Is shared ownership a solution for first-time buyers

December 14, 2021

If you’re thinking about shared ownership, many drawbacks can make you change your mind about the idea, but it can also be a solution to you, especially if you are a first-time homeowner. It gives you the opportunity of taking out the mortgage on a share of the property as you can pay rent on the rest. It can also grant you the chance of lower-income households and the opportunity of getting the property ladder at a cost that is a bit affordable. The reasons below can help you consider shared ownership for your first purchase.

Staircasing

It can give you the opportunity of increasing the share of your property over time which can get done through the staircasing process. It means you can be buying the shares of your rented part from your housing association until you can own it all. Following the scheme’s changes, you will staircase a 1% increment.

Besides, you can consider the staircase to have full ownership of the property, and through this, you will just be paying the mortgage fee only. Also, payment of the additional shares, in this case, may depend on your home’s value during that time.

Easy to achieve full ownership

It can be the most crucial thing about Shared ownership houses because it is easier than full ownership. In case you need a smaller mortgage, it means the required deposit will also be smaller. So despite the rent and mortgage repayments being higher, the smaller deposit required can make things easier for you to achieve the target.

Security tenure

Compared to private renting, shared ownership gives you entire security tenure. All you need to do is make sure you’ve paid the mortgage repayments and rent, and you can stay at the property during your lease period. When the lease period ends, the leasehold may consider giving you an extension with the help of their housing provider.

Paying smaller deposits

The deposits here are much smaller because the mortgage may be smaller, and the deposit gets taken as the shared price percentage and not the ownership of the whole property. It would help if you remembered how you should afford the surveying and removal costs apart from the deposit.

You can buy the rest of the property

It can get done by increasing the property’s owned shares through staircasing. It can happen in cases where your circumstances improve, for example, if you get a good salary that can make you afford the mortgage or in instances where you’ve been able to acquire a lump sum that will help you buy more equity.

You can Own more

You have the advantage of buying other shares. In addition, when you fully staircase the home, you will not be required to pay rent as you will only be paying for the mortgage with other services. So, if you want to own more, it will be easier for you.

Conclusion

In sum, shared ownership gives excellent opportunities of getting to the housing ladder without necessarily saving up for more extensive deposits as the mortgage is not so restricted by the income you earn.

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