"Affordability continues to shape where first-time buyers are looking, and we're seeing the strongest price growth in areas where homes remain within reach for more people"
- Colleen Babcock - Rightmove
Northern England and Scotland are driving the strongest growth in first-time buyer house prices, with new analysis from Rightmove identifying a clear pattern of demand concentrated in areas where homes remain within financial reach.
Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire and St Helens in Merseyside lead the rankings, with average asking prices up 18% year-on-year to £167,321 and £133,106 respectively. Falkirk in Stirlingshire follows closely, with prices rising 17% to £118,327, while Hartlepool recorded 12% growth to reach £104,276.
Every location among the fastest-growing markets sits below £170,000, reflecting sustained buyer appetite for more affordable homes, particularly across the north and Scotland.
The national picture is more subdued. The average asking price for a typical first-time buyer property (0-2 bedrooms) across Great Britain now stands at £228,048, down 0.7% on the same period last year. In some higher-priced southern markets, conditions have softened further.
Brighton and Southampton have both recorded declines in first-time buyer asking prices, with affordability constraints and higher stock