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A Newport resident is starting the new year in a new home, thanks to the Newport City Living affordable home ownership scheme.
Carol Thomas moved into her brand new house on the Celtic Gate development in Langstone just before Christmas and saw in 2007 in the comfort of her new surroundings.
Carol purchased her two-bed detached home on Celtic Gate through Newport City Living, the scheme operated by all housing organisations in Newport including Fairlake Properties (part of the Seren Group).
Newport City Living aims to provide more affordable housing in the City and was developed to help those who cannot afford a 100% mortgage to become homeowners.
Carol, a PA & Training Coordinator for a Cardiff-based charity, heard about the scheme when she started looking for a property last summer having recently moved out of the home she had shared with her husband.
She said: “When I knew I needed to find a home for myself and my son I started to speak to financial advisors and mortgage providers, but house prices in Newport were going through the roof and there was absolutely nothing in my price range. Then someone suggested I look at housing organisations to see if they could offer any assistance in helping me buy my own home. That's when I found out about the Newport City Living Scheme.”
Carol registered with the Newport City Living Scheme through Fairlake Properties, and soon started to receive calls alerting her to suitable properties.
“I received a letter from Fairlake in August when they told me about a few houses that would be available on the Celtic Gate development. Although I knew work hadn't got underway I was so keen to see the development I went down that night and had a look at the site. It seemed ideal – it was in Newport, in my price range and a really nice development. I just thought 'I can't go wrong here' so I phoned Fairlake the following day and they told me I just needed to send over a holding cheque to reserve a property, which I did immediately!”
Carol reserved a two bed detached property on the development, complete with its own garden.
Pam Robson, Sales & Property Manager at Fairlake said: “A large increase in house prices over the last three years has resulted in many prospective purchasers experiencing difficulty buying their first home. However home ownership schemes like Newport City Living can go a long way in bridging this gap. We want to reach out to those people who are not actively house hunting because, like Carol, they wrongly believe they can't afford to.”
She continued, “Newport City Living is a fantastic opportunity for both first time buyers and those trying to get back onto the property ladder. We are working closely with both our local authority partners and national house builders to help bring even more affordable housing into the area, and the good news is that plenty more will be coming available this year.”
Carol, her 17-year old son Kyle, and their dog Digby moved into their new home just before Christmas.
“The last few weeks in our new home have been wonderful and for the first time in years I had a really lovely Christmas”, said Carol. “This is the first time I've actually owned my own home and I'm really looking forward to the year ahead.
“We've been living at my parents in between the sale of the old house and moving here and living out of suitcases was difficult. Buying a house is a complicated process but the end result has been worth it. We've got a really lovely home and I feel so relaxed here. I really didn't think I'd ever be able to afford somewhere like this.”
Fairlake Properties is part of the Seren Group - one of Wales's largest housing and care providers - and has helped more than 900 people get on to the property ladder through a number of schemes since its launch in 1995.
If you would like to hear more about Newport City Living contact the Sales & Property Management Team on 01633 233876, email affordable.housing@fairlake-properties.co.uk or visit www.fairlake-properties.co.uk | 
