What I Own: I’m a property personal shopper — I bought my £442,000 Chiswick two-bed at 24

Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder.

This week, we’re in Chiswick, West London having a nose around Lexie Carducci’s two-bedroom flat. She bought the £442,000 home at just 24, having saved a 20% deposit.

She’s made a career out of the property world too, having ‘fallen’ into the industry after she started dating an estate agent when she first moved to London at 18.

Now, 15 years on, she describes herself as ‘property-obsessed,’ and works as a property personal shopper, content creator and presenter.

Here’s what Lexie had to say about her property journey…

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Lexie Carducci, I’m 33 and I’ve been a London gal for 15 years now after moving here when I was 18 from Devon.

I spend my days helping househunters find their dream homes as their property personal shopper; so I’m not an estate agent, I’m employed either directly by my house hunters or by companies who need to find homes for their employees who are being relocated to London.

I then have a development company with my partner based in West London where we flip properties, title split houses, reconfigure spaces, renovate and sell them on.

I’m also a property content creator and presenter working with developers, house builders, property and home exhibition shows, property magazines, first-time buyer hubs and property awards shows, to create content for or with them, showcasing homes and producing area guides.

When I’m not on a building site, filming for a property client or helping a house hunter, you’ll find me strolling along the river with my dog Bali and maybe stopping for an afternoon tea along the way.

Whereabouts is your property? What do you think of the area?

I currently live in Chiswick in West London, and I’ve been here for seven years after moving from Holland Park. I love the area so much that I moved from one home to another on the same street just 15 doors away. My next home which I’ll move into once the renovation is complete around the end of May is just two streets away, so I’m never leaving!

In Chiswick, you get the best of both worlds. It’s a speedy journey on the district line or from Chiswick mainline station into the city but it’s a very green area with the likes of Chiswick House and Gardens and the riverside walks.

You’ll always find me brunching in Megans or The Chiswick Fire Station. The Little Bird, Annie’s or The Hound are my go-to for cocktails and catch-ups with friends, and there are four fantastic pubs along the river.

When did you move in? 

I moved into this property nine years ago. It was the second place that I bought – originally as a flip, but I loved it so much I decided to stay. It’s a ground-floor, two-bedroom in a period conversion and it has direct access to a shared garden.

How much did your property cost? 

£442,000. I bought it in 2016.

How much was your deposit? 

I put in 20%, so £88,400.

What is the monthly cost of living here now; both mortgage and bills? 

I refinanced this property in 2018 for £575,000 after completing works on it. I now pay £2,400 per month for my mortgage. Bills include council tax which is £238 per month, gas and electric, which is £152, and water at £42 per month. There’s also a service charge of £60 per month, and I pay £35 for my internet and £8 for my CCTV/doorbell package.

Altogether that’s £2,935 a month.

How did you save up for your deposit? 

The deposit actually came from the very first property I bought which was a buy-to-let that I reconfigured from a one-bed to a two-bed and refinanced, pulling out all of my equity plus the value I had added, which gave me £130,000.

My very first mortgage came from savings and investments, and because I was working in property I knew a lot of developers. I used to invest any savings I had in their projects for a 10% ROI per annum, and I was investing about £5,000 a time – so although it didn’t give me lots of additional money, little bits definitely added up.

What was the process of getting a mortgage like for you? Did you find any parts challenging? 

This mortgage was actually pretty smooth sailing but my very first one was tough because I was trying to get a buy-to-let mortgage as a first-time buyer, which meant I was very limited with the number of lenders who would consider lending to me.

I have always worked with a mortgage broker on any of my property deals as I find they are the best to advise me based on my personal circumstances at the time and have access to lenders you wouldn’t find on the open market.

Can you share details on your mortgage (rate/term)? 

The current mortgage on this property is 5.12% is on a two-year fixed which comes to the end of the fixed period in August this year. To highlight how much things can change, when I first bought this property the rate was 1.97%.

Where did you live before this – were you renting or living with family? 

Before this, I was living in Holland Park in a rental flat with my partner. A huge part of wanting to move was because we wanted to get a dog and in our rental flat we had no outside space. 

What made you want to buy rather than rent? 

