First time buyer

The proceeds of selling off 4G mobile phone licences should be used to "kick-start the economy" by building 100,000 affordable homes and funding a tax break for first-time buyers, shadow chancellor Ed Balls will say today.

The proportion of people planning to take their first step on the property ladder in the coming months has risen to its highest level in at least two-and-a-half years, despite the "minefield" of difficulties they face, a study suggests today.

The proportion of first-time buyers is set to rise slightly this year, but they could face a narrower choice of properties due to a lack of first-time sellers, a study suggests.

Lenders and estate agents say the Government could have helped first-time buyers by extending their stamp duty 'holiday' in yesterday's Autumn Budget Statement.

A small jump in the number of mortgages approved in February was driven by an increase in the number of first-time buyers, figures reveal today.

The Chancellor today gave a helping hand to motorists and first-time buyers but hit others with tax rises.

The fragile economic recovery looks set to disrupt the housing market during 2011 leading to property price falls, it was predicted today.

Property prices fell by 0.9% during August, figures from Nationwide Building Society reveal today.

The number of first-time buyers in the UK remained at near 20-year lows over the past 12 months.