HomeHelp
You don't have to look too far to find the horror stories, from reports in the media about the credit crunch to the derelict toilet block in Fife, which sold for over £60,000. But that doesn't mean your dream home isn't out there and within your means. Karin Goodwin quizzes the experts for their top tips, as well as speaking to buyers who have come up with their own creative solutions to getting a foot on the property ladder. Elsewhere, Sarah Beeny gives wannabe developers the inside track and we suggest a cornucopia of interiors ideas to help you create the
perfect home. And for those who aren't ready to take
i the plunge, we present an indepth guide to renting.
22 THE LIST 8—22 May 2008
hough she may have started house- hunting before the credit crunch hit the headlines. it took a quick look at the property market to tell Michelle Davies. 2‘). a software engineer who had lived in a rented flat since arriving in Edinburgh from Australia six years earlier. that her budget of £8()—£l()().()()() was
not going to go far. But. having decided she
wanted to own a home. she rolled up her sleeves
and embarked on her search.
Most of the studio and one bedroom flats she
, saw were ‘pretty horrible‘ but others passed the test. Whenever she found somewhere she liked.
she would carefully work out her best offer and faithfully put in her bid. When the sixth offer was
unsuccessful. she started to lose hope. ‘I think the most depressing time was when I lost out by
just £600. which was pretty hard to take'. she says. But later. over commiseration drinks with
friend and former flatmate Gillian Blackburn. a
plan began to form. ‘I was having a moan about