First time buyers (UK)
Over the past few years, the property market has been moving very fast and has led to significant increases in property prices. This has made it very difficult for many people to afford to buy a home. This is a problem particularly faced by first time buyers, as although they may be able to raise a mortgage, this will often fall far short of the cost of a property.
Getting on the ladder
It is, however, still possible for first time buyers to get onto the property ladder and there are actually some advantages to being a first time buyer:
- interest rates are at their lowest for more than 30 years
- first time buyers are more appealing to sellers because they are not in a chain (that is they are not part of a long list of people all dependent on each sale in a chain going through on time)
- first time buyers are much sought after by mortgage lenders
For more advice on how to get on the property ladder as a first time buyer visit:
Channel 4 homes: information for first time buyers
BBC watchdog guide for first time buyers
Affordable housing
The UK government also runs various schemes to help people get on the property ladder, particularly those who are key workers. Two of these schemes are; The Key Worker Living programme which aims to help people working in front line roles for key public services to buy or rent a home and Shared Ownership, introduced to help people who cannot afford to buy a home outright.
News date: 09 November 2005 - 12:57
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