“I had looked into keyworker schemes some time earlier, but because I was still training, I was not eligible. When the opportunity to live on my own came up again, I had qualified and decided to have another go,” explains Zoe.

She approached Hertfordshire HomeBuy agent Lea Valley Homes for initial advice and then an Independent Financial Adviser who gave her the news she was hoping for - there was a good chance she would qualify. Looking at the options available, she decided the Expanded Open Market HomeBuy product offered her the flexibility and value for money she required.

She started to look around at properties in Hemel Hempstead, as this was a good location from which to travel to work and was more affordable than other areas such as Watford. “This flat was the first one I viewed and I knew it was the one I wanted. The owners were prepared to accept an offer from me even though they were aware I still needed to go through the process of getting a mortgage offer.”