A new report has revealed that First Time Buyer (FTB) mortgage borrowing figures are up 5% compared to last year.

Research from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) states 8,600 loans were taken out between July - September, the highest quarterly number of FTB's since 2007.

Carol Anderson, CML Scotland chair, said FTB's "continue to be a key driver in the market".

"This quarter also saw a four year high in remortgage activity and quarter-on-quarter growth in home movers so all lending types have performed strongly over the summer months," she said.


"This is the first quarter post the EU referendum and the market appears resilient so far. It may take time to fully gauge the full impact but currently the Scotland market is in good shape and open for business moving forward."

However, Chief Executive of Homes for Scotland, Nicola Barclay, said the industry must be cautious due to the reported fall in activity for other home movers.

"Today's figures for First Time Buyers are good news as this group is the lifeblood of the housing market," she said.

"They also point to the positive impact the Scottish Government's Help to Buy shared equity scheme is continuing to have on new build sales, with the ceiling price now targeted at this end of the market.

"However, with the volume of loans to other home buyers 12 per cent down on a year ago, we must not forget the importance of ensuring activity at all levels of the market so that people can move up and down the housing ladder according to their own needs and aspirations."

(LM/MH)