18/3/2008

The Mouthpiece

Stumbling onto the property ladder

I FEEL like a weight has literally been lifted off my shoulders this week after finally moving into my new flat.

As first time buyers, my boyfriend and I, like thousands of other twenty-somethings trying to get a mere toe on the property ladder, have not only had to deal with the stress of the actual sale but also coming to terms with the hefty mortgage repayments that lay ahead.

Despite being the Surrey Advertiser’s Property Editor, I was dumbstruck by just how much the moving process actually costs - solicitors' fees, surveys, environmental searches, stamp duty - and that is before you have even moved in. Well there goes all our savings.

Deliberating over buying the property through a shared ownership scheme, we decided against it because after slaving away to afford to pay the mortgage we just wanted to own the whole flat ourselves.

Thankfully my parents were in a position to help us out with a deposit, which was fantastic.

But after all those years of depending on my parents it seemed wrong that once again I was forced to fall back on them for help.

I know I am one of the lucky ones though, what about all those people my age whose parents can’t afford to donate them money?

Read more of Lauren's blogs here.

First printed in: Surrey Advertiser Online