Romania's 'First Home' programme becomes even more sought after

The Romanian government loan-guarantee program for first time home buyers attracted many more applicants than ever before in the first months of this year, informed the program's management on Tuesday.

Some 6,800 guarantees worth 555 million lei (about 134 million U.S. dollars) have been granted, in backing loans worth 1.11 billion lei under the "First Home" scheme, since the beginning of the year, according to the National Loan Guarantee Fund for small and medium-sized enterprises, which manages the governmental programs.

The institution has received as many as 220 applications for guarantee on a daily basis in the past few months, compared with 120 daily applications in the same interval of last year, it said.

"The 'First Home' program can be considered an indicator of Romanians' trust in the future," the release said.

The National Loan Guarantee Fund manages governmental programs meant to relaunch the economy, develop the business environment, and create and maintain new jobs, while functioning as a joint stock company, with its single shareholder the Romanian state.

"First Home" was released six years ago as an incentive to boost the housing market. Under the scheme, first-time buyers can take out a credit from a private bank to purchase a residence at an attractive interest rate, backed by guarantees from the state.

The state guaranteed loans of up to 60,000 euros for an older apartment, 70,000 euros for a new one and up to 75,000 euros for those who want to construct their own homes, thus allowing access to mortgage loans to many people who otherwise couldn't qualify.