A family is now on the property ladder in South Derbyshire after using the Government's Help to Buy scheme - and found it has saved them money buying rather then renting.
When Josh and Sharlie Curtis started looking to move out of their rented home, they did not realise that buying their own place would actually cut their costs.
The couple, who are both 25 and have a young daughter called Olivia, bought a two-bedroom house at Cameron Homes' Forester's Gate development in Swadlincote for £139,950.
They were previously paying £550 a month in rent for an older property in Church Gresley, five minutes away, and their monthly mortgage payment now is £382.
They got together a 5% deposit, raised that to 25% with a £28,000 Help to Buy loan, and pay only a 75% mortgage. If the loan can be paid back within the first five years, it is interest-free.
Mr Curtis, a manufacturing operations technician, said: "We lived in a cold, damp house and we just fell in love with the Cameron property when we saw it.
"It's well-designed, warm, a perfect size and we could just picture ourselves living here. Having no garden didn't really bother us due to us always spending time outside in the warmer weather months and we have a huge park right next to us.
"Swadlincote, where Sharlie works, is on our doorstep so we can walk for everything we need. And it's a massive saving for us - it's helped us out so much, meaning we have been able to free up the spare cash as renting was more expensive and is just dead money."
Mr Curtis said the Help to Buy scheme has "helped hugely".
He and his wife, who works for JD Wetherspoon, were guided with their final decision by the customer service team at Cameron Homes.
Mr Curtis said: "The sales experience was outstanding. Tracy and Angela were supportive, welcoming and helpful, answering any questions we had.
"They explained the Help to Buy scheme to us and offered us incentives including a fridge freezer, dryer/washer machine and curtains and blinds. Also we got financial assistance from Cameron to help with legal fees."
Cameron currently has a range of two, three and four bedroom properties for sale at Forester’s Gate, with prices starting at £139,950.
What is Help to Buy?
The government's Help to Buy scheme was introduced in 2013 and has helped thousands of people around the country buy a new property.
The scheme enables anyone, both first-time buyers and existing owners, access to more affordable mortgage rates.
Help to Buy works by reducing the amount of money buyers have to pay. For example, someone using the scheme could put down a deposit of £10,000 for a house costing £200,000. £40,000 would be covered by the government as an equity loan, along with a £150,000 mortgage.
