The government's Help to Buy initiative has significantly driven up sales and visitor numbers, according to housebuilders' reports.<br> <br> Barratt said that its net private reservations per week per active site had risen 18% on the previous year since the shared equity scheme was launched in April. Taylor Wimpey announced that it had reserved 300 homes under the scheme. Meanwhile, Galliford Try's home reservations rose 6% per outlet in response to improved mortgage availability and Help to Buy, the firm said.<br> <br> David Ritchie, ceo of Bovis Homes, said that "with the recently announced government initiatives, sales rates have increased ahead of management's expectations." And Redrow reported that Help to Buy had provided a "welcome boost" to visitor numbers.<br> <br> Figures from the HBF support the strong response, with the scheme yielding more than 3,000 reservations since its inception.<br> <br> HBF's director of economic affairs John Stewart said: "The equity loan scheme has got off to an extremely positive and rapid start, such that by the end of May it was averaging nearly 500 reservations a week.<br> <br> "The challenge for the HCA is to get all the medium and smaller builders who want to take advantage of the scheme …