The latest researchย byย Londonโs expert mortgage broker,ย Alexander Hall, has revealed that the gap between the mortgage required by the average first-time buyer and the mortgage they are actually eligible for has grown by an estimated 552% over the last decade, with the average first-time buyer falling short by over ยฃ43,000ย in the current market due to growth in earnings failing to keep pace with house prices.
Alexander Hall analysed first-time buyer mortgage eligibility based on the average first-time buyer house price, the average income of a first-time buyer and the mortgage they are able to obtain at the income to lending multiple of 4.5 times earnings.
The research shows that a decade ago, the average first-time buyer house price sat at ยฃ162,362 . Having placed a 15% deposit of ยฃ24,354 , the average first-time buyer required a mortgage of ยฃ138,007 .
With the average annual income of a first-time buyer sitting at ยฃ29,181 at the time, they were able to secure a mortgage to the tune of ยฃ131,315 based on an income to lending multiple of 4.5 times earnings.
This left the average first-time buyer just ยฃ6,693ย shy of the required mortgage, presenting a small, but largely traversable obstacle when getting a first foot on the ladder.
Fast forward to today and the average first-time buyer house price has increased by 52% over the last 10 years, meaning that a 15% deposit now stands at ยฃ36,986, with the average first-time buyer requiring a mortgage loan to the tune of ยฃ209,590ย – over ยฃ70,000 more than they did a decade ago.
However, during the same period, the average income of a first-time buyer has increased by just 26% to ยฃ36,885 per year, meaning that at 4.5 times income, they are eligible for a mortgage loan of just ยฃ165,983.
This means that the gap between the mortgage the average first-time buyer requires and the mortgage they are eligible for has increased by ยฃ36,914ย – a 552% increase versus a decade ago.
Recently, Nationwide came out to bat for first-time buyers, offering mortgages of up to 6 times income for just a 5% deposit.
However, the analysis by Alexander Hall shows that, even with this additional help, first-time buyers fall short when it comes to mortgage affordability. Placing a 5% deposit today would mean the average first-time buyer requires a loan of ยฃ234,247ย but, even at 6 times their income, they would only be able to secure a mortgage to the tune of ยฃ221,311.
As a result, they would still fall short of the mortgage they actually require by almost ยฃ13,000ย (ยฃ12,936 ).
Stephanie Daley, Director of Partnerships at Alexander Hall, said, โAffordability remains a struggle for first time buyers to get that first foot on the ladder. Even 10 years ago we can see the mortgage they were eligible for at 4.5x LTI didnโt quite meet the mortgage they actually required to be able to afford the average price of a first home. The gap between mortgage eligibility and what FTBโs can achieve has continued to widen, now with the average FTB falling close to ยฃ13,000 short.
The good news is that there are more lenders than ever before trying to bridge that gap and offer creative solutions for making that first step onto the property ladder. Weโve recently seen Halifax offer their โFTB boost productโ at 5.5x income, with a 10% deposit. Nationwide went a step further at 6x income at 95% LTV.
For FTBs now, compared to 10 years ago there are more innovative lenders available. Lenders such as Generation Home offering โDeposit boosterโ and โincome boosterโ products, Skipton with their 100% LTV track record product, Accord offering 99% LTV product to name just a few. Weโve also recently seen more lenders getting comfortable with new builds at higher loan to value than we ever have before which helps to ease deposit requirements in this space.
All the above highlights the importance of seeking impartial mortgage advice. We often speak to prospective first-time buyers who have no idea of the schemes available to them to help when getting onto the ladder.โ
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