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Shared Ownership FAQs

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Does Shared Ownership mean sharing with someone else?

No – this is a common misconception but the ‘shared’ aspect of the scheme simply means you’re sharing ownership of your home with a housing association.

If you decide to buy a Shared Ownership home in Leighton Buzzard, you’re effectively purchasing a portion of your property. Your initial share will usually be between 25% to 75%, paying a mortgage on the part that you own and a below market value rent on the remaining share.

Can I ever fully own a Shared Ownership home in Leighton Buzzard?

Yes – Shared Owners can choose to buy additional shares in their property by ‘staircasing’.

When buying a Shared Ownership home, you will initially purchase a minimum percentage somewhere between 25% to 75%. Down the line, if you find that your financial circumstances have changed, buyers will have the option to buy more shares.

If you choose to buy a higher percentage, your mortgage repayments will increase while the rent you pay will decrease. In the majority of cases there aren’t any restrictions and you can buy 100% of your home – in this instance, you would become the outright owner.

Do I meet the eligibility criteria for Shared Ownership homes in Leighton Buzzard?

As a home-buying product aimed at helping those who can’t afford to purchase a property on the open market, there are certain requirements that buyers will need to meet to be considered eligible for Shared Ownership.

For example, there are caps on household income which means that you must earn less than £80,000 to be eligible for the scheme – or less than £90,000 if you would like to buy a home in London. The criteria also states that buyers must be at least 18 years of age and do not own another property either in the UK or abroad.

How much does Shared Ownership cost in Leighton Buzzard?

Shared Ownership properties enable you to put down a smaller deposit compared to those required on the open market – buyers will usually need to put down 5% to 10% of the share that they’re buying, rather than the full market value of the home.

On a monthly basis, buyers will be required to pay their mortgage, a subsidised rent and service charge on their home, however, these repayments often work out cheaper than or equal to renting privately in the same area. Other costs to consider when buying a home include solicitor and mortgage broker fees – you can find out more about these costs on Share to Buy.

Are there Shared Ownership homes in Leighton Buzzard?

Share to Buy lists thousands of Shared Ownership homes all across Leighton Buzzard and beyond – including new build properties and those available through resale.

Shared Ownership is available on a variety of homes including cosy studios, stylish apartments and traditional family homes. Check out our property search tool to start looking for your new home today!

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The steps to find your new Shared Ownership home

1
Research
We have a wealth of tools, FAQs, guides and blogs to help you understand your options
2
Search for a property
Find the right home for you in Leighton Buzzard and register your interest
3
Speak to the specialists
Contact a Mortgage Broker and Solicitor Panels to help you through the buying process

Find your home with Share to Buy

Learn more about the UK's leading first time buyer property portal, specialising in affordable home ownership options including Shared Ownership and Help to Buy
Start your search today
Who are Share to Buy?

Share to Buy is the leading online portal for Shared Ownership properties. Established in 2004 as the UK’s first specialist online mortgage broker for affordable home ownership products, the site has since developed into a one stop shop for first time buyers, offering the country’s largest listing of Shared Ownership homes from many of the UK’s biggest housing providers.

Why should I register with Share to Buy?

Share to Buy is the nation’s biggest and best established affordable home ownership property portal, making it the ideal website for first time buyers looking to take that first step onto the property ladder.

Using our property search tool, you can search for homes that suit your needs via filters such as location, number of bedrooms, monthly outgoings and deposit amount. You can also set up alert preferences so you’ll be notified when new properties that meet your search are announced by email.

Acting as a one stop shop for first time buyers, Share to Buy also offers handy FAQs and guides, interactive mortgage tools, mortgage broker and conveyancing panels, and live events to help potential purchasers on their home-buying journey.

Can I advertise my home on Share to Buy?

If you are a housing association or developer selling properties through Shared Ownership, Help to Buy and other affordable home ownership schemes, we can list your new build and resale homes on the Share to Buy property portal.

As well as working alongside Registered Providers, we also partner with private sellers who are looking to sell their current Shared Ownership home.

Find out more about advertising your Shared Ownership property on Share to Buy.

Shared Ownership Leighton Buzzard - Shared Ownership Properties for Sale in Leighton Buzzard - Share to Buy

Many first time buyers feel disheartened that the prospect of home ownership is out of their reach. Thankfully though, with Shared Ownership homes in Leighton Buzzard, that doesn’t have to be the case. They can help you take that vital first step onto the property ladder, just as Help to Buy homes in Leighton Buzzard can help buyers lay down roots in their dream location.

We make it so quick and easy to stay up to date with the latest Shared Ownership and Help to Buy properties in Leighton Buzzard. Simply sign up to Share to Buy and register to receive alerts when relevant properties are added to the market.

Just like the great railways for which Leighton Buzzard is known for, this town in Bedfordshire is one part of the UK that at once feels vital to its country’s progress into the future, as well as being an important part of its past. And we are not just talking about the Great Train Robbery here either.

Firstly, there are plenty more historical gems to be found in Leighton Buzzard. Indeed, even if you stuck purely to railways, you’d still find a wide variety of attractions to enjoy in that regard; this is especially true considering the town is home to the Leighton Buzzard Light, one of the largest narrow-Gauge railways in the world.

But there’s much more elsewhere too, like the Grand Union Canal and the All Saints Church, the beginning of the famous annual Wilkes Walk, which takes place on North Street on Rogation Sunday every year. There’s even a series of mysterious tunnels beneath the high street, believed to have originated from medieval times, although not that much is known about them to this day.

The town’s rich history has left its mark everywhere here, in the steam of its trains and beneath the streets where you walk. It’s something that binds the area together and is proof positive of why it has contributed so much to the UK over the years. It is something that the residents can take pride in, and something which provides a great deal of the distinctive culture and character of Leighton Buzzard.

However, it is not all the area is about. Leighton Buzzard has so much history because it constantly adapted to new times and today is no different. It continues to grow and improve, providing more opportunities, more stories, more creativity and more experiences with each passing day. One day, people will talk about the things happening now in Leighton Buzzard with the reverence of all that came before, just like those old railway lines.

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