Top 5 ways to get ready for Your First Home

As with any major government-backed initiative, the organisations that benefit most are often those that start planning early. The months ahead provide an opportunity to educate buyers, build visibility and ensure the right marketing foundations are in place before applications open.

1.      Create a dedicated scheme page

As awareness grows, buyers will naturally start looking for information and answers. Having a dedicated destination on your website ensures they’re finding guidance from you, rather than elsewhere.

• Explain confirmed details, flag what’s pending and answer questions about deposits, eligibility, costs and registering interest.
• Weave in case studies or testimonials from customers who have used other Government backed buying schemes to evidence how they can make home ownership dreams a reality.
• Ensure the page is honest, doesn’t overpromise and makes clear that other scheme and buyer eligibility criteria may apply.

2.    Make relevant homes easy to find

Once buyers begin researching the scheme, they’ll expect a clear route from information to available homes.

• Link from your buying schemes hub and, once participation is confirmed, to eligible development and plot pages.
• Prioritise useful local content that helps buyers understand both the scheme and the communities where they could live, particularly if you’re a regional builder.

Reducing friction in the customer journey can help keep buyers engaged for longer, making it easier for them to move from initial research to an enquiry when they’re ready.

3.    Publish early and keep content fresh

Search behaviour has evolved significantly in recent years. Buyers aren’t just using Google; they’re increasingly turning to AI-powered search experiences and conversational tools to research their options.

• Give buyers and search engines time to discover your page. Use conversational questions and answers to support search and AI-assisted research.
• Update information as guidance develops, follow Your First Home brand guidelines when published and use customer stories with permission, explaining that previous schemes had different terms.

Regular updates not only help maintain accuracy but also position your organisation as a trusted source of information as details of the scheme continue to emerge.

4.    Build your CRM audience

Interest is likely to build long before applications open, creating an important opportunity to identify and nurture potential buyers over time.

• Tag relevant enquiries consistently with Your First Home.
• Reconnect with leads previously held back by deposit or affordability constraints, ensuring this is in line with terms stated in your Privacy Policy and is GDPR compliant. Share regular updates and clear next steps, respecting contact preferences.

5.    Plan paid media around education

Early campaign activity should focus less on hard-selling the scheme and more on helping prospective buyers understand how it could work for them.

• Combine scheme-related paid search with paid social and short videos that explain how the scheme works.
• Consider connected TV or video-on-demand where audience fit and budgets justify testing. Ensure creative educates viewers about the scheme and positions your brand as a point of authority on all things first-time buyer.

Top 5 ways to market new homes now

While Your First Home has generated plenty of attention, many buyers don’t need to wait until 2027 to take their first step onto the property ladder. Existing schemes continue to provide valuable routes into home ownership and should remain central to marketing activity over the coming months.

1. Keep today’s buying options visible

• Promote Shared Ownership, Own New and deposit-matching incentives where currently available.
• Explain each option’s eligibility, deposit requirements and ongoing costs and present as viable, ready-to-go alternatives to Your First Home.

2. Give Shared Ownership its own story

Shared Ownership shouldn’t simply be framed as an alternative to Your First Home. For many buyers, it may represent the most accessible route onto the property ladder right now.

• For housing associations, position Shared Ownership as a distinct route to buying and how from January 2027 income caps are increasing, opening Shared Ownership to more buyers.
• Explain how deposits relate to the share purchased, alongside rent, service charges and affordability checks.
• Promote that Shared Ownership is already available – no need to wait until the spring.

3. Let customers bring the options to life

For many buyers, seeing someone like them successfully navigate the journey can be more persuasive than any product description or scheme explainer.

• Share stories, with permission, showing how existing buying options helped customers move.
• Help hesitant buyers explore what’s available now and position your brand as a point of authority on moving home.

4. Join up your marketing channels

Buyers rarely interact with a single channel before making a decision, making consistency across touchpoints more important than ever.

• Carry consistent messages across your website, CRM and paid media.
• Make the next step easy: enquire, speak to the sales team or book a viewing.

When website content, CRM activity and paid media work together, buyers benefit from a more seamless experience regardless of where they first encounter your brand.

5. Look beyond first-time buyers

• Engage second-time movers and downsizers. Promote Part Exchange and Assisted Move where offered to address the challenge of selling an existing home.
• Match campaigns to available stock and your build programme.

A balanced marketing strategy can help ensure all available homes are supported by relevant demand, rather than focusing too heavily on a single audience segment.

Start now, stay flexible

Preparing for Your First Home shouldn’t come at the expense of today’s opportunities. The most effective approach is likely to be one that balances future demand generation with support for the schemes and buying routes already available.

Build visibility, nurture interested buyers and keep today’s opportunities front and centre.

As more details emerge, the organisations that are most visible, most helpful and most prepared will be best placed to benefit from increased buyer interest.

Get in touch with our expert team who help housebuilders and housing associations connect website content, CRM strategy and media planning into joined-up campaigns that support both immediate sales objectives and long-term growth.