Where next

January 2019: Melissa (25) and George (26) have lived local to Leighton Buzzard all their lives and were keen to stay in the area to be close to friends, family and work. After living with their parents, they decided to rent together in Hockliffe but were keen to get on the property ladder and had their hearts set on one place.  

Melissa comments, “Having lived around Leighton Buzzard all our lives, we know the area really well. We had heard that some new homes were going to be built on the former RAF Stanbridge base and started to do our research.  We couldn’t believe it when we discovered that the new homes would be in our price range so we were determined to get there first and find out more”.  

Southern Home Ownership is bringing an educational Road Show to their Brighton development – Artisan – on Saturday 19th January, giving local first time buyers the opportunity to explore the affordable home ownership scheme available on their doorstep. The free event will provide key information about Shared Ownership, dispelling myths about the scheme and helping local residents understand the process clearly. 

Leading Northamptonshire housebuilder Barratt and David Wilson Homes is encouraging homebuyers in the area to consider becoming part of a brand new community at its Bertone Manor development in Hanwood Park.

The stunning development, which is located on Warkton Lane and part of the East Kettering Sustainable Urban Extension, will have something for everyone once finished.

The range of one to five bedroom homes will be surrounded by beautiful countryside and benefit from a host of onsite amenities.

Ruban Selvanayagam and James Durr are founders of Property Solvers, a quick house buying company and express estate agency operating across the UK. Here, they offer advice on honing your mortgage application skills… 

How do you know if the mortgage you're about to secure is the cheapest available? 

With 100's lenders to choose from, all with different rates and terms, trying to find the best mortgage can sometimes feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. 

Below are some quick tips on finding a good deal as a first-time buyer...

Bringing modern Shared Ownership homes to a South East London area steeped in history, L&Q is launching a brand new development in the London Borough of Bexley.

On the grounds of the former Riverside Swimming Baths in the heart of Erith town centre and with views of the River Thames from the upper floors, Erith Baths will comprise 44 one and two bedroom apartments and four bedroom houses, all of which will be available to purchase through L&Q’s Shared Ownership programme.

The ideal ‘forever home’ for a resident in the East Midlands is a four-bedroom, detached house in the country, worth £395,745 – and just down the road from the kids, it has emerged.

A detailed study also found that we hanker after a property with a driveway, a play room – and somewhere to hang the washing.

Other must-haves include a large kitchen and breakfast room, an ample lounge, utility room and dining room.

A double garage and conservatory are also essential, as is a study and cloakroom. Ideally, we want to live in a location just 9.2 miles from the office.

Good transport links and a pub within a mile and a half are also vital elements.

House prices are high, wage inflation is low and rents are amongst the most expensive in Europe. It’s no surprise that we are seeing an increasing number of parents helping their sons and daughters to buy their first home.

Boosting your child’s deposit is vital to helping them get a more affordable mortgage rate. Getting a mortgage with a 5% deposit is difficult and still relatively expensive even with 10%.

So what are your options when helping your children onto the property ladder?

Gifted Deposits

The most common way we see parents helping their children to buy is by simply giving their children money towards part/all of the deposit, this is called a ‘Gifted Deposit’.

Research the location

In a recent Daily Mail survey, 58% claimed the location of their new home is what made them fall in love with the property. Whilst location is consistently top on the list of home buyer priorities, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look around at other properties in similar or ‘less desirable’ areas in order to form an impression of what is available for your budget.

If you have an area chosen, do your research. Go visit at different times of the day/week, visit the surrounding areas, visit the local shops, try the local restaurants etc… areas may be quiet during the week but an active social hub during the weekends. You will be living there a long time, make sure the day to day works for you.

Buying a house is one of life’s biggest milestones, one which is usually very carefully considered. However, recent research1 has revealed that most of the nation’s property purchases are based on just a “feeling.”

A new survey of nearly 2000 British homeowners by leading house builder Redrow, has found that the main emotional reason behind our property purchases is “it had to feel right.”

Surprisingly, over a third (38%) make their decision with no influence from family or friends and only 10% say they wanted their mum and dad to like it.

However, old-fashioned and traditional family values do still stand, as over a quarter (26%) of Brits say they chose a house where they could imagine raising a family.