It Takes Two: Siblings find new homes at Walthamstow development

A pair of siblings have found their dream homes at the same new development – The Chain by L&Q in Walthamstow.

Patritsiya Gerovska and Ivan Gerovski had been living in Haringey North London, Patritsiya with their parents and Ivan in a rental property, before starting their property search.

Patritsiya explains how it happened. “Funnily enough, I wasn’t actually looking to move myself”, she comments, “I was going to viewings on behalf of my brother, Ivan, whilst he was working. It was only when I visited The Chain and saw the quality, style and affordability of the apartments there that I thought “wow, maybe this could be for me too” – I actually put an offer in on the day, I loved it so much! My brother and family were shocked, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity!”

With his sister having reserved a one-bedroom apartment at The Chain, Ivan was eager to follow suit. After managing to save more towards a deposit over the following months, he was able to afford a two-bedroom home of his own.

He recalls, “I kept looking at different places after my sister had reserved as I always wanted to fully explore my options and see whether there were any other properties that I liked, but it turned out that there was nothing better on the market than L&Q’s homes that I’d seen at The Chain. The finish of the apartment was exceptional, compared to other developments.”

Once he had made up his mind, Ivan was relieved to learn that there were still apartments available at The Chain.

Reflecting on his buying journey, he recalls, “Buying your first home is challenging, but the L&Q team were very understanding and helpful. At the time, the Bank of England kept increasing interest rates, which meant my sale almost fell through twice due to changing financial requirements. However, L&Q were able to support me and push the sale over the line– it was great customer service, and their communication was excellent throughout. Now my mortgage is just a few hundred pounds more than the monthly rent I was paying for a one-bedroom rental home, and I have two-bedrooms and two bathrooms!”

Also drawn to the high-quality spec of L&Q’s apartments at The Chain, Patritsiya explains what convinced her to reserve a home at the development.

“I fell in love with the show home,” she says, “the layout of the open-plan kitchen with the integrated appliances was really great and big in comparison to other apartments I had seen. Also, the balcony was huge which also unusual for a one-bedroom place. It felt like effort had really been put into the design of the development – especially with storage. I have a LOT of clothes and I collect shoes, so I knew the apartment would be perfect for me when I saw the two huge cupboards – plenty of space for all my trainers and high heels!”

In the year since his sister moved to the development, Ivan has enjoyed exploring the Walthamstow area, and explains his favourite things about the neighbourhood.

“Having lived in North London for a long time, I’d seen Walthamstow grow into a very trendy area, especially for young professionals. It’s really entrepreneurial and there are lots of cool pop-up places, wine bars, the Sunday social market and a variety of independent restaurants – we’re massive foodies so this was really important.”

“The transport links are also excellent,” adds Patritsiya, “St James Overground Station and Walthamstow Central Underground, which is serviced by the Victoria Line, are both a short walk away. This makes it quick for me to get to Liverpool Street where my office is. I can also easily reach Oxford Circus and Shoreditch to see my friends. And, amazingly, a new Soho Theatre is going to be opening soon, so we won’t even need to travel to see West End shows and musicals!”

Since moving to The Chain a year ago Patritsiya explains what she’s enjoyed most about life there so far. “I didn’t know Walthamstow very well before I moved here, and it’s been so nice discovering the facilities and green spaces nearby like the Walthamstow Wetlands.”

Reflecting on their experiences as first-time buyers, Patritsiya concludes, “it was a really positive experience with L&Q. I want to thank Etienne from the sales team who was really responsive and supportive for my first experiencing buying a home. I’ve loved making the space my own – mainly by copying the show home!”

“The experience with L&Q was great,” Ivan echoes “I’m looking forward to getting properly settled into life in Walthamstow and it will be so nice having my sister so close by again!”