New website for first time buyers
07.06.2007
A New website has been launched to help people who cannot afford to purchase a home outright and first time buyers get on the property ladder.
The new site, www.hightownhomes.com, allows visitors to view new affordable homes for sale under the shared ownership scheme across Hertfordshire.
The Shared Ownership scheme, also known as HomeBuy, is an alternative to renting a home or buying a property outright. It helps people who want to buy a home of their own but cannot afford to do so.
Through Shared Ownership it is possible to buy a share in a property (50%) and pay rent on the remaining share. The total costs of rent and mortgage payments will be lower than the cost of buying the same home outright. In the future you have the option to buy additional shares.
Hightown Homes is a trading name for the shared ownership section of Hightown Praetorian & Churches Housing Association (HPCHA). HPCHA is a regional housing association operating principally in Hertfordshire and east Buckinghamshire providing a wide range of housing and support services for families and single people including people with special needs. HPCHA is a charitable association aiming to help people who cannot afford to buy or rent housing at market values.
In 2006 HPCHA was awarded funding from the Government to build 621 new affordable homes in Hertfordshire as part of the Housing Corporation's 2006-2008 programme - which was the largest allocation for any housing association in the sub region. A large percentage of these new affordable homes will be for sale under the shared ownership scheme.
The new website contains everything you need to know about shared ownership. It also lists all the homes currently for sale across Hertfordshire. The property pages on the site feature financial information, specifications, plans and room dimensions. The site also shows the schemes that are in the early stages of development allowing the user to register their interest.
Rob Andrews, Marketing Manager at HPCHA, said: “The site has been produced to help people find a new affordable home. With house prices increasing monthly across the county many people are taking advantage of the shared ownership scheme as a way of getting on to the property ladder.
“The site features all our current homes for sale along with the homes currently being developed - the website will be updated regularly so keep checking back for new homes.”
The site currently features homes for sale under the shared ownership scheme in Stevenage, Watford, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and Bushey.
Rob ended by adding: “If you are looking for your first home but can’t afford to purchase a home outright then visit the site. By submitting an enquiry form you could be a step closer to your first home.”
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