20 QUESTIONS
Lisa Westerman is the Director of Lisa Westerman Consultancy and LWC Sales & Lettings. Lisa and her team run a sales and marketing consultancy and property sales business. Lisa is an ambassador for shared ownership, providing a range of professional consultancy and property sales services to the housing industry, supporting housing associations, local authorities and developers to shape and deliver their housing programmes go in. I have lived in my current home for two and a half years! Shocking I know. Would you rather live in the bustling city or in the country? I love to visit a city but I could never live in one. My heart and happiness is being close to the countryside. If you were buying overseas, in what country would you buy? I love Italy so Florence would be my choice. I also love North Wales and we have a chalet in Abersoch so a cottage in the future would be ideal. Coastal walks with the dogs is where I’m happiest. Would you rather have a bigger property or a better location? Location, location, location. Having said that, I've learned over the years that communities stick together and we experience on a daily basis families coming back together, and couples/families desperate to buy homes in locations which aren’t always the most desirable. A property can be anywhere, but home is often where your family is. What is one thing you couldn’t live without at home? My home office. It’s where my businesses run from. What’s your favourite way to unwind at home after work? Eating together in the kitchen, chatting and catching up about our day. What’s your favourite thing about your home? Our garden, it’s so private and I love sitting with a cup of tea on the patio, listening to nature. Where did you buy your first home? On a high street, in a village in Greater Manchester. I live just a mile down the road from the same place. Me and my husband bought our two bedroom cottage with a communal garden. We loved that house. Lots of old features. We used to spend hours cleaning the brass sinks to make them shine and we aired our laundry on an old-fashioned lath pulley rack. I wish I still had one. What advice would you give a first time buyer? Get some financial advice to see what you can afford to buy, check your credit score, pay any loans/credit cards on time (don’t fall into arrears) as this is so important to be able to secure a mortgage in the future. Shared ownership is a fantastic opportunity for buyers looking to buy their first home sooner with less deposit. We come across families on a daily basis who are stuck in unsuitable private rented accommodation and the scheme
What room at home is your favourite? Definitely the kitchen/day room which is where everybody gets together. It’s the heart of our home. You won’t find me cooking much in there but it’s a great sociable space and where you’ll usually find the sausage dogs, Honey and Florrie, and everybody wants to hang out with them! What’s your favourite gadget or technology at home? A bit anti-social I suppose, but the electric gates. You can choose who comes to the front door and help prevent unwanted visitors. What colour do you think everyone should have in their home? I really love neutrals and accent colours can freshen up this look to suit different seasons. However, I really love navy and this looks fantastic in a kitchen mixed with whites/greys. I also love greens, especially pale sage green. This can be calming in bedrooms. Which three people would you invite over for a housewarming party if you could have any guests? Some of Manchester’s funniest including Jason Manford, Peter Kay, Caroline Aherne (RIP). I absolutely love live comedy and could you imagine them in your home? How amazing! What’s your favourite memory from your childhood home? Playing in the garden or the street with my sister on our roller boots or my Grifter bike.We used to have birthday parties in the garden too. Fresh air and freedom to play is what I remember fondly. What is your favourite song and why? Never Tear Us Apart by INXS. It still makes me emotional after decades of listening to their music. I went to watch the band at a small Manchester venue in 1987 with my whole family. Their music is still amazing and timeless. It always features on my playlist. Would you rather have a garden or a balcony? Definitely a garden. I love hearing the birds and wildlife. We are surrounded by woodland so we get foxes and deer in the garden. Do you prefer modern homes or period properties? I’d say modern homes on the whole, although I love an old cottage too. Large open-plan spaces, tall ceilings, modern kitchens and bathrooms are appealing to me. Would you rather have a library room or media room at home? Definitely a media room. An hour at the end of the day watching a film on a large screen is a way for me to zone out. Would you prefer a luxurious bathtub or a sumptuous shower? A sumptuous shower every time. I have the most amazing bathroom at home with a luxurious bathtub which I have yet to 20 QUESTIONS Lisa Westerman
literally changes lives for some households. What are your views on shared ownership?
It’s a fantastic scheme. For many, it means getting on to the property ladder earlier due to the smaller deposit and income required to purchase. It suits a range of customers in varying circumstances from young professionals to older households that are coming out of a relationship or downsizing. The scheme is bridging the affordability gap more than ever. What are your views on the housing market at the moment? Interest rates are starting to fall to a more comfortable level and buyers are returning to the market with more confidence. With the overall year for open market expected by most economists to remain reasonably flat in terms of growth, shared ownership demand is on the increase. We consistently see demand levels far exceeding supply across our shared ownership sales programme.
lwcl.co.uk
106 First Time Buyer April/May 2024
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