The Scottish Government's help to buy scheme has been extended for a further two years beyond 2019.

First-time buyers will be able to benefit from the initiative until 2021 after ministers announced a further £100m investment over a two-year period starting in April 2019.

The scheme allows people to buy new-build homes with state help, with the government providing up to 15% of the purchase price.

While it is open to both first-time buyers and existing homeowners, around two-thirds (64%) who have used the funding to date were buying a home for the first time.

More than three quarters (76%) of people who used the scheme were under 35, and exactly half were under 30.

Since its launch in 2013, the initiative has supported more than 12,000 households into a new home.

Ministers say the new funding will help around 4000 more households purchase new homes between 2019 and 2021.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: "Since we introduced help to buy, the scheme has not only helped thousands of buyers into new homes - it has supported around 9000 jobs.

"A third of the annual £50m budget - £18m - will be reserved for sales from SME builders, who were particularly affected by the drop in development finance after the financial crisis.

"We know house builders still see Scotland as a place to continue to develop and invest, with the latest figures showing new house completions grew by 5% over the last year.

"Housing is about more than bricks and mortar - we want to provide safe, warm homes, help create a fairer Scotland, and preserve a diverse and more resilient construction sector."

Nicola Barclay, chief executive of Homes for Scotland, which represents companies building the majority of the country's homes, welcomed the announcement.

She said: "It clearly demonstrates that the Scottish Government supports the aspiration of home ownership and recognises the real challenge that continues to face prospective buyers in terms of the size of deposit they require to achieve this goal.

"This additional funding will provide our member companies with the certainty that they need to invest in and open up new sites and expand the number of homes available to new purchasers.

"Crucially, just as the scheme's extension will ensure even more people can buy a home, it will also ease pressure in other parts of the housing market as people move into home ownership from socially-rented homes and come off council house waiting lists."

Other state assistance for first-time buyers includes a means-tested shared equity scheme and the UK Government's help to buy ISA scheme.