Property. A source of fascination and frustration for many Scots right now.
This week, we put it at the forefront of our content as we launched Housing Crunch, a three-part series looking at the forces shaping the market. What are the options facing first time buyers, for example? What are the pressures in the rental sector and how can they be overcome? Just some of the issues under analysis.
I am immensely proud of my team at The Herald, and our business writers – the brains behind this series – play a vital role in our work, as we focus on bringing the best and most accessible coverage and analysis to our readers.
Meet the team here in a short video explainer of who they are and why their expertise is so crucial in 2023.
And so, my editor’s pick this week comes from my business team – Ian McConnell, Scott Wright, Kristy Dorsey and Brian Donnelly.
Firstly, Kristy Dorsey’s piece on Wednesday – the opening part in our series – looked at the ‘bank of mum and dad’, as it has emerged around 40 per cent of first time buyers are now having huge chunks of their deposits gifted to them by family as they are not able to meet the costs alone.
But why? Soaring interest rates for one, rising prices for another. It is indeed an ‘exceptional set of circumstances’, as one mortgage expert told us. But what are the options for those keen to buy a home? Read more here. It was important to me in our series that not only did we paint a picture of the housing scene, but we explained how it has got to this point and offered advice and solutions to our readers. We know things are hard for buyers, so what steps can they take to make things easier?
Turning to the rental market, my second pick comes from Scott Wright with his analysis piece on why Scotland ‘badly needs an injection of new affordable and social homes’ if our rental sector is ever going to be able to step out of the ‘crisis’ it has found itself in. He looked at rising costs, intervention from the Scottish Government and touched upon issues also facing landlords.
Editor's Pick | Catherine Salmond: My top five favourite articles this week
The piece followed detailed coverage on the state of the rental market, as tenants’ groups and property firms are at odds over how to solve what some are calling an ‘emergency’. Read the full piece here.
Tomorrow, look out for the last part in our series where we look at housing issues in rural areas, including the problems facing hospitality owners.
To catch up on the full series, visit our business section and to receive our daily business newsletter, sign up here.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Catherine Salmond
Editor
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