A Home of Your Own

They say a Brit's home is their castle. If you've been following the news in recent years, it may have seemed like property prices have been reflecting that a little too closely!

But there is good news. July 2019 market analysis shows that 56% all UK properties are affordable to first-time buyers.* If you're thinking about getting on the property ladder the Mortgage Deposit Calculator will help you find the wards and boroughs most affordable to you in over 80 towns and cities across the UK. You'll see at a glance the average house prices and which areas have seen the greatest house price growth recently. You'll also be able to track your progress towards saving for a deposit and even see how long it could take to get that first foot on the ladder.

Getting to Grips with the Market

Raising the money for a deposit might seem daunting. House prices are continuing the upward trend of recent decades, however the rate at which they’re doing so has slowed to a near stop – currently just 0.9% across the UK. Meanwhile, average incomes for FTB households have increased by 1.2%. This puts FTBs in a stronger position than they’ve been in some time.

Knowing where you could get a mortgage with your budget is crucial to finding the home of your dreams. But without a tool to help you out at a glance, finding this information out can be either a lengthy research process or educated guesswork – or a combination of the two.

Our Mortgage Deposit Calculator is just such a tool. We’ve looked at house price data from all over the UK to help you scour the UK not only for your perfect house but your ideal location too. And once you’ve made a shortlist of areas with houses within your price range, you can start to find out more about the area.

And if you’re getting on the ladder to eventually sell, you can use our calculator to see which areas have enjoyed the fastest growth in house prices. But remember, there’s no guarantee that trends in any particular area will continue.

The UK’s most affordable areas

Our research has shown which areas of the UK have the greatest amount of affordable housing for FTBs. The top 5 are all in the north of England: Blackpool (Lancashire), Lincoln (Lincolnshire), Kingston-upon-Hull (West Yorkshire), Knowsley (Merseyside) and Stoke-on-Trent (Staffordshire). Blackpool, Lincoln and Kingston upon Hull all have 100% of their properties for sale within the affordable range, while Knowsley has 95% and Stoke-on-Trent has 94%.

The UK’s least affordable areas

Unsurprisingly, towns and cities in London’s commuter belt are among the least affordable. This catchment covers a large area, so using our calculator can give you a good idea of which areas are the most affordable within that range

Mortgages for First Time Buyers

Post Office Family Link™

Your parents or close relatives could help fund your deposit without touching their savings by using the value in their home.

Post Office Family Link™ Mortgage

First Start

Let your family help you get more for your money without having to contribute towards your deposit by acting as a sponsor.

First Start Mortgage

Savings

Make sure your money’s working harder, with tax-free savings options, easy access accounts and bonds – you could maximise your money and boost your savings.

Savings

*Opinium Research, on behalf of Post Office Money conducted a study into the affordability of properties for first-time buyers in the UK, covering over 80 locations across the UK between June and July 2019. The percentage of each city that is affordable to first time buyers was calculated by seeing what proportion of the middle layer super output areas (MSOA) in each local authority had a median house price lower than 4.5 times the average income of first-time buyers in each region. Property price data sourced from the ONS House Price Statistics for Small Areas, quarterly statistics from the Registers of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Residential Property Price Index. Data on first time buyers’ salaries in each region sourced from the ONS House Price Index.