Every year there seems to be another story in the press about an idyllic southern-European town where they’re selling beautiful old villas for €1 each. Most recently it was the town of Mussomeli in Sicily that started offering up dream properties for the price of a Mars bar. Is this too good to be true? Quite possibly.
The UK Government’s Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme has grown in popularity since it was first launched in 2013. The year 2018 proved it’s best yet, with a total of 52,057 new homes – an average of 1,000 homes per week - bought by Britons using the option.
You set out to buy a new home with a picture in your mind of exactly how you want it to be. But once you start the search, you find that you have to make compromises somewhere. This is a common situation, so when exactly should you compromise (or not)?
Taking place between 30 March and 7 April, English Tourism Week highlights some of the best destinations the country has to offer. While it’s great to discover new areas on a short break or day trip, for many people the ultimate dream is to own their very own permanent holiday home in one of these idyllic spots. Better still, a holiday home can also be a great investment. Not only can properties in popular locations increase in value significantly, but you can also gain additional income by renting them out as holiday lets when you’re not using them yourself.
Despite years of rising property prices, buying a home of your own is still something that many Britons consider to be an ambition they want to achieve. As reports regularly highlight the high and increasing cost of buying a home, it’s likely no real surprise to find that the average age of a first-time buyer in the UK has risen to 34, up from 28 just ten years ago.
The UK’s housing market has proven changeable in recent years. However, securing your hold on that first, or even the next rung of the property ladder, remains as tough as ever. At a time when prices are high and choice is often limited, it’s not always easy to get the home of your dreams on the first time of trying.
