Map reveals Britain’s cheapest postcodes where you can buy a home for £80k on average – does your hometown make the cut?
BRITAIN’S cheapest postcodes, where you can buy a home for £80,000 on average, have been revealed – is your hometown on the map?
Homebuyers in dual-income households now face paying nearly four times their total income to purchase an average property, according to Zoopla.
The property website claimed households, where both partners work full-time, typically pay 3.8 times their annual household income to buy a home.
Single buyers in Britain typically face paying 7.6 times their annual income to purchase a home.
Zoopla analysed house price-to-earnings ratios to identify the most affordable areas across the UK’s nations and regions, using data based on a two-earner household with an average local salary.
The online property marketplace found that in Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland, and Shildon in County Durham in the North East of England, the average house price is 1.1 times typical household earnings.
The most affordable location in London was still above the national average affordability ratio for a two-earner household.
Zoopla identified Croydon as the most affordable area in London, with homes costing approximately 4.7 times local incomes.
Izabella Lubowiecka, a senior property researcher at Zoopla, said: “London remains the least affordable area for home-buyers.
“Those in London looking to get more for their money may want to consider buying in one of the South East and East of England’s commuter belt, where there are many towns that are more affordable than London.
“The same is true in markets around many regional cities and we see buyers seeking value for money.”
NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Propertymark president Toby Leek said: “Affordability for many is a real issue and, as purse strings remain tightened despite easing factors such as slight drops in inflation, prospective and current home-owners will be looking to enter the market with caution, but also, in some cases, further flexibility in where they nest themselves.
“As many people no longer have the restriction of basing themselves from a static office full-time, they are able to look elsewhere to actually step onto the housing ladder for the first time or find their next, more affordable dream home.”
The report was released alongside research commissioned by Santander UK, which found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of potential first-time buyers would consider relocating to new towns.
This contrasts with 57% of “second steppers” planning to move from their first home and 41% of those looking to downsize in later life.
Among those unwilling to move, several expressed concerns about housing quality.
However, others stated that the availability of healthcare facilities and green spaces would make them more likely to consider relocating.
According to a survey of over 4,000 people in September, 47% of prospective first-time buyers cited affordability as a major hurdle.
Graham Sellar, head of business development – mortgages, at Santander, said: “New towns have incredible potential but, to maximise the impact they can have, they must be built with the people who will call them home in mind.
“Our research shows just how important it is to create lively communities with green spaces as well as easy access to healthcare when it comes to appealing to more home-buyers.”
It comes after the UK’s most expensive and cheapest areas to buy or rent a home were revealed in a recent study.
And a forgotten “seaside” town with plenty of tourists has some of the UK’s cheapest homes – but locals have never been to the shingle beach.
The most affordable locations
Here are the most affordable locations in each nation or region, according to Zoopla, based on a two-income household, with the postal town followed by the average house value, the estimated annual household income and the house value-to-earnings ratio:
- East Midlands, Gainsborough, £170,000 – £70,500, 2.4
- East of England, Wisbech, £209,800 – £70,900, 3.0
- South East, Dover, £250,000 – £79,300, 3.2
- South West, Plymouth, £222,200 – £68,300, 3.3
- Wales, Ferndale, £101,600 – £67,700, 1.5
- West Midlands, Stoke-On-Trent, £139,200 – £62,100, 2.2
- Yorkshire and the Humber, Hull, £119,800 – £62,200, 1.9
- London, Croydon, £417,800 – £84,800, 4.7
- North East, Shildon, £73,200 – £65,800, 1.1
- North West, Workington, £123,700 – £76,900, 1.6
- Scotland, Cumnock, £80,300 – £75,800, 1.1
Source: Zoopla
How to buy your first home
Getting on the property ladder can feel like a daunting task but there are schemes out there to help first-time buyers have their own home.
Lifetime ISA – This is a Government scheme that gives anyone aged 18 to 39 the chance to save tax-free and get a bonus of up to £32,000 towards their first home.
You can save up to £4,000 a year and the Government will add 25% on top.
Shared ownership – Co-owning with a housing association means you can buy a part of the property and pay rent on the remaining amount.
You can buy anything from 25% to 75% of the property but you’re restricted to specific ones.
Mortgage guarantee scheme – Available for first-time buyers and those who’ve owned a property before who have a minimum 5% deposit.
It can be used to buy any type of home so long as you don’t pay more than £600,000 for it.
By providing a guarantee that the government will cover some of a lender’s losses if a borrower can’t afford to repay their mortgage and the home is repossessed – more lenders are prepared to lend up to 95%.
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