Chancellor George Osborne has announced new plans, within the 2013 Budget, to extend the home-buying scheme which was previously known as ‘FirstBuy’. The scheme enables buyers to put down a 5% deposit on a newly built home, with 20% of the cost of the home funded by a “shared equity” loan, which will be repayable when the home is sold. The loan will be interest-free for the first five years however, borrowers that take up the scheme will have to pay a 1.75% annual fee, which will then rise by 1% above the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation. Any remaining borrowing is then paid for with a standard mortgage.The previous ‘FirstBuy’ scheme was only open to first-time buyers however; the new scheme will be made available to all buyers of newly built homes. There were also other criteria that had to be met such as an income limit of £60,000 a year, but this will no longer apply. The scheme will cover newly built homes up to the value of £600,000.Borrowers will be able to apply from April 1st 2013.The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.Setfords Solicitors are a national full service law firm, with property law solicitors in Hindhead and across the country.