With property prices continuing to soar and half of UK buyers reportedly being forced out of the market, buying a home has never been costlier or more nerve- wracking. But take heart, The List’s reporters have scoured the country and consulted the experts to come up with loads of innovative ways to buy a home. Over the next six pages Karin Goodwin and Shelley O’Neill dispel the myths, uncover the bargains and provide a wealth of top tips
uying property — the very words are enough to strike terror into your heart. Horror stories hang on every street comer. In Edinburgh a humble council
house in Stenhouse attracted 720 bids last :
month. while in Glasgow a one-bedroom flat recently went for 50% over the asking price.
The property boom that took hold in Scotland almost a decade ago has been unrelenting, with prices rising by 9% in the past year alone. In the capital. the price has nearly doubled since 2002. According to a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report produced in December 2006. 50% of first time buyers across the UK have been priced otrt of the market. With average prices of £229,600 in Edinburgh and £143.600 in Glasgow it’s easy to see why.
Set against this backdrop. what starts out for I
many as a hopeful hunt all too often tums into months of anxiety. disappointment and frustration — a battle with a seemingly unbeatable offers over system. fuelled by endless solicitor and surveyor fees.
But there are ways and means of taking the sting out of what is widely acknowledged to be
one of life's most stressful experiences. From .
lawyers and estate agents to architects and auctioneers to television property experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer. we’ve pumped those in the know for their hot tips. We‘ve also spoken to alternative homeowners across the country whose response to the property boom has been to
think creatively about what they could own. and j
where they could own it.
So. whether you’re looking for a starter flat i
PROPERTY SPECIAL
with investment potential, a smart city slicker pad, a country home for all the family. or even a
' houseboat. read on for inspiration.
Buy with friends
Buying property with friends is an option worth
considering if you are unable to afford a . mortgage on your own. Chris James. a 31—year— - old photographer, first tried to buy a flat in : Glasgow a couple of years ago. but gave up when he realised how little he could afford. ‘I
saw some terrible hell holes where you couldn't
, swing a cat.’ he explains. When even the grubby ' flats that initially appeared in his price range
were going for around 40% over the asking price. he called off the search.
Over a year later he discovered his friend Sarah was also struggling to afford her own home and the two decided to take the plunge together. After a brief and concentrated search they opted for a two-bedroom flat in Dennistoun in Glasgow‘s