Head start helps young people onto property ladder

Barratt was able to give one young couple a head start onto the property ladder when they took advantage of the developer's first time buyers scheme at Citigait in Portsmouth.

Jessica Goodwin (20), who is studying Sociology and Psychology at Portsmouth University, recently moved into a two-bedroom apartment at the development with her partner Chris Bell (23), a chef. They are among the first residents to move into homes at Citigait.

"We took advantage of Barratt's ‘Head Start' deal and, with my father's help, were able to secure a mortgage and buy our first home," said Jessica. "It's a great scheme for people like us as it lowers the asking price considerably, although we still own 100 per cent of the property."

"We love our new home - it's really spacious and comes with two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a beautiful kitchen and a lounge," she continued. "I also work in a restaurant and the apartment is conveniently placed for work as well as the university. It's really great."

Barratt sales director Mark Docherty added: "Our current scheme Head Start, allows first-time buyers to secure a mortgage for 85 per cent of the total property price while Barratt finances the remaining 15 per cent for up to 10 years.

"We know that first-time buyers are facing real affordability issues, and Head Start is tailored exclusively to help them get onto the property ladder by making home ownership as affordable as possible."

Citigait is a stunning gated development of one and two-bedroom apartments in the centre of Portsmouth. Current availability includes one-bedroom apartments priced from £149,995 and two-bedroom apartments priced from £196,995.

The development is located close to the main shopping centre in Commercial Road and is just a short walk from Portsmouth Harbour Station, which offers a regular train service to London Waterloo.

The maritime city of Portsmouth is an exciting place to live. It offers a potent blend of history, culture and leisure activities - including the historic dockyard with its Royal Naval Museum and the Gunwharf Quays leisure complex.

The city also boasts excellent transport links - it is close to the M27 and M3 motorways and Southampton Airport Parkway is a short drive away.

For further details, log on to Barratthomes.co.uk.