A BUILDING society is making a special offer to first-time buyers in South Cumbria to try and give them a helping hand following the coronavirus outbreak.

Furness Building Society has said it will offer 95 per cent mortgages to people in the LA postcode.

Chief executive Chris Harrison said: “It’s extremely important that we are a big part of helping to kick start our local economy and that we help to create prosperity as we come out of what has been a very difficult and challenging time for everyone.

“So, we’ve made a commitment to make 95 per cent mortgages available in our heartland at a time when very few banks and building societies are doing this because we care about what’s going on right on our doorstep.

“We have great employers in the area providing our young people with great career prospects who deserve to own their own home and by offering these mortgages we hope to help our local housing market too.”

A recent survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found 61 per cent of property professionals saw new buyer enquiries increase during June with the number of new properties being listed for sale also increasing.

Despite the increase in supply, the average number of properties for sale on agents’ books remained close to all-time lows during the month - at just 39 on average per branch.