A DRAGON swooped into Grantham last week for a whistle-stop visit.
James Caan and Mark Newton from Newton Fallowell
Multi-millionaire James Caan stepped out of TV’s Dragon’s Den programme and into the streets of Grantham to launch a new housing finance scheme.
The town was chosen as the launching site for the Assist scheme, which James says will help home-buyers in the area afford costs by stumping up interest-free loans to cover fees.
But before settling down to business, serial entrepreneur James shared his thoughts on the town.
Standing in Butcher’s Row, he said: “It’s my first time in Grantham and what a really lovely town.
“I couldn’t have picked a better day because it’s such a nice, sunny day.
“It’s showing the town in a very nice way.
“I’ve literally just come in by train on the commuter belt and here to do the launch.”
Newton Fallowell, based in High Street, was chosen as the only estate agent in the region to carry the Assist scheme, headed by Look4aProperty.com of which James is chairman.
The scheme is a £1 billion property loan fund which homebuyers apply for through selected properties marketed by Newton Fallowell.
The unsecured loans will be between £5,000 and £10,000 and are designed to pay for legal fees and stamp duty.
James said: “I believe it’s a very important time in the housing market where a lot of people are under pressure because they need bigger deposits because building societies are just not loaning the amount of money they used to.
“We’ve launched something that bridges the gap and makes a difference between buying now and waiting six months.”
Asked if there was a catch, James replied: “It’s a 0 per cent loan, you can’t get lower than that. Even as a Dragon that sounds like a great idea to me.”
