Options for buying first home

eastville1

I am hoping someone out there may be able to give me some ideas/pointers on where to go. I am 36 years old, earn £29k and at the moment have savings of around £2.5k and hope to get to £5k by the middle of 2015 (looking for second job and serious money saving!). I have a £1k o/d and £2k c/c but all payments up to date and credit rating good. I live in an area where I may be able to get an ex local authority house which needs some work for around £90k or a new build for around £120k and have my savings in Nationwide save to buy account and am registered on LA shared equity scheme and a new build has recently come up for £75k (2/3rd share but no staircasing option with my LA). I am currently renting which is costing me more than a mortgage and making saving difficult and obviously very concerned that if I don't get a mortgage soon I will be too old. My queries are:
Shared equity mortgages- does anyone have any experience of getting one of these and any idea of the deposits they are looking for? The LA affordable housing team said some of their clients had been asked for a 20% deposit which obviously makes it unaffordable for me.
Help to Buy mortgages- how many people are actually successful with a 5% deposit and what is the average mortgage rate they impose? Is it better to apply under new homes scheme or the mortgage guarantee scheme?
Save to buy with Nationwide- has anyone had experience of this kind of mortgage to access 5% deposit and was it particularly tight?

Thrugelmir

In broad terms a purchase around the £90k mark seems extremely feasible. You need to clear that overdraft and credit card though. If you intend applying with a small deposit. Nationwide Save to Buy scheme works very judging by the number of mortgages granted. Saving through the scheme does score brownie points.