Improvements in  Affordability

Improvements in Affordability

This Graph & Article compares affordability levels over time and helps us understand the first time buyer market

Comparing affordability levels through time helps us understand when a market needs to slow down (affordability is overstretched) or when a recovery can take hold (improved affordability).

A combination of factors (chiefly the expectation of better mortgage rates) will see affordability improve in 2024 and help drive a tentative recovery in buyer confidence.

Lower recent 5-year swap rates (4.4% at the end of November) point to further improvement in mortgage rates.

Affordability, as measured here, represents the proportion of household earnings it takes to meet mortgage payments. Source: #Dataloft, ONS, Bank of England, Nationwide. Affordability is based on FTB prices, assuming 1.5 full time incomes per household; 80% loan to value and average new lending mortgage rate; forecast earnings growth of 3.4% for 2024; average new lending rate to improve to 4.5% by end 2024; FTB price fall of -1% for remaining quarter of 2023 and then stabilised.

If you require any help as a first time buyer then please call us and we will be able to send you a free guide on buying your first home.


Get in touch with us

Do you have a holiday cottage or property that you use as a short-term rental investment? You might have noticed an increase of other similar properties coming on to the market in their droves and be wondering why. This article explores some of the reasons that holiday property owners are leaving the industry and how you can protect your investment moving forward.

Overpricing your home can have detrimental consequences which can be very difficult to rectify. In this article we explore the reasons that overpricing properties happens and how to ensure that you avoid it so that you have a successful sale.

Gathering information from estate agents before you select the right one for you is essential when selling your home - read this article to find out what you need to know to ensure you achieve the highest price possible.

You may have seen property gurus filling up your social media feeds with tales of how they bought a number of properties without using any of their own savings, and now they have retired at the age of 32 with a portfolio worth £10m. And of course, for the princely sum of £997, you can learn how to do this too.