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Getting Your Foot On The Ladder With Record High House Prices

Charlotte Haye 6th March 2016 ROC News

If you are or know someone who is trying to get their foot on the property ladder at the moment, you will know just how difficult the housing market has become. House prices keep hitting record new highs, and the increase this causes in deposit price is setting many first time buyers back by years. But could the rise in average asking price for housing actually be caused by first time buyers flooding the market?

First Time Buying A Property

According to property giant Rightmove, the average asking prices for houses rose to £296,549 in October, which is a staggering 5.6% rise in just 1 year. There are arguments to say that an increased demand from first time buyers for property has caused this gradual increase, with a 10% increase of first time buyers active in the market in the last year. This demand for housing has caused the prices to go up, following the standard rules of supply and demand. However the more the prices go up, the less likely it is that first time buyers will be able to afford the properties being marketed to them. This in turn has caused a jump in loan rates – with gross mortgage lending increasing to £12.9bn, a staggering 26% more than the previous year.

Rightmove also believe that the mountain of higher costs now faced by first time buyers is symptomatic of a dire shortage of smaller properties suitable for first time buyers, and in turn have had an impact on the rental market as well. The sheer amount of first time buyers out there has created a competitive culture, and often it is this competition that drives the prices higher for everyone involved. Not only that, but the popularity of buy-to-let property as a business or secondary income means first time buyers are also competing with landlords on these desirable properties, with 70% of those looking to secure a buy-to-let property targeting smaller homes under £250,000 in value. This has led to a vicious cycle between buying and renting, and not one that has an obvious short-term solution.

Renting A Property

Unsurprisingly, these record high house prices are having a knock on effect on the rental market. Because buying a property is becoming increasingly expensive, prospective buyers are turning to rented accommodation. However the growing demand for rental properties has made them scarce, with tenancies often being snatched up as soon as they are available. In fact, many agencies have reported seeing a high volume of ‘same day’ rentals, with tenants sometimes not even seeing the property before signing the agreements, all because available rental properties are becoming rarer. Not only that, but many looking to move houses will opt for rental instead of buying a new property, attracted by the ‘transience’ of renting, which takes away the work, hassle and commitment that comes with buying and selling a property.

Rightmove housing analyst Miles Shipshide comments that ‘with local authorities, housing associations and developers no longer satisfying the country’s housing needs, those in particular looking to rent or buy smaller homes must hope for the cavalry to come to their rescue. In the meantime, it seems the army of privateer buy-to-let investors remains the only short to medium term way to scale up our rental capacity.’ But with Chancellor George Osborne’s latest announcement to increase stamp duty for buy-to-let landlords, even this solution seems to be in danger of failing. With a housing market as it stands, is it any wonder that the average age for leaving home has risen to 27-34?

Charlotte Haye 6th March 2016 ROC News

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