First time buyers urged to act now or miss out

A leading housebuilder is urging first time buyers to act now rather than miss out on great deals available only to them, including a fantastic £5,000 discount on homes reserved before Christmas.

Rob Allen, sales director for Persimmon Homes South Coast, explains: "The Government's FirstBuy scheme has been a huge success, enabling people to get their first step on the housing ladder with a deposit of just five per cent.

"However, the scheme is coming to an end, with limited allocation of FirstBuy properties available now. Those who don't reserve before March 2013 will miss out on this great opportunity.

"We still have some homes available for first time buyers. What's more, anyone reserving before Christmas will receive an extra bonus - £5,000 off the price of their new Persimmon home."

FirstBuy is a shared equity scheme where the buyer puts forward a five per cent deposit and secures a 75 per cent mortgage, with the Government and the housebuilder each making an equity loan for the remaining 20 per cent of the property. Once purchased, 100 per cent of the home is owned by the buyer and there is no interest to pay on the equity loan for the first five years.

Persimmon builds 10,000 new homes a year, at 400 locations nationwide. Many developments in the South Coast region currently offer properties under the FirstBuy scheme - including homes in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset.

Rob added: "We have fabulous new homes available right now with FirstBuy. At Archers Gate, in the lovely Wiltshire town of Amesbury, we have two bedroom homes from £143,960*, and over at Avon Fields, Durrington, there's still time to snap up a one bedroom apartment for just £99,960.

"Picket Twenty is our very popular site in Andover, where prices start at £99,960 for a one bedroom coach house, and we have beautiful three bedroom homes at Barley Fields in Alton for £215,960. Meanwhile at The Maltings in Shaftesbury we have a stunning traditional three bedroom terraced home for only £147,960, with FirstBuy.

"What's more, we'll also give a £5,000 discount to anyone reserving one of these properties before Christmas!

"First time buyers are crucial to the housing market - without them nobody else can get moving - and FirstBuy has helped thousands of people into their first home," said Rob. "It has been a real success story but that is partly why the scheme availability is running out. There are only so many slices of the FirstBuy pie left, so we are urging people not to miss out.

"If you are thinking of making the first step into property ownership, now is the time to visit our development and talk to our sales advisors about making your dream into reality.

Persimmon Homes takes a leading role in housing market initiatives and was awarded the largest allocation of any builder under the FirstBuy scheme.

See Also: Property News (0), Persimmon Homes (0), Picket Twenty (0), Andover (0), Archers Gate (0), Amesbury (0), Wiltshire (0), Avon Fields (0), Durrington (0)