I love Spring! Following the bitter winds, harsh rain and heating on full blast, Spring is always welcome every year. With the butterflies out in full colour, the low drone of bumble bees in the garden and daffodils and bluebells popping up in every corner, what a sight it is! Oh! And you can’t forget that day when the sun is so ‘hot’ you convince yourself that having an ice cream is a good idea… Glorious!
Another reason I love Spring and in fact the most relevant to my blog post, is my role as New Homes Consultant. We are very busy at this particular time of year and 2017 is no exception! This season alone we have launched six brand new developments in Hertfordshire and I love spending time accommodating viewings at this time of year. These developments are a mix of houses and apartments and purchasing a new build property certainly has its advantages and one of those is the Help to Buy scheme. Help to Buy makes homes available to all buyers (not just first time buyers) who wish to buy a new-build property.
I want more information I hear you cry! Fear not, read on and I shall reveal all, as below I have listed the key points when considering Help to Buy:
- This scheme is available to the buyer through an Equity Loan. This is based on the purchase price, with a maximum of 40% in London and 20% for the rest of England with the highest full purchase price of £600,000.
- Local Help to Buy Agents will assess your purchase for Help to Buy. You must have their approval before you proceed with the buying process as they will confirm you are eligible to use the scheme. Eligibility varies on different criteria including: Income and dependency on a sale.
- Once approved to use the scheme, your mortgage lender will require that you contribute a minimum cash deposit of 5% (of the full purchase price) which is payable on exchange. The Government then tops up the rest! (Certainly are looking after those pennies)
Please note, the property purchased must be your only residence & is not available to assist buy-to-let investors or those who will own any property other than their Help to Buy property after completing their purchase.
If you are looking to purchase a property and would like some expert advice, please contact our New Homes team on 01923 606 056. Or, if you would like to have a spring walk and pop to our office, please do! We look forward to hearing from you.
Kelly Williams
New Homes Consultant