Designing places for people

Hugo Owen 1 Comment

A blog by Hugo Owen, Marketing and Communications Executive

Have you ever wanted to understand what theories go into making a great place?

Most of us look at buildings and instinctively understand whether or not we like them. But when asked exactly what it is about the place that we like, it is sometimes harder to explain.

At Pocket Living, our design team has many years of experience in understanding exactly what it is that helps elevate our built environments. In this blog, I will outline a few simple design features that we tend to make great places.

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rising-cost-of-living

UK’s rising cost of living [and what it means for first time buyers]

Hayley Donigan Leave a comment

The UK’s rising cost of living has made for some alarming headlines, so it’s no surprise that it has sparked anxiety in many aspiring first time buyers.

But is it all doom and gloom? We’re going to demystify the UK’s recent interest rate increases and explain why now could actually be a good time to buy your first home.

It’s our job to get middle earning Londoners onto the property ladder, no matter how tough it is out there. Read on to find out why the rising cost of living shouldn’t deter you from becoming a homeowner.

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Pocket-eligibility

Pocket eligibility: Who’s eligible for a Pocket home?

Hayley Donigan Leave a comment

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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Design-mental-health

Interview with former Pocket resident and healthy buildings expert Ben Channon

Hayley Donigan Leave a comment

The way spaces are designed can have a huge impact on the mental health of the people that use them. Whether it’s having access to the outdoors or room to work from home, promoting wellness in our developments is top of our agenda.

To explore what it’s like to live in a Pocket home, we spoke to former Pocket resident Ben Channon about what makes a building ‘healthy’ and how we can improve the wellness of our residents. Ben works for a consultancy called Ekkist, which focuses on enhancing human health and wellbeing through design.

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Moving-Home-Broadband

Broadband and moving home in 2022

Hugo Owen Leave a comment

Approximately one million people are left without broadband for over a week when moving home. While that doesn’t sound very long, if you’re remote working, home schooling or stream your TV instead of watching live, a week can seem like forever!

A little forward thinking goes a long way to make the transition as smooth as possible, especially if you’re a first time buyer. Read on to find out all you need to know about broadband and moving home, as well as the service we provide in our homes at Pocket Living.

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First time buyer mortgage deposits: the ultimate guide

Hayley Donigan Leave a comment

Did you know that a deposit is the biggest thing you need to save for in the home buying process? This can seem a bit daunting if you’re a first time buyer, especially if you’re not sure how big of a deposit you need or how to save for a deposit.

We’ve put together the ultimate guide on first time buyer mortgage deposits to get you on your way to homeownership, written especially with middle income earners in mind. Covering why a deposit is so important and what to do if you haven’t saved enough, this guide will help you put together a plan for saving for your first home.

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Can a mortgage offer be withdrawn or extended?

Hugo Owen Leave a comment

Buying a home can be a daunting experience. The mortgage process is not only the most important thing to understand, but arguably the most confusing. That’s why we’re here to help you get to the bottom of your most pressing questions so that you can begin your first time buyer journey.

If you’re a first time home buyer looking to demystify mortgage offers, read on. This blog post will provide a whistle stop tour of everything you need to know about mortgage withdrawals and extensions.

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How to support homes being built in London

Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

We strongly believe that communities should have a say in the housing being built on their doorstep. Here at Pocket Living, we aim to build more homes that are actually needed, helping middle earning Londoners get onto the property ladder and put down roots in their local areas. A lack of affordable homes shouldn’t be the reason that people leave their communities, so we campaign every day to get permission to build more discounted homes across London.

What you may not realise is that we rely on the support of local communities to put through successful planning applications. If you live in a borough where we’re trying to build more discounted Pocket homes, your voice could have a big influence on whether we get permission to build.
With that said, it’s important to demystify how the planning system works so that you can understand how to support planning applications should you decide to do so.

Read on to find out how to support homes being built in London in a few simple steps.

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London boroughs ranked by accessibility

Hannah Godwin Leave a comment

The question of which borough is best for first time buyers is a hotly contested one. Affordability is undoubtedly an important factor, but so is the availability of local amenities and access to transport links. Where buyers choose to invest in their first home is one of the most important decisions they’ll ever make, so it’s crucial that the borough ticks all the boxes that matter most to them.

We conducted research to rank London boroughs by accessibility for city makers, taking into account annual house price growth, access to Cycle Superhighways and Green Flag parks and number of train stations and bus stops. Read on to find out which boroughs came out on top and why they stand out.

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