![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1325865055.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe average age of first-time buyers varies across the country (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tThe average age of first-time buyers varies across the country (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
In the evolving tapestry of the English property market<\/a>, an unmistakable trend is emerging: first-time buyers<\/a> are getting older.<\/p>\n Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the South East, where the average age of first-time homeowners has climbed to 34 \u2014 marking the most substantial increase nationwide over recent years.<\/p>\n This development, revealed through fresh research by My Home Move Conveyancing<\/a>, offers a telling glimpse into the interplay between affordability pressures, regional disparities, and shifting buyer behaviours.<\/p>\n Analysing over 39,000 property transactions from the first half of each year spanning 2021 to 2025, the research shows sharp contrasts in the age of first-time buyers across England\u2019s regions.<\/p>\n Average age of first-time buyers in the UK<\/p>\n The South East has experienced a near three-year jump in average buyer age<\/a> since 2021, reaching 34, the highest in the country.<\/p>\n In comparison, the East Midlands has bucked the trend slightly, seeing a small decline to around 31 years, while northern regions like the North West saw the average age rise from roughly 30 to 32.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the North East also stands out for bucking the ageing trend, fielding younger buyers on average, a detail that underscores the patchwork nature of local market dynamics and regional affordability.<\/p>\n Areas with soaring property prices, such as the South East and London, inherently push aspiring owners into delayed homeownership, as higher deposits and costs require lengthier saving periods.<\/p>\n This contrasts with more affordable pockets like County Durham, where lower house prices enable younger buyers to make their first purchase earlier.<\/p>\n \t\t Alistair Singer, Director at My Home Move Conveyancing, spoke candidly about the forces propelling this demographic shift.<\/p>\n \u2018The gradual increase in first-time buyer age over the past decade reflects the changing property market and how the cost-of-living<\/a> crisis continues to affect this landscape,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n He added that buyers are increasingly adopting strategic approaches \u2014 saving for longer, carefully timing their market entry \u2014 rather than abandoning their homeownership aspirations altogether.<\/p>\n The challenges first-time buyers face<\/p>\n House price inflation poses a significant barrier: the typical first home now carries a price tag of \u00a3311,034, requiring deposits averaging over \u00a361,000, according to Halifax<\/a>.<\/p>\n This steep financial hurdle partly explains why more buyers are delaying entry, accumulating larger savings over extended periods.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tNew here? Sign up for The Key newsletter\t\t\t<\/p>\n Hello! I\u2019m Rachel Moss, Metro\u2019s lifestyle editor.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re renting, buying, or just dreaming, our weekly property newsletter<\/a> is packed with expert tips, housing hacks, and the best (and most bonkers) homes on the market.<\/p>\n \t\t Recently, we wrote about a women-only commune, why London\u2019s fanciest houses are opening their doors to visitors and buying a home through shared ownership.<\/p>\n Sign up\u00a0now<\/a>.<\/p>\n The evolving financial landscape is also visible in deposit funding. TSB Bank<\/a> reports a decline in first-time buyers relying on family gifts \u2014 the so-called \u2018Bank of Mum and Dad<\/a>\u2019 \u2014 from 34% in early 2024 to 30% in 2025.<\/p>\n This trend indicates that new buyers may be increasingly self-funding their deposit or saving longer, reflecting both greater financial independence and potentially more stringent saving requirements.<\/p>\n Corresponding with this, the average borrower\u2019s age has edged up from 31 to 32 in the same timeframe, affirming the narrative of an ageing cohort adapting to financial realities.<\/p>\n \t\t Meanwhile, new government data<\/a> further reveals disparities entwined with ethnicity. <\/p>\n While the overall average age of first-time buyers in England stands at 32, white British buyers tend to enter the market younger \u2014 around 31 years old.<\/p>\n Buyers from Asian and White Other ethnic backgrounds average closer to 35, a gap suggestive of broader socio-economic influences shaping residential trajectories.<\/p>\n Further demographic trends underscore changing buyer profiles. Santander UK\u2019s research<\/a> shows that the share of first-time buyers with dependent children has doubled in 15 years, now comprising one in five buyers.<\/p>\n And despite mounting challenges, recent Halifax data offers reason for optimism. First-time buyers surged by 19% in 2024, reaching 341,068 transactions \u2014 a clear indication of renewed market activity.<\/p>\n As the homeownership horizon evolves, the story of first-time buyers offers a telling reflection on how economic pressures, social changes, and market dynamics intertwine \u2014 shaping not only who buys homes, but also when and where they do so.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-1461392455-5993.jpg\")
\n\t\tCounty Durham is one of the more affordable places for first-time buyers in England (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20230106_120454-1-fd92-e1759736893344.jpg\")
\n\t\tRachel\u2019s team brings you the latest in property, travel, money and much more<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2214813110-5a60.jpg\")
\n\t\tThere are many barriers to getting on the property ladder (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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