First-time buyers staying put for longer

Millennials are 1.5 times more likely to make their first home their forever home, compared to their parents’ generation, new research has revealed. 

The 2,000-person survey, which was carried out by self-storage company, Space Station, asked 1,000 Brits who are currently preparing to buy a house and 1,000 Brits who bought their home from 1988-98, to reflect on their experiences.

When asked if they planned on living in their first house for more than 10 years, over a third (39%) of millennials said that they plan on staying put, compared to only 26% of those who bought their house 20-30 years ago.

House prices have increased far above the rate of inflation over the last 30 years, with the average house price in 1988 coming in at £45,000- the equivalent of £117k in today’s money.

As a result, first time buyers today are six times more likely to struggle to save for their deposit than those buying 20-30 years ago. While one in three people (33%) currently saving for a home said they had been forced to delay by the challenge of saving a deposit, only one in 20 people (5%) who bought their first home between 1988 and 1998 reported the same struggle.

It isn’t just financial pressure to buy their first homes that is making millennials consider making their first home their forever property, but also the  second round of financial problems that comes with finding a second home.

A report issued earlier this year showed that ‘second steppers’ are struggling to buy their second home without financial support from their parents and that they would need an average of £25,450 worth of support to move up the property ladder once again.

These difficulties in obtaining a property have led to 43% of homeowners now considering staying put and improving their homes rather than moving.