As well as looking at second-hand properties, why not consider moving into a brand new home - you may end up with a very good deal. Developers all over the country are offering incentive schemes to attract buyers to certain sites as they can’t sell them or need to money to develop other sites.

Some even offer opportunities for you to move in despite the fact that you haven’t managed to raise a significant cash deposit, or even if you haven’t managed to sell your old home yet.

New homes are generally priced slightly above their second-hand equivalents, but for the extra initial outlay, they often have many advantages. Most new homes benefit from the NHBC Buildmark warranty which will repair any faults in the property for the first two years, and then any major faults for the following eight years. So you will not have to worry about the cost of a new roof or any other major structural repairs for the first 10 years of the building's existence.

Also, thanks to improvements in building standards and insulation, new homes are generally far cheaper to heat than most older homes. So you are likely to make savings on running costs, not to mention the fact that you will probably not need to decorate or make any other cosmetic repairs to your new home.

Many developers are now also offering to build ‘off plan’ which means that if you agree to buy early, before the house is built, you can choose your plot on the development site and often tailor the house to your individual needs. This might mean anything from choosing the colour of the decoration, or choosing from a range of kitchen or bathrooms, right the way through to choosing the position of the interior walls to suit your living requirements.

As well as attracting you with an ever-improving quality of product, many developers are also offering extremely attractive incentive schemes to encourage you to buy one of their homes rather than another builder's. These incentives can take several forms, but will usually make moving into a brand new home far easier than buying an existing property through providing help with buying and moving costs, or even offering to buy, or help sell, your old home.

Incentives generally fall into two categories, those that are financially-based and those that are product-based. Developers offer most types of incentive on one site or another, at some time, depending on how sales are performing. Financial incentives include offers such as subsidised mortgages, free insurance cover, help with the deposit for first-time buyers, and part exchange schemes for subsequent buyers - plus straight discounts off the purchase price. Product incentives basically offer free or discounted products such as carpets, curtains, or white goods for the kitchen, such as fridges and washing machines.

Subsequent buyers can move into many developers’ homes even if they are having difficulty selling their old home. Part-exchange schemes are available whereby the developer buys the old home for a fair market price (subject to survey) which is then deducted from the purchase price of the new property (which usually has to be more expensive). The time scales of the move are designed to meet the requirements of the purchaser and, of course, you stand to make financial savings by the lack of any estate agents’ fees.

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