Applications for new homes submitted during the second quarter of this year are up 4% on the same period last year, according to the NHBC’s latest quarterly housing statistics. More than 93,000 new home starts have been recorded to July this year, almost the same as last year, with the sharpest increases during the second quarter being in the east Midlands (33%), Isle of Man (31%), and north west (27%). At the other end of the scale, starts in greater London and Scotland were up by just 3%. The statistics also show that the average anticipated selling price in the second quarter was down 2% on the same period last year, and the affordability of homes for first time buyers has fallen since the beginning of the year. <br>