People looking to buy a house in Scotland, but who do not have the cash or inclination to do it by themselves, may be interested in signing up to a service which helps them to meet potential purchase partners.
SmartSharedHome.com allows consumers to create their own profile and get in touch with like-minded individuals, with the eventual aim of buying a home.
David Bexon, managing director of the site, explains: "The average price of a first-time buyer home is now in excess of £150,000 and property prices are up around six per cent on last year.
"Therefore, first-time buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to get on the ladder, with very few able to even consider buying alone."
He notes that not all consumers are able to rely on financial help from their families or have people that they can buy a home with, stating that the number of first-time buyers will fall if steps are not taken to help them get into the property market.
In other news that may be of interest to those looking to buy a house in Scotland, research Connells Survey and Valuation states that the number of people taking out a mortgage increased during January.