House-hunters ‘drop in’ to Newmarket event

Published by Kristen Boho for Orbit HomeBuy Agents in Housing

On Wednesday 6^th July, Orbit HomeBuy Agents held a successful drop-in event at the Forest Heath District Council offices in Newmarket aimed at promoting affordable home ownership options.

Sarah Hipkiss and Margaret Snook from Orbit HomeBuy agents attended the event, along with an independent financial advisor, and welcomed a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Sarah and Margaret were able to advise aspiring home-owners about the range of government-funded ‘HomeBuy’ initiatives available, all of which are designed to assist those who are struggling to find a home they can afford on the open market.

The HomeBuy range includes affordable home ownership schemes such as HomeBuy Direct and HomeBuy Shared Ownership and affordable rent schemes such as Rent to Buy and Intermediate Rent which enable people to rent their home at a discounted rate while saving up for a deposit to purchase at a later date.

Most visitors at the event, however, had come along to find out about the recently announced ‘FirstBuy’ scheme that allows buyers to purchase a new home for a minimum of 80% of the market value. Equity loans of up to 20% are provided jointly by the house builder and the government and are interest free for the first five years. The scheme is expected to help thousands of buyers and is open to those with a household income of less than £60,000 a year who can provide a minimum of just 5% deposit.

“The event was a great opportunity to spread the word about the range of affordable home ownership options available.” said, Sarah Hipkiss from Orbit HomeBuy Agents

“Many people are surprised when they hear just how affordable home ownership can be and I’m confident that some of the people I spoke to are now one step closer to finding a home that they can afford.”

One visitor who attended the drop-in said; ‘The event was very well organised and worth while attending as I got lots of helpful advice’

Orbit HomeBuy Agents run regular drop-in events so for further information about future events or the range of HomeBuy initiatives available, please call 03458 50 20 50 or visit www.orbithomebuyagents.co.uk.