down there at midday. 

“I was determined not to miss out. I went fully prepared for a night camping on the street with my wellies and umbrella, two chairs and stacks of food. Luckily for me, when I turned up outside the launch venue, a kind lady from Howarth Homes invited me to come and wait inside. Huge relief!

“I am so glad I went as early as I did as literally an hour later the next purchaser turned up. He brought his laptop with him and worked through the afternoon and evening. Another four people turned up over the next few hours so there were six of us, all planning to sleep overnight to secure our place in the queue.

“We all had chairs in the waiting area, and Howarth gave us access to a washroom and a small kitchen to make drinks. During the evening they brought down some sofas for some of us to sleep on. I was lucky enough to get a sofa but sadly didn’t get a wink of sleep due the snoring around me. I drank a lot of coffee that night.

“I told my dad to come and join me in the queue a few hours before the sales launch started – it didn’t make sense for neither of us to get any sleep. So he brought more food with him on Thursday lunchtime.

“I was surviving on adrenaline – but the excitement of finally being able to potentially buy my own home was enough to keep me going.

“The whole process has been a crazy whirlwind. If someone said to me a month or two previously that in a few weeks’ time you will be buying your first home, I really wouldn’t have believed it. I’m still in shock now.

“Buying a new build home has so many benefits. Once finished it will literally be ready to move into, a blank canvas for me to turn into a home.

My new flat comes with a kitchen fitted with all the appliances including cooker, washing machine, fridge freezer etc. All I need to save up for is a sofa, bed and TV.

“I recently qualified as a train driver for the Elizabeth Line. Once Crossrail is up and running I will be based out of Maidenhead. My new flat at The Link is opposite Iver station so I’ll be able to travel to and from work easily.

“My dream of owning my own home is finally becoming a reality!”
Howard Homes head of sales Linzie Howland says Anasthasia paid £299,995 for a one bedroom flat with an estimated annual service charge of £1,042 per year.

“The Link was a superb investment opportunity for both owner occupiers and landlords. The anticipated rental yields are high due to the superb Crossrail rail services right on the doorstep plus with the new fast London train link due for completion at the end of 2019 and the homes ready early 2020, research shows there is also the potential for a rise in capital value prior to completion.”

* The ‘All Sold’ sign has gone up at the Iver deveiopment but 24 Howarth apartments in Northwood are coming on the market next weekend, June 23 and 24.

The Silverwood site is less than a mile from the underground station. The one, two and three-bedroom flats will be grouped in three buildings. The spec includes a fully fitted kitchen with Siemens oven, microwave and hob.

There will also be a fridge/freezer, dishwasher and undercounter wine cooler. Some flats will have a washer/drier in a separate laundry cupboard, others will have the washing machine in the kitchen.

Prices at Silverwood start at £399,995. For more details call the sales team on 01923 775577.