The best first-time buyer homes on the market in Scotland right now

Trying to get on the property ladder can seem like a daunting prospect for first-time buyers, but there are affordable homes out there- from help to buy schemes to properties under £100,000

Help to buy new-build homes

Picture: Barratt Homes

It’s no surprise that so many young people are opting to be part of Generation Rent, with research from Nationwide Building Society showing that first-time buyers typically save for eight years to buy a home, with the average UK deposit £20,000.

But for those determined to become homeowners, the Scottish Government Help to Buy scheme is one way to bring buying a property into reach, but it won’t be offered forever.

This may be the last year that Help to Buy will be available and while April sees the next tranche of funding released, the total amount of money available is finite and the last application date for taking advantage of the scheme is likely to be 28 February, 2019.

Help to Buy is available on new-build property offered by approved developers and priced at under £200,000.

To pay for the property, you need at least a 5 per cent deposit, the Scottish Government will take a 15 per cent equity stake and cover that percentage of the purchase price, and a mortgage covers the remaining 80 per cent.

Picture: www.walkergroup.co.uk

In practice, at Walker Group’s The Braes in Falkirk for instance, buyers of the Albury house type priced at £180,000 need a deposit of £9,000 with the Government’s stake in the property equivalent to £27,000.

Picture: www.walkergroup.co.uk

Buyers then need to borrow £144,000 from a mortgage provider.

Picture: Barratt Homes

First-time buyers in Renfrew are being helped onto the property ladder by a combination of Help to Buy and an added 5 per cent deposit contribution from Barratt Homes.

Current renters can now purchase a home at Waterside @ Ferry Village, with mortgage repayments lower than local rents.

Barratt West Scotland sales director Estelle Sykes says: “The Help to Buy scheme is a great enabler for first-time buyers in Scotland to get a foot onto the property ladder.

"The affordability at Waterside @ Ferry Village is a prime example of ‘Why rent when you can buy?’ ”

The Renfrew development has a collection of two-bedroomed apartments and three and four-bedroomed townhouses with prices starting from £139,995.

Picture: Barratt Homes

The additional deposit contribution is available on selected plots. Priced at £139,995, the Help to Buy equity share would be £20,999, the buyer would need a deposit of £7000, Barratt Homes would contribute £7000 and the remaining mortgage amount would be £104,996.

The monthly repayment on a fixed rate mortgage is estimated to be £326 – lower than monthly rents in the area.

Picture: Taylor Wimpey

Taylor Wimpey West Scotland has launched its final development of new homes for sale at Walker’s Grove, off John Walker Drive in Kilmarnock.

Walker’s Grove offers a wide range of two, three, and four-bedroomed homes in a variety of styles.

Picture: Taylor Wimpey

Prices start at £122,000 for the Andrew two-bedroomed semi-detached and go up to £200,000 for the Fraser four-bedroomed detached, which means that Help to Buy will be available on all homes initially released for sale.

At Barratt Homes’ Allan Park development, in the coastal suburb of Cove in south-east Aberdeen, less than half of the homes originally on offer now remain, such has been the popularity of Help to Buy.

Picture: Barratt Homes

Enjoying a prime position, Allan Park gives residents spectacular sea views along with easy access to the heart of the city.

The two-bedroomed Forbes 2 house type offers versatile space with a large lounge, an open-plan kitchen and dining area and two double bedrooms.

Picture: Barratt Homes

Prices start under the Help to Buy threshold, at £194,995.

Meanwhile, the second phase of Bancon Homes’ Oaklands development in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, has beenlaunched.

Available to buy off-plan now are 12 two-bedroomed apartments positioned in the heart of the development.

Picture: Bancon Homes

Set across three floors, the eight apartment styles are designed to maximise space with a contemporary open-plan living and kitchen area.

Picture: Bancon Homes

Prices for the two-bedroom flats at Oaklands start at £194,995.

And there's a free bottle of special gin for any new buyers, now there's a deal.

Cheap properties for sale now

If you'd rather own the entire property and you're not in the market for a house then there are a range of flats in Scotland for under £100,000.

Picture: Zoopla

This one-bedroom flat in Garnethill in Glasgow is a great buy thanks to its location - close to the city centre and the west end.

On the market with Aberdein Considine for offers over £100,000, the property is an attractive proposition for a first-time buyer.

Picture: Zoopla

If you'd prefer to be in the city then this studio on Sauchiehall Street is a bargain at a fixed price of £94,995.

Located within the iconic Art Deco Beresford building, the studio is decorated to a high, modern standard, meaning the new owner could just move right in.

Over in Edinburgh, this studio tenement flat is on the market with Mov8 for offers over £96,000.

Picture: Zoopla

Located in Canomills, the ground floor flat is also very well presented and decorated in a contemporary style.

Dundee is an attractive city for first time buyers as you can get a lot more for a smaller budget.

This two-bedroom flat is on the market with McEwan Fraser Legal for offers over £65,000.

Picture: Zoopla

Located on Erskine Street, just a short walk to the city centre, the flat would be ideal for a first time buyer who wants to put their stamp on the home.

Picture: Zoopla

There's also a two-bedroom house for sale with emoov for the same price - offers over £65,000

Words: Kirsty McLuckie and Rosalind Erskine