Getting on the property market is a difficult task for first-time buyers today thanks to soaring house prices and rising mortgage rates. But one proven way that you can get a foot on the ladder quicker is through buying a doer-upper.
"Pretty much as soon as I finished university I wanted to get on the property ladder. I’d had pretty bad experiences with renting whilst at uni and all the delights of a student house so I thought I would much rather move back home, save up and then be able to buy my own house," she said. “We were looking to buy during Covid so as soon as restrictions lifted again we started looking around at different areas," Ellen said.
"Because there's just two of us we were only looking for a two-bed terraced house. We decided that we wanted a doer-upper and something that we could add value to. "It was the worst house on the nicest street. It was on an unadopted road which is quite secluded and feels a little country lane. In August 2020 the pair bought the two-bed terrace for £200,000 - which was below asking price and also below the couple's initial budget.
"We got the keys in January 2021 and then we moved in in the March. We had about eight weeks where we were here every night just trying to get at least one room in a liveable condition so that we could move in," she said. "But I think as we built up our experience and our skills, by the final room I felt like we’d got it nailed for exactly how we wanted it to look.
"From start to finish it took us two years and I’m really happy with how it looks now. We get so many compliments on it and it’s just a really nice place to be," she said.