DEPOSIT BLOCK HITS ONE IN THREE FIRST-TIME BUYERS 

More than one in three first-time buyers have missed out on potential home deals because their deposit was too small and around half had more than 10% of the purchase price saved, new research* for the Nottingham Building Society (The Nottingham) shows.

Its study found 35% of would-be first-time buyers saw house deals fall through in the past year because their deposit was too small to secure a mortgage. Around 18% say they had a deposit of less than 10% while 17% had less than 20% of the house price they were planning to buy.

Council of Mortgage Lenders** figures show total borrowing by first-time buyers hit a record of £53.2 billion last year with more than 338,900 loans completed and that the average loan-to-value is currently around 84.3% on loans of £132,400.

But The Nottingham’s research found first-time buyers are still struggling to buy the homes they want despite having saved deposits. More than half (51%) of first-time buyers say they have a deposit saved before looking to buy.

Ian Gibbons, Senior Mortgage Broking Manager at Nottingham Mortgage Services (part of The Nottingham), said: “Borrowers with small deposits have a wide choice of loans to pick from but clearly many are struggling to buy the houses they want with so many potential deals falling through.

“It is particularly worrying that borrowers with a 10% deposit or more are struggling. They should be able to secure a mortgage and not have to miss out on house purchases simply because their deposit is too small.

“The withdrawal of the Help-to-Buy mortgage guarantee scheme will have some impact but in general the advice is always to search the market and get specialist advice on the range of options available.”

The Nottingham’s research shows more than two out of five (42%) of first-time buyers would be comfortable borrowing 15% or more of the purchase price of their first home. Around 10% would be willing to borrow 100% of the price.

The goal of Nottingham Mortgage Services is to offer unbiased mortgage advice through a service that searches over 50 different lenders.

From first-time buyer mortgages, re-mortgages through to mortgage for house purchase and buy-to-lets, it has been successfully helping people find the right deal on their mortgages for a number of years. Its expert advisers search more than 50 lenders across mortgage market, looking for the best deals. They explain the costs and benefits of each mortgage and will only recommend a mortgage that is right for the customer. The Nottingham may also be able to help customers with a poor credit history and those looking to borrow into retirement.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.