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I’ve been thinking about buying my first home. Does the new stamp duty legislation mean that now is the right time?

It’s absolutely the right time to be buying your first property. There was previously a stamp-duty holiday on properties worth between £125,000 and £175,000, but that came to an end in January this year, reverting back to one per cent of the purchase price of a property. In March Alistair Darling introduced even better savings for first-time buyers however when he axed stamp duty on houses worth up to £250,000 – for those buying their first home only – saving you a potential £2,500, or a third of your buying expenses. The rate rises to three per cent on properties over £250,000, so your stamp