The Help to Buy scheme is providing a welcome boost to the new homes market and construction industry with developers across the area reporting a strong take up of the government initiative.

The hunt is on for Luton’s best ‘home-stager’ for a national competition.

With summer finally here many of us are likely to spend more time socialising or relaxing in the garden, or away from home altogether on a seasonal break.

People in their thirties are moving out of the South East countryside in a stark demographic shift as house prices rise faster in rural areas than in urban areas, despite incomes rising more slowly.

According to the latest research from Lloyds TSB, one in six second steppers are contemplating turning to the bank of mum and dad to plug the gap between the value of their first home and the cost of the house they would ideally move to.

Overall market conditions for the UK show welcome signs of improvement, according to data collated in the Move with Us Residential Market Review for the first quarter of 2013.

“Applying for planning permission can be a daunting experience, but it needn’t be that way if some thought is put into potential pitfalls that can be avoided,” says Michael Holmes, spokesperson for The Southern Homebuilding & Renovating Show which will be at Surrey’s Sandown Park on Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30.