Sales to first-time buyers have hit a three-year low, agents report.

New figures from the NAEA show that just 20% of sales were made to first-time buyers during the month by its members.

This is down from 30% in July and the lowest figure since August three years ago.

The anecdotal evidence is that first-time buyers are shunning secondhand properties in favour of new-builds where they can utilise Help to Buy.

The NAEA said that the number of sales agreed per branch to all types of buyer increased marginally in August from eight to nine since July.

New listings also fell for the first time since April, from 41 to 40 between July and August, while the number of house hunters registered per branch rose from 303 to 320 over the same period.

However, the level of demand is down from 343 in August last year.

Mark Hayward, chief executive of NAEA Propertymark, said: “Every year the housing market slows down over the summer.

“The kids are off school, it’s warm outside, and the allure of a few weeks on the beach is more attractive than house-hunting or trying to sell your home.

“In July we saw first-time buyers taking advantage of these market conditions, with sales to the group rising to 30%, and while we expected this to be short-lived, we hoped it would at least last the summer.

“In September, buyers typically storm the market in a bid to complete sales in time for Christmas.

“However, it looks like this year’s heatwave encouraged more house-hunters to stay at home in August and continue their searches, which has in turn increased competition and pushed first-time buyers out of negotiations.”