My experience with Aster and my shared ownership purchase:

For years, my wife and I dreamt of owning our own place - a place we could actually call home. Over the past 6 years we’ve lived in four separate rental properties of varying quality and suitability, all whilst experiencing increasing rental costs year on year. Despite our joint salaries being sufficient to find us a suitable property in most areas of the country, to find a two bedroom home with a garden for our young daughter to enjoy within the local area of Surrey was seemingly impossible! We considered relocating but just couldn’t face leaving our loved ones behind. Here’s where shared ownership and Aster came in.

We had talked about shared ownership several times but never really gave it the consideration we should have. We’d heard there were pros and cons, but we needed to learn more so we could make our own decision. After learning more about the shared ownership model, both for new build properties and for re-sale properties, we concluded it was exactly what we needed to do to get our foot on the property ladder and live in a home we could be proud of, whilst remaining close to our families and loved ones. We began the property search, albeit with little success at first. Whilst we found a relatively good number of new build developments offering shared ownership, in nearly all cases the properties on offer didn’t quite the bill. Some of the stumbling blocks we found included:

-  Properties that felt ‘crammed` in to overpopulated, ginormous developments, often overlooking rows of similarly crowded properties

-  Properties that lacked a quality feel and were finished to poor standards

-  Small gardens that were little more than an afterthought

-  A HUGE amount of competition for reservations – often 10 or more viewings per property on an open day.

-  Housing associations placing a minimum share percentage of 50% due to the high demand.

On searching the web for any shared ownership opportunities we’d not yet discovered, my wife came across Aster’s website and an advert for 1215, in Lyne, Surrey. Excitement began when we viewed the renderings and in-progress photographs, but more so when we realised it was located within five miles of where we were living and a two minute drive from several family members and our daughters nursery. After registering our interest and waiting for the first allocation of properties to be released for reservation, we were contacted by Hope from the Aster Sales Team who kindly offered us the plot of our choice. After a few affordability checks, plot 7 had our name on it! (almost!). The next steps of obtaining the mortgage, instructing conveyancers, and everything else that goes with buying a property was made unbelievably easy both by Aster and the partnered companies they recommended. At no point during the process did I feel unsure of what was happening or confused as to what was to happen next – everything was taken care of in a friendly, efficient manner and it was not the stressed-filled process I thought a house purchase might be!

In August of 2025, only three or four months since first registering our interest, the day arrived where we collected at keys and began making our Aster house a home! Whilst we’ve only been in for a couple of weeks, we couldn’t be happier, and we know 100% we made the right decision. We have a beautiful home with a large garden for our daughter to enjoy. A elegant kitchen and huge bedrooms, and I even got a shed! (my favourite bit!)  The views from our back windows are stunning, overlooking the countryside , and our neighbors are all so friendly too. We can’t wait to put our own stamp on the interior in years to come and enjoy our first Christmas in our new home.

Thank you Aster for making our dreams come true!