Augusta, 31, and Georgia, 34, are best friends as well as loving, laughing sisters. And while they lead very different lives they are an enviable, constant support to one another. So it makes perfect sense that they are next-door neighbours, too.
Their parents had separated and when their mother sold the Victorian family home, she gave the sisters equal sums for their first-time buyer deposits. The pair bought neighbouring ultra-smart, new-build flats at Springfield Park by Weston Homes in Maidstone, Kent, moving in within three days of each other, one with a mattress and one with a bed, and sharing whatever was in their respective fridges.
Augusta works from home in banking for NatWest, while Georgia, who is senior British Airways cabin crew of ten years standing, covers routes including London to New York and London to Cape Town. ‘After a long flight I just want to come home,’ she says. ‘I love my flat so much.
‘I never used to feel like this when I rented, but now when I get back I don’t even want to go out.’ A little tiger-striped kitten agrees with her decision – and never misses a mealtime thanks to ‘auntie’ next door.
Always very sociable, Augusta has now caught the cosying-up bug, too, and with more time at home than her sister, she has finished furnishing her flat. The soft-grey wood-effect floors, Shaker-style kitchen, all the white branded kitchen goods – and much more besides – were included in the price but she has added a natural pale oak round table and chairs in the entertaining area, plus a large cream sofa complete with perfectly plumped-up cushions that divides the space to create a delightful leisure area facing the TV.
Georgia isn’t too far behind her sister in getting organised. She has a different-shaped living space to work with, as her flat comes with a balcony overlooking the main road, but both homes have two bedrooms. The sisters laugh as they confess they need the extra space for all their make-up, clothes and shoes.
MUM’S HELP WAS A LIFELINE
‘Without mum giving us help we could never have bought our own homes,’ says Georgia. ‘It would not have been possible to save the deposit and pay rent.’ During their home search, the sisters looked at properties in their chosen area, including other new-build apartments that were smaller and not as smart, she says.
‘Then we came to Weston Homes, which we loved but did not think they’d be within our budget. But we were amazed at how good the price was. They are so well fitted-out with the hi-tech taps, the instant hot water tap, massive amounts of storage and security gates to our parking area. And everything is well maintained.’
They bought in September 2024 and say the process was plain sailing. Thanks to their excellent Weston Homes sales office manager, they completed within a month. ‘It could not have been smoother,’ recalls Georgia, much impressed.
Springfield Park is an estate of 502 attractive one, two and three-bedroom apartments with roof terraces overlooking the River Medway and the Kentish countryside. Set in generous, landscaped grounds, these homes are in a super-convenient location that offers great rail and road links to London and its airports.
‘The roof terraces are great,’ says Georgia. ‘People have baby showers up there, or they work up there on their laptops with their coffees. When we arrived it was early autumn, so we used to have a few wines up there in the evenings.’
LOCATION, LOCATION…
These are Medway girls who know the area well and wanted to stay. ‘Location was important. We are ten minutes from the station and from town shopping.’ And as Georgia’s boyfriend Ben, from the Army barracks across the road, has now moved in with her, the local outside space is ideal for long walks with his labrador puppy, Coal.
The sisters clearly love being next-door neighbours and are thoroughly enjoying their new homes – and shopping to kit them out. ‘These flats just suit us,’ says Georgia. ‘Everything is taken care of. The building is maintained, they are cheap to run and easy to look after. We could never have coped with a Victorian house like our mum had.’
And, of course, their shared lives make those everyday essentials so accessible, such as the joint steam iron that currently resides in Georgia’s broom cupboard. Although the other night when Georgia had a girlfriend over for pizza she could not find her pizza cutter…
So just try next door!
Following incredible sales success, Springfield Park has now sold out. Our nearest development is Brentwood Central, where we have a range of brand-new one and two bedroom apartments from £240,000.^ For information on our other developments across London and the south east, click here.
