HELP to Buy has given more than 300,000 a leg up onto the housing ladder since the scheme was launched in 2013, according to the stats.

The government incentive is due to finish in March next year.

It cuts the size of the up-front deposit paid by first-time buyers for a newly built home from 10 per cent to five.

Developers are gearing up for a last-minute scramble.

The smart money is on those who get to the starting blocks ahead of the pack, having researched the market within their price range without waiting for the clock to wind down.

The estate agent who heads up Savills’ sales team for new homes in Bucks and Herts says newcomers to the property market need to wise up so they can be decisive when an opportunity arises.

Andy Toogood points out: “Lenders have tended to favour less risky, lower loan-to-value lending, making it harder for new buyers without [financial] assistance.

“While we expect lending at a higher-loan-to-value to continue to be available, slowly rising interest rates, increased costs of living, higher National Insurance and the prospect of lower threshold for student loan repayments will make saving for a deposit all the more challenging.

“Consequently – with just over a year left – I think we’re likely to see a steep rise in demand for new homes that qualify for Help to Buy.

“By cutting the size of the deposit from 10 to five per cent, the scheme has reduced one of the biggest obstacles to home ownership” but buyers risk missing out if they dither, warns the estate agent.

“There is still time,” he emphasises, “anyone wishing to take advantage of the scheme doesn’t need to have legally completed on their newly built home until March 31 2023.

“Best advice I can give is to start your search sooner rather than later. Completion doesn’t happen overnight – it can sometimes take months from placing your reservation fee.”

Pictured is a development in Haddenham built by Dandara, where the last available two-bedroom house from the first phase in a design called The Baxter is for sale with Help to Buy for £360,000. The site is open to view from 10am to 5pm, seven days a week.

Across the county as a whole, the quality of the schools, the beauty of the countryside and the comparatively short commute to and from London adds up to money in the bank for home owners.

“Although there is a little uncertainty as we move forward into the spring and early summer, for the moment it remains buoyant,” says the estate agent from Savills. “We have a large pool of highly motivated buyers who are ready, willing and able to move. There’s more activity in this early part of the year than we would normally expect.”