Buying your Home

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Buying your Home

The housing market has changed significantly in the last year. The recession has had an impact on development, house prices and the market has slowed. In addition the credit crunch has made it more difficult for young people in particular to get on to the housing ladder.

West Lothian is a great place to live and bring up a family and to work and set up a business. The area has a mix of new housing which complements the mix of existing property, which includes a large number of older-style private houses, former council homes, rural retreats and historic properties.

The market tends to be at its liveliest in major settlements such as Livingston, Bathgate, Broxburn and Linlithgow, but there are also plenty of properties to be found in quieter towns and villages.

First time buyers (new window)

The Scottish Government is committed to helping people on low to moderate incomes to meet their aspirations to become home owners, where that is sustainable for them. A low-cost initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) brings together several ways to help households get onto the housing ladder. These include:

the New Supply Shared Equity Scheme (new window) to allow first-time buyers to buy a new build property,
the Open Market Shared Equity Pilot Scheme to allow first-time buyers to buy a property on the open market,
Rural Home Ownership Grants (RHOGs): These are grants that help towards the costs of acquiring, building or renovating a home for people in rural areas who could not otherwise afford to buy.