Credit union scheme answer for first-time buyers

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the East Kilbride News.

Owning your home is a dream for most people but the journey getting there is long and costly.

Never mind the decades of mortgage payments – just finding the deposit and getting onto the ladder is the hard part.

The increase in house prices and first-time buyers being expected to have deposits of between five and 10 per cent can mean buying a house feels out of reach for a number of individuals and couples.

But perhaps there is a solution for people in our area. East Kilbride Credit Union have embarked on a new scheme which has seen nine folk buy a property with a further 31 potential sales ongoing.

The organisation loans first-time buyers, who are members of the credit union, their deposit of up to £10,000.

The full story can be read across pages 4 and 5 of today’s paper where you will also find the words of East Kilbride couple Natalie Crooks and Kevin Docherty – for they are among those who have already enjoyed the scheme’s full benefits.

Maybe this could be the start of something bigger and provide an answer to the question being asked by first-time buyers across the land: How can we afford this?

Elsewhere in the paper, and on page 13 we speak to Avondale farmer Matt Brown to find out how the Beast from the East affected agriculture recently, particularly dairy farming.

Spring into spring by entering our EK, East Kilbride competition to win a £50 gift card. See page 16.

Schools have been busy rearranging World Book Day events – you can see the first batch of pictures from celebrations in our area on pages 34 and 35.