I loved where I was renting in Holland Park but after owning my buy-to-let flat for two years my plan was always to refinance it and pull out money to use as a deposit on something else.

When I came to see this flat after initially thinking it would be my second buy-to-let, I actually thought it was a perfect place to call home. I loved the street and the location and it had the potential to add value to it anyway.

How did you find this property? What made you choose it? 

I actually found this place through an estate agent but off-market. As a property personal shopper, I’m always speaking with estate agents to find my househunters a home – so I did exactly the same for my own search.

I very much would always buy the worst place on the best street rather than vice versa. I would call the local agents and they would tell me about things that were either on the market or coming to the market.

It also helped that when I initially registered my search I already had my Agreement In Principle and I gave them the details of my mortgage broker, a lender I had the AIP with and my solicitor and that I had my deposit already saved. This showed that I was ready to move quickly.

I chose this property because I could see its potential. It was originally a one-and-a-half-bed with a separate kitchen, and this made me think I could reconfigure it easily into a proper two-bedroom by moving a couple of walls around.

It also was the ground floor apartment that looked over the garden so it had the opportunity to create direct garden access which would also add value. 

How have you made the property feel like home? What’s the inspiration for your interior decor style?

This was a head-to-toe renovation, so we replaced the kitchen, bathroom, all the flooring, the doors, the radiators, and all the paintwork and added a single door out to the garden from the living room.

Because we added the kitchen into the living room, we created a bar area for people to sit and eat, and act as a separation between the kitchen and living space.

For this home, my interior style was leaning towards industrial, so I had an exposed brick wall created using brick slips along one wall in the living and kitchen space. We have industrial-style pendant lights above the bar, brushed chrome fixtures and fittings and bright yellow metal bar stools.

What’s your favourite room and why? 

My favourite room is definitely the open-plan living room/kitchen. I spend so much of my time in here and although it’s not a massive space, it reminds me of toy houses I used to play with when I was little, where the spaces were multifunctional and served different purposes.

I like being able to stir whatever is cooking on the hob while my boyfriend chops the greens on the bar. I have my little pink Roberts Radio playing good vibes and serving good looks, and then our sofa, which I describe as the Goldilocks sofa because it fits the space perfectly. It’s neither too big nor too small – it’s just right.

Do you feel like you have enough space? 

I think this flat has been really functional. Do I think it had enough space when I moved in? Yes. Do I think it has enough space now? Probably not, which is why I will shortly be moving just two streets away for more space.

This home, for me, has served its purpose. Saying that, it has always been slightly on the small side for a two-bedroom property, but what made it so appealing in the first place was the location.

Do you have plans to change the property?

I have no more plans to change the property, I think I have squeezed out all I can from it by the work I’ve already done including a full refurbishment, reconfiguring the space by moving walls to create a proper second bedroom and adding the door to give direct access to the garden.

Are there any problems with the property that you have to deal with?

There was once a leak on the flat roof above our living space (which was an extension by the previous owner) but because it’s share of freehold all of the freeholders had a responsibility to pay for the repair of the roof, even though it was only our flat that was affected.

There’s also a shared driveway and it’s kind of an unwritten rule that the two ground floor flats have a space each (although technically it’s first come first served) so my boyfriend parks on the drive but I park on the street.

What do you want people to know about buying a home? 

There’s so much I would love people to know about buying a home. I really do think it should be taught in schools and that’s something I’m striving to do through my content creation and presenting in the property industry.

Understand what you can afford first before you even start browsing the market and get yourself organised in terms of spending habits, saving for a deposit and having a good credit score before applying for a mortgage.

Then when it comes to searching, don’t just rely on the portals; be proactive. Pick up the phone with estate agents, and be the first person they will think of to call when the right thing comes across their desk.

View, view, view, even if there is something that doesn’t quite tick all the boxes. Go and view it anyway because the wild card option will often take you by surprise.

And don’t be afraid to negotiate. If you don’t ask you don’t get and the worst someone can say is no – but back up any price reduction with evidence of why you have made that offer.

What are your plans for the future, in terms of housing?

I’ve really enjoyed living here, and I’ve just got the keys to my next home. It’s a full renovation and I hope to have it ready to move into by the end of May. I’m so excited to see the vision come to life.

Shall we take a look around?

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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