Letter: Property watch

YOU report that Scottish second-time buyers are facing the least favourable financial conditions to move up the property ladder, while in the same edition you quote research from website

InvestorBee which indicates that first-time buyers will need 17 years to save a deposit to enter the property market, (Consumer Watch, 17 December).

I must be living on a different planet than these researchers. My business covers the domestic conveyancing market throughout Scotland, and our experience over the past year is that in virtually every district in the country homes big enough to have a family can be purchased for less than £120,000. First-time buyers are picking up two-bedroomed flats and terraced houses for about £60,000 to £80,000 with deposits as low at £3,000.

Current home sellers may expect less for their homes than what they might have achieved three years ago, but invariably what they lose on the swings they will gain on the roundabout when they purchase.

It has always been the case that many homebuyers have had to purchase in areas which might not have been their first choice. Scotland is blessed with good quality housing at affordable prices in attractive communities with low crime rates and excellent educational and health facilities.

People just have to open their minds and eyes to what is available rather than have their worst fears reinforced by research which provides no useful impetus to the economy.

Graeme McCormick

Conveyancing Direct

The Salmond Chambers

Morrison Street, Glasgow