We have all heard the horror stories of collapsing house chains (and some of us have been caught up in the ghastly fall-out).

You know how it is. You have found the perfect new home and have accepted an offer for your house – and then the buyer’s buyer drops out and everything turns to dust… Which is why a new offer from Barratts comes as welcome news… The developer’s revamped ‘Movemaker’ part-exchange service makes a simple enough promise. If you purchase a new Barratt home then they will buy your old home from you within seven days… or they will sell it for you free of charge.

In either instance, the developer says, you can forget about the hassle and cost of moving home.

Paul Hogan, sales director for Barratt Yorkshire East, says: “Because of the fall in house prices in the last three years, the gap between the price of your current home and the one you want to move up to is likely to be significantly smaller than it was in 2007 – so now is an ideal time to move to a bigger home.

“Our revamped part-exchange scheme works like part-exchanging a car. We will consider buying your current property so you are free to buy one of ours. We arrange for the property to be valued by two independent surveyors and make a fair offer based on those valuations.

“We are a guaranteed cash buyer, so there’s no chain, no agent’s fees or last-minute price haggling.”

And to add to your peace of mind, Barratt also offer a five-year guarantee on fixtures and fittings in their new homes.

The Reflections development in York is one of the projects offering the Movemaker scheme.

We visited Reflections recently and were mightily impressed with the townhouses on offer at the site, which sits by the riverside at the city end of Huntington Road.

There are three distinct and different house styles among the homes available (all with gardens and balconies). There is the ‘Hurst’ style, three-storey home with large living/dining room with patio doors, fitted kitchen and ground floor cloakroom. On the first floor there are two bedrooms and a house bathroom and spacious master bedroom with en-suite sits on the top floor. It is priced at £316,995.

The ‘Lowther’ style has a big kitchen opening to a family room on the ground floor; a master bedroom with en-suite and a further living room on the first floor and two more bedrooms, a house bathroom and a study on the top floor. It is priced at £330,695.

The ‘Huntington’ style also has a study – but this time on the ground floor, along with a kitchen, dining and family room. The first floor has a living room, bedroom and house bathroom. On the second floor there is a master bedroom with en-suite and a third bedroom. It is priced at £336,995.

• Further information from Barratt’s central sales office at 0800 590 733.