Buying your first home is one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do. Getting those keys and knowing its yours to shape and decorate as you decide and that it’s an asset you will one day own outright, is an exhilarating feeling – and definitely the reason so many champagne corks are popped on that first night amongst the boxes and flatpack furniture!
But there’s no denying it is becoming more difficult to get a first step on the property ladder. The average house price in the UK is now more than £230,000, and in Yorkshire £165,000. According to the Halifax, the average price of a typical first home has jumped from £153,030 in 2008 to £212,473 in 2018 – a massive 39 per cent increase in 10 years. So, with wages not keeping up the same level of rises, it’s no wonder it’s taking longer to get those precious keys to our first homes.
Research this year from the English Housing Association , revealed that 38 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds are homeowners, a reduction of 17 per cent since a decade ago, when 55 per cent of the age group had bought a property. The average age of first-time buyers has risen from 31 to 33 over the same time period – and according to research from Nationwide, people save up for an average of eight years to build a deposit to buy their first home.
But even if it’s taking longer to get the deposit together, it doesn’t mean people aren’t starting to prepare for their own homes. At McCarthy’s we sometimes get first time buyers using our self storage facilities to begin collecting items for their new home, ready for the day they get those keys. With many people deciding to live with parents or in a flat share to help save money, there often isn’t room to start stockpiling furniture or other household equipment – whether it’s a brand new bargain you got in the sales, or some welcome second hand pieces which have been gratefully received.
With storage centres in Leeds, Harrogate and Wakefield, it’s easy to get a storage unit to suit your needs – so if you want to start small, but then start collecting more items in the run up to moving day and need to scale your unit up in size, it’s not a problem. Prices start from just £6 a week, and your items are kept safe and secure in a unit which only you can access. We don’t even have a key! There’s ample parking at all our sites and lifts and trolleys to help you move items safely and easily to your unit. With pincode access to the storage centre, you can get to your unit whenever you need to, so there’s no worry about having to fit round working hours, or that you can’t get in to retrieve something last minute if needed.
For more information about our self storage and how it can help first time buyers, why not get in touch?