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Over four million young home owners in the UK are frustrated middle movers who cannot afford to move up the property ladder, new research reveals. Some 68% of home owners aged 18 to 34 are still in their first property and 63% said that the main barrier is the need for property prices at the lower end of the market to increase so that they can afford a bigger home. The research from Santander Mortgages also shows that 89% have made compromises on their first home such as location or size, at 63% and 55% respectively. Some 47% bought a home with fewer bedrooms that they would have liked. Of the home owners aged 18 to 34 who would like to buy their next home within the coming 24 months some 71% think it is unrealistic that they will be able to do so. Overall 50% of home owners in this age group expected to live in their first property for more than five years, but 59% have already had to do so. ‘There are a lot of frustrated middle movers who made compromises on their first homes and have now been stuck with these for longer than they wanted, as they are finding it difficult to move up the property ladder,’ said Miguel Sard, head of mortgages at Santander. ‘There are a lot of great deals to be had for buyers at the moment, however, both in terms of properties and mortgages, so it’s worth looking around,’ he added. Of those homeowners aged 18 to 34 who would like to purchase a new home in the next two years, the average time they think they will realistically have to wait until they can do so is over three years, the research also found. Whilst the main barrier is the need for property prices to increase, as cited by 63% of those surveyed, 28% blame a lack of suitable properties on the market and 51% say they need to do work on their current home to increase its value before putting it on the market while 34% say they are waiting for property prices to fall further. Others see wider economic issues as barriers to purchasing a new home, with 53% citing personal fears about the state of the economy as an obstacle, while 38% are concerned about the stability of their own or their partner’s job. Upfront costs are also a big issue, with 58% saying they need to save for a bigger deposit. Continue reading →

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