14Nov
Government first-time buyer initiatives 'working well'
Schemes introduced by the government to allow people to get on the
housing ladder in a step-by-step way have been hailed as a success
by a company concerned with new homes.
Smartnewhomes.com has said that the number of people getting on the
property ladder is rising thanks to initiatives such as the
National Clearing House and the Shared Equity Scheme.
Managing director of the firm Dave Bexon commented: "The number of
home buyers who have access to housing association property and
low-cost incentives is increasing, and there is a range of
competitively-priced shared ownership available."
He said that opportunities such as staircasing - where buyers can
be flexible in how much they pay according to their circumstances -
have a particular appeal during tough economic times.
Figures out earlier this week suggest the higher stamp duty
threshold may be helping first-time buyers as well.
It showed that only 49 per cent of all buyers had to pay the tax in
September this year, compared with 78 per cent in the same month of
2007.
