First time buyer news: Kids open affordable housing scheme in Staffordshire

18-May-2006

An £800,000 affordable homes development in Staffordshire has been officially launched with colourful paintings from school children in the area.

To mark the opening of the scheme, pupils from the St Mary's School in Wheaton Ashton painted pictures of what spring means to them, reports the website 24-dash.

The winning design is expected to be used as a corporate greetings card by South Staffordshire Housing Association, which built the four three-bedroom and four-bedroom properties.

Aspiring first time buyers considering affordable housing options should work with a good mortgage broker.

"As Fritillary Row is named after a spring plant with a strong local connection, we thought it would be nice for youngsters to draw their impressions of spring," Debbie Elliott, chief executive of the housing association told the website.

She went on to say that the houses will provide much-needed affordable housing for the area and they have been designed to be in keeping with the village.

First time buyers can make buying a new home affordable through a 'gifted deposit' scheme whereby a deposit is not required just the cost of professional and arrangement fees of £5000

The project has been partly funded with £500,000 from the Housing Corporation, with the official launch being led by Councillor Mike Hampson, chairman of South Staffordshire Council.

Mortgage lenders have risen to the challenge of creating a growing number of options for first time buyers.

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