First-time buyers 'important to housing market'

The number of first-time buyers looking to enter the property market has increased, new figures have revealed.

According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a net balance of 28 per cent of surveyors saw an increase in enquiries from first-time buyers in the last three months, while the net balance of new buyers looking to purchase remained positive for the 11th consecutive month.

And the North West recorded the highest proportion of first-time buyer enquiries at 23 per cent.

Commenting on the news, James Chatt-Collins, assistant director of sales at Metropolitan Home Ownership, said such buyers are "very important" to the housing market.

"There are people who have an aspiration to get into homeownership, so they are people who are applying to get into homeownership," he added.

Britons searching for a new home are advised by the Energy Saving Trust to check if it has double glazing.

Double glazing - along with composite doors - can reduce the amount of heat lost from a property by boosting insulation, meaning that people do not have to rely so heavily on their central heating.

Force 8 the North West's leading window and door manufacturer.

Written by Alice Cox