There’s more good news on the first-time buyer front from Persimmon, reports Brian Page.

The good news just keeps on coming… In the last issue of our New Homes supplement we reported on how the Government is joining forces with a series of house-builders to help first-time buyers onto the property market.

This FirstBuy shared-equity scheme – aimed at helping some 10,000 people to get their first step on the property ladder – sees the Government, and house-builders jointly providing a 20 per cent loan to top up a first-time buyer’s spending power.

This means that many home-hunters need to find just five per cent of the total purchase price for a deposit – as opposed to the 20 per cent plus that many banks are demanding before they will lend to first timers. The loan has to be repaid when you sell the property or within ten years, whichever comes soonest.

It’s a move that’s not before time. Recent figures from the Council of Mortgage Lending (CML) revealed that the decline in first-time buyers is continuing – from May 2010 to May in 2011 the CML noted a fall in first-time buyers of 2.5 per cent.

And it highlighted the fact that the age profile of the first-time buyer had shifted from the mid-twenties to the late thirties.

Or, as my daughter put it rather more morosely last week: “Dad, I’ll be older than even you are before I get my first house.”

Perhaps not… Last time out we did a short round-up of developers doing their bit to help kick start the starter homes market… And now York-based Persimmon has announced it can offer the FirstBuy deal at 70-plus new homes across the Yorkshire region, including properties at its neighboring developments in Pocklington and Market Weighton, Mere Brook and Kings Court.

That means that at Mere Brook, for instance, houses are available from as little as £104,000 with FirstBuy support. Set within an established friendly community, Mere Brook has easy access to the city of York and market town of Beverley – making it the ideal location for commuters or those wanting to be close to, but far enough from the hustle and bustle.

The development offers a wide range of home styles, with from one to five bedrooms, terraced and semi-detached houses.

Just a short drive away, Kings Court offers a smart selection of one to three bedroom new homes for as little as £99,000. Again, a great location for families, professionals and local residents alike, there is a selection of primary and secondary schools close by, fantastic access to nearby towns and cities, in addition to transport networks and is set within the heart of the local community. And low cost does not mean any loss of style or quality. As you can see from the show home pictures here, there is a smart, stylish, modern look to the Persimmon houses – a lot better, it should be said than our own first house!

Commenting on the FirstBuy scheme, managing director of Persimmon Homes Yorkshire, Andrew Bowes, said: “It’s an incredibly difficult time for first-time buyers.

Most have found themselves in one of two situations; caught in the rental cycle and struggling to break out or being forced to stay in the family home longer until the banks loosen their grips on lending.

“However, as we found through the former, HomeBuy Direct scheme if the help is offered many of these potential buyers can achieve their goal to own their own home.

Over 2,000 purchasers bought through the scheme and it’s our ambition to help even more onto the property ladder with FirstBuy – all they need to do is talk with our sales advisers and find out what could be available to them.”

For buyers that do not meet the requirements of FirstBuy, Persimmon also offers its own Shared Equity Scheme and homes that can be bought through the Kickstart II initiative.

For more information on the FirstBuy scheme or the additional support offered through Persimmon Homes visit persimmonhomes.com or visit the Kings Court or Mere Brook developments marketing suites.