A DEVELOPER is offering a helping hand to potential homebuyers in north Lancashire.

Barratt Homes Manchester, whose new sites include Quernmore Park and Riverside View, in Lancaster, says it wants to make moving house as easy as possible for its customers.

Sales director Michaela Lancaster said part exchange is popular with people wishing to move to a larger home but are struggling to find a buyer, or those who simply want to avoid the hassle of selling their property independently. Barratt Homes becomes the guaranteed buyer at "fair market value", allowing the customer to move into their brand new home as soon as it is ready.

Acting as a one-stop shop for homebuyers is the Movemaker scheme, which sees buyers given an estate agency service with a free valuation on their existing home. Once a selling price has been agreed by the customer, Barratt Homes will instruct an estate agent to start selling the old home, free of charge.

Meanwhile, the government-backed Help to Buy scheme allows buyers to purchase a home with just a five per cent deposit and a 75 per cent mortgage. The remaining 20 per cent is funded by an equity loan, interest-free for the first five years and repayable upon selling the house. Help to Buy is for first-time buyers and also those looking to move to a bigger home.