Comment – First Time Buyer Numbers at Highest Level Since 2006

Nick Lieb, Head of Operations at Share to Buy, comments on new data from UK Finance, revealing that first time buyer numbers are at their highest level since 2006:

“We are pleased to see first time buyer numbers at their highest level since 2006 last year, as announced this week by UK Finance. This is in no small part due to government backed initiatives such as Shared Ownership and Help to Buy, both of which have an ever growing profile in the UK – supported by an increasing number of mainstream lenders now offering mortgages for Shared Ownership buyers.

In the face of economic uncertainty in the lead up to Brexit, it’s encouraging to see that first time buyers remain dedicated to getting onto the housing ladder, and there is still strong demand for accurately-priced homes in reach of first time buyers. Buyers of Shared Ownership homes have the added security of knowing that their homes have been valued by an independent chartered surveyor – reflecting accurate market values. Buyers are also able to spread their risk, owning a share of the property and renting the unowned shared, which protects them should there be a possible market downturn.

Here at Share to Buy, we saw record levels of traffic to our portal in 2018, with more and more buyers searching for Shared Ownership homes. Due to popular demand, we even opened registrations to the London Home Show – the capital’s largest show for first time buyers – a month early and have already seen registrations for over two thirds of tickets.”

Share to Buy is the UK’s leading portal for first time buyer homes.

www.sharetobuy.com