NewBuy case studies - Telegraph On the resale market the same money would get you a four-bedroom house with double garage, built in the Seventies or Eighties. But a new-build home comes with all the trimmings and guarantees. Heena Rai, Peterborough In April, Heena Rai became the first homebuyer in the country to use the NewBuy mortgage scheme when she bought a two-bedroom flat in Peterborough. It proved to be something of a whirlwind month for Heena, with the start of a new job and the move into her new home happening at the same time. "I'm in a bit of a daze," says Rai. I was shocked that we managed to get it all done so quickly. I still need to get my things moved in, but I couldn't be happier. I'd had enough of renting and living with other people, and felt that it was time to stand on my own two feet. This is my first property and it feels like a new chapter in my life - it's great to be spending money on my own mortgage rather than someone else's. Rai previously worked for the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, just north of Cardiff, but has moved to be nearer her family and to take up a new job with a retailer of baby products. I didn't think I'd be able to get into a new home before starting my job, but the Bovis Homes team was very helpful and when I worked through the figures using NewBuy it all added up. Only needing a 5 per cent deposit made a real difference, and the initial monthly payments were manageable. I find it a bit crazy that I'm the first person in the country to have taken on a NewBuy mortgage. When I was driving around and looking at places in the area, this development struck me as really nice and the location was perfect - just five minutes from work, and from a supermarket, and close to the city centre. I was careful to take those things into account when looking at my monthly finances - for example, I don't have to spend a lot on my daily commute. My new home and mortgage have proved to be the perfect package for me. Patrick and Michelle Murphy, Watford With their first child on the way, Patrick and Michelle Murphy were keen to move out of their rented one-bedroom flat into a home that would suit their growing family. Using the Government-backed NewBuy scheme, they have now bought a three-bedroom house at Taylor Wimpey's Leggatts Green development in Watford - and are happy that they have plenty of time to settle in before their baby arrives in November. The couple had previously lived in a rented property in Cricklewood, north London. "We wanted to get on the property ladder and as prices in London are expensive, it was easier to buy outside the city," says Michelle. Nonetheless, without the NewBuy scheme we wouldn't have been able to afford the sort of place we were looking for, as most of the houses we were interested in would have required us to have at least a 10 per cent deposit for a mortgage, which is an awful lot of money. With NewBuy we needed only 5 per cent, which was great. The couple started searching for new homes outside London, but in locations that were within easy commuting distance of the City for Patrick, who is a project manager, and Harrow for Michelle, who works in accounts. Looking online for new-build houses led them to Taylor Wimpey and Leggatts Green. "This is a nice quiet area, yet it's also within easy reach of the motorway and there are two big superstores nearby," says Michelle. Patrick can get the train directly from Watford Junction to Euston for work. It's a really good location for us. The Murphys" wish-list for their new home included three bedrooms - so that they could have a spare room as well as a nursery - and a garden. "I love the downstairs cloakroom and the fact the master bedroom has an en-suite," adds Michelle. Selected houses at Leggatts Green, which is two miles from Watford town centre and the railway station, are available on the NewBuy scheme. Prices for four-bedroom houses start at £315,000 for an attached townhouse. More one-and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom houses are to be released soon. Wendy Cadman and Paul Bresland, Grantham The NewBuy scheme has already changed the lives of one particularly fast-acting couple who used it to invest in a property at a Taylor Wimpey East Midlands development of new-build homes in Grantham, Lincolnshire. After being stuck in a rental rut for two years, Wendy Cadman and Paul Bresland were quick off the mark when they decided to take advantage of the NewBuy scheme's easy-to-access government-backed mortgages to purchase their own home. "We reserved our plot on March 15 and legally completed the purchase just eight days later, on April 23," says Wendy, who manages a children's home. Their new home is a three-bedroom property at the Isaac's Place development of houses and apartments, a mile from Grantham town centre. The couple are now enjoying settling in together. "We were among the first to purchase a Taylor Wimpey home with a 95 per cent mortgage under the NewBuy scheme," says Wendy. It was too good an offer to turn down and it has transformed our lives. Paul and I thought we would have to spend another few years in rented properties in Grantham before we could save up enough cash for the 10 to 15 per cent deposit that's required by most mortgage lenders. "We love our new place," adds Wendy. It's a three-bedroom end-of-terrace house with plenty of living space for the two of us. We especially like how the lounge opens through French windows on to the garden. It's lovely when the sun is shining. Taylor Wimpey has so far sold more than 200 houses through the NewBuy scheme, which it says is being well-received by would-be homebuyers. According to Kevin Belsham of Taylor Wimpey, the scheme has been "an invaluable selling tool" for the house-building group. Richard and Kirsty Burkhill, Lincolnshire With the help of the government-backed NewBuy scheme, Richard and Kirsty Burkhill have been able to buy a new three-bedroom house at David Wilson Homes" Kings Court development in North Hykeham, Lincolnshire. The Burkhills, both teachers, had previously rented a property in Lincoln. "We were ready to buy a new home and had heard of the scheme," says Richard. We were attracted by the fact that with NewBuy the deposit required was much more manageable. We had liked the three-storey home we were renting and the style of house we chose at the Kings Court development - The Nugent - was similar, but had many more benefits. We love the layout: the master bedroom and en-suite bathroom take up the whole of the top floor, which has two skylights. On the first floor there are two spare bedrooms; we're going to use one as an office and are thinking about putting a piano in there too. The other room will be for guests. The couple, who bought their home off-plan, chose modern fixtures and fittings. Kirsty, who is also a Girl Guide leader, says: "We'd had a few problems with the boiler in our old home and we're quite glad that in our new home everything is new and guaranteed for five years, so we won't have to worry about anything going wrong. We've got the best of both worlds. We're close to the city, but you don't really realise that because of the surrounding fields and farms. There are lots of amenities close by, too.