The real reason millennials are finding it harder than their parents to get onto the property ladder

And it's not avocado toast

Rebecca Knight's avatar
By
published

It turns out it isn't just a taste for avocados that are keeping millennials off the property ladder. The rise in property prices has made it harder to get first time buyer mortgages than in the 1970s.

Related: Calling all first time buyers! You can now pay for someone to find your first home for you

Hands up if your parents have ever told you that you'll never buy a home if you keep going out for boozy brunches and buying Starbucks coffee? First of all, they're right. But in your defence buying a home in 2020 is also significantly harder than when your parents were first time buyers.

room with white teapot wooden stool and chopping pad

(Image credit: Future PLC /Lizzie Orme)

New research from Mojo Mortgages has revealed that first-time buyers have to borrow 18 times more than in the 19070s. Sadly, wages haven't kept up with rising house prices. The average salaries have only increased by 11 fold since the 70s.

This has made it an even bigger challenge to get a mortgage than in our parent's generation. Mojo Mortgage used their MortgageScore tool to work out how likely the average buyer would be to get a mortgage compared to in the 1970s.

exterior of house with brick wall white door

(Image credit: Future PLC /Oliver Gordon)

The tool gives a homebuyer a score out of 1,000 based on how likely they are to get a mortgage.

In the 1970s the average first-time buyer achieved a MortgageScore of 977. However, in contrast, the average buyer in 2020 achieved a 313 mortgage score.

It now takes a first-time buyer an additional four years to get on the property ladder than in the 70s. And you'll probably need to give up a few little luxurious to safe up – goodbye avocado toast.

beer trolley with beer bottles and glasses

(Image credit: Future PLC /Matt Antrobus)

However, 64 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds have said that they will try to cut back on eating out and takeaways to save for a deposit faster. One in five said they would even get rid of their Amazon Prime and Netflix subscriptions to help save up for a deposit.

Related: Calling all first time buyers! Halifax has launched a new no-deposit mortgage

It might be time we stop blaming avocados and Netflix for our housing woes. Though if you are saving for a deposit they're probably not helping.

Rebecca Knight
Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.

Latest