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LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - British housebuilder TaylorWimpey said its sales since the start of the year were atthe upper end of the firm's expectations, driven by an surge ininterest after the government unveiled schemes to helpstruggling housebuyers.
The average private net reservation rate for the year todate was 0.67 sales per outlet, compared to 0.62 for the sameperiod last year. Customer interest was 15 percent higher beforethe government introduced its schemes, and Taylor Wimpey said ithad seen further increases since the announcement.
In March, finance minister George Osborne pledged to provideand guarantee billions of pounds in loans to home buyers in abid to boost construction and home ownership.
"Against a background of positive sentiment towards thehousing market, we have seen an increase in visitor levels andreservations, driven by improved customer confidence and helpedin recent weeks by the government's Budget announcements," ChiefExecutive Pete Redfern, said on Thursday.
"We do not forget, however, that the macro uncertainty whichhas characterised the last few years still remains and as suchwe retain a cautious approach," he said.
The value of the housebuilder's total order book wasapproximately 1.2 billion pounds since the start of the year, upover 18 percent compared to the same period in 2012.
This represents 7,355 homes, up 14 percent from end of thefirst quarter of 2012.
Shares in British house builders have surged over the pastyear as a strategy of buying land cheaply during the recessionand building more family homes in the more affluent south ofEngland helped them to report stronger profits.
Shares in Taylor Wimpey, which have risen by more than 90percent over the past year to trade at about 1.37 times bookvalue in line with the sector, closed at 94 pence on Thursday.
