The market share of first-time buyers in England and Wales has dropped by 10.4% since January, research from comparison site reallymoving shows.<\/p>\n
They made up 56.7% of buyers in August, down from 63.3% in January.<\/p>\n
Over the same period, the average price paid by FTBs fell by 3.1% from \u00a3280,610 in January to \u00a3271,784, suggesting affordability is holding a number of buyers back.<\/p>\n
Rob Houghton, chief executive of reallymoving, said: \u201cThese figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing first-time buyers in 2025. Prices may be softening and mortgage rates inching down, but not nearly enough to offset the affordability pressures being felt in every region of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst-time buyers face trying to save for a deposit amid rising living costs and secure a mortgage at a sustainable repayment rate, with very little targeted government support to help them onto the ladder.<\/p>\n
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\u201cUnless we start to see a dramatic increase in housebuilding, as has been promised, and targeted measures to boost affordability, first-time buyers are unlikely to regain their market share any time soon. Beyond restricting market mobility, this will undermine the financial security of young people and erode the long-term stability that home ownership can provide.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proportion first-time buyers has dropped in every region of England and Wales during 2025, with the steepest falls in the South West, Yorkshire & Humber, the East of England and the North East.<\/p>\n
Despite having the highest property prices in the country, London has the largest share of first-time buyers, accounting for 68% of all movers. Reallymoving said high rental costs making renting unsustainable long term, and support from the Bank of Mum and Dad, are both likely factors.<\/p>\n
The average price paid by a first-time buyer in London fell by over \u00a312,000 in the last 12 months from \u00a3454,800 in August 2024 to \u00a3442,443 in August 2025 \u2013 a decrease of 2.7%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The market share of first-time buyers in England and Wales has dropped by 10.4% since January, research from comparison site reallymoving shows. They made up 56.7% of buyers in August, down from 63.3% in January. Over the same period, the average price paid by FTBs fell by 3.1% from \u00a3280,610 in January to \u00a3271,784, suggesting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4505,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\n