My story
It took me about five years to save up the deposit for my first home. When you're buying on your own, it's so hard to save as you still need a social life! It helped that I was renting my mum's house at a low rate after she moved in with her husband, and eventually I could start house hunting with an initial budget of around £130,000.
My dream was to buy a small house with a garden for my dog, Betty, but it was a struggle to find anything after the Covid price boom. After looking all over West Yorkshire, a friend at work told me about a new development in Wakefield. Although a two-bedroom terrace cost £170,000, the Help-to-buy scheme made it more affordable. It meant I could get an interest-free loan to cover part of
