Whilst wasting a bit of time this afternoon at work, I started looking at some other options around the city.  There are very few 'Help to Buy' properties in the city.  There are a few in the surrounding areas, but they are not really an option as I still choose not to drive. So I had a look around the web for shard ownership properties.  This is something that J is keen on, but I have reservations.  It just seems like hard work to pay for a mortgage and for rent on the remainder of the property.

I found a few properties that looked like possibilities, and I started to chat to the guy who sits opposite me.  He used to work for the council, and asked where the potential properties are located.  When I told him, he physically baulked!  Apparently, two of the properties are located on a street which is notorious for it's crime problems.  A big no-no then!

It seems that our options are very limited due to our financial commitments.  There has been much discussion about if we are ready, both financially and otherwise, and if we should wait.  If we wait and try and save more, house prices will keep going up, and we will need a bigger deposit and bigger mortgage.  Should we stretch ourselves and try and get on the elusive housing ladder? Decisions!