Member Article

First Help to Buy deal completed in Liverpool

The first property deal under the Government’s Help to Buy has just been finalised on a Taylor Wimpey home in Liverpool.

A young couple relocating to the North West from Northern Ireland have bought the three bedroom home at Taylor Wimpey’s Speakman Gardens development in Prescot.

The housebuilder said it has seen a rise in visitor levels and new home reservations this year, as a result of improvements in consumer confidence.

Housing Minister, Mark Prisk, commented on Help to Buy’s success: “I’m delighted that, just five weeks after the launch of Help to Buy in the Budget, the scheme’s first buyers are moving into their new property.

“I’d like to congratulate first time buyers Nikolai and Catherine as they move in, and wish them all the best for the future in their new Taylor Wimpey home.”

Catherine McClean, a 26-year-old nurse and Nikolai Ivanovic, a 25-year-old former Queens Guard, moved from Newcastle in Northern Ireland to Liverpool on Monday.

Miss McClean commented: “Help to Buy has been a massive help to us. We certainly wouldn’t be in the position we are now without it. It has enabled us to own our own property.”

Mr Ivanovic added: “We were saving our deposit and we even viewed homes [in Northern Ireland], but it didn’t feel right.

“So we reconsidered our options and what we wanted from our careers and searched the internet for homes in Liverpool.”

The Help to Buy scheme was launched by the Government at the beginning of April 2013, and involves an equity loan available on new build properties worth up to £600,000.

Peter Redfern, chief executive of Taylor Wimpey, commented: “The new Help to Buy housing measures have been welcome news for home hunters.

“We have seen significant increases in customer interest following its announcement and the scheme has already proven popular for those looking to get onto or move up the housing ladder.

“In fact, since its launch on 1 April, we have helped customers purchase, reserve or register their interest in an additional 300 homes.

“The measures announced by the Chancellor will help home builders get Britain building and add a welcome vibrancy to both the new and second hand market over the next three years.

“The country is desperately in need of more homes and we welcome the Government’s focus on addressing this.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .