Island Life Magazine Ltd November/December 2005 | Page 52

PROPERTY FEATURE

Barratt fixes it
for first time
buyers

The exciting new Marlborough Road development in popular Ryde
has a selection of stylish brand new homes that offer superb
value for money in one of the UK's most expensive regions.
Many first time buyers have been pushed out of the market, resulting
in the island's younger residents either putting off buying a home of
their own or heading across the water to the main land to find more
affordable properties.
However the one and two bedroom homes at Barratt Homes,
Southampton's latest Isle of Wight venture come with the promise of
incredible offers that could be the answer to first time buyers'
problems.
Mark Cutler is one buyer that has already benefited from such an
offer;
"After being knocked back by other house builders I was on the
verge of giving up," said 27 year-old Mark Cutler. "They told me I
couldn't afford any of their properties," he added.
Barratt's Parent Support scheme helps first time buyers get on to the
first rung of the ladder. Mark had been looking for over 12 months at
new build and older properties but nothing was within his budget.
The scheme works by using the equity held in the parent's home as a
guarantee against the new property.
"My parents needed no convincing, they wanted to see me investing
in my future rather than wasting money on rent. That's what they
said anyway, maybe they were just keen to get rid of me," he jokes.
Barratt have also provided me with kitchen appliances and carpets
throughout," says Mark. "I'm now in a position I thought I would

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never get to, living in my own brand new home, with comfortable
mortgage repayments"
Mark is joined by many other young people that thought owning
their first home was a distant dream but proven wrong thanks to
Barratt Homes.
If a first time buyer does want to go it alone then Barratt Homes
have other deals that can also help.
Hamble Le Rice in Hampshire, like much of the Isle of Wight, is a
highly popular sailing spot and has seen house prices rocket in
recent years. Kate Silvers, 26, has always wanted to live there, but
being such a desirable area, first time buyers like Kate can find
buying a property extremely difficult.
Kate found a stunning new apartment which she could afford thanks
to Barratt Home's fantastic 'First Time Buyers' package which included
payment of stamp duty, legal fees, survey fees, removal costs as well
as a 5% deposit paid. Barratt Homes also have a panel of solicitors
for you to choose from and free mortgage advice from one of a
number of independent advisors.
"I never thought I would be able to afford a home like this. The First
Time Buyers package from Barratt Homes is so good that a couple of
my friends are now looking to buy an apartment with Barratt!"
Barratt Homes have a number of different purchase packages aimed
at making the buying process as easy and manageable as possible for
any house hunter and tailored to meet a variety of different needs.