A recent survey that was carried out by Halifax has revealed that the number of first time buyers in Britain has fallen to a record low in 2011. This news is somewhat unsurprising when we take into consideration the dire state of the economy and the particularly difficult year the UK has had financially.
House Prices
House prices have declined to their lowest levels in eight years; however this still hasn’t helped boost figures for first time buyers. This is due to the fact that those prospective first time buyers have struggled to raise enough money for expensive deposits and mortgages.
In 2011, it has been estimated that there were around 187,000 first time house buyers. That figure may sound like quite a lot, but when you compare it to last year, there has been a significant 7% drop.
Government Steps
These figures were released just a month after Chancellor George Osborne explained that he wants to do everything possible to help Britons get on the property ladder for the first time. The recession has been a very tough period for the UK housing market and Mr Osborne is clearly keen to work towards restoring the housing market. How long that restoration will take is anyone’s guess at the moment however.
In terms of steps the government is taking to help, Mr Osborne outlined details about a mortgage guarantee scheme. This is designed to help first time buyers with large deposits that would otherwise deter them from making the leap to get onto the property ladder for the first time. This would then inevitably help towards paying for landlord insurance as well.
What Will 2012 Hold for Housing Market?
Meanwhile, forecasts have already been made about house prices in 2012, and so far, it seems that they are set to continue falling. A 1.7% drop has been forecast with the housing market still vulnerable to any changes in the Eurozone. So, if the debt crisis worsens in mainland Europe, then we could see a further drop in UK house prices.
That would certainly make it easier for landlords to add to their property portfolio’s, which will only be a good thing for landlord insurance providers, but it would also make an increasing number of people even more reluctant to sell their home. Why sell at a cut price when you could wait to see if the housing market will bounce back is likely to be the attitude of many. What do you think will happen to the housing market, and the Eurozone, in 2012?