First-time buyers (FTBs) are getting older, with the average age now 34 and some people being in their fifties when they get on the housing ladder.

The number of FTBs is also declining as it becomes ever harder to raise a deposit. Yorkshire Building Society reports that, in 2023, the number of new FTBs with a mortgage fell to the lowest level in a decade.

The worry is that many people think mortgages are inaccessible. Some believe that lenders, rather than actively wanting to lend to them, will do everything to avoid it. Many feel it’s an ‘us versus them’ scenario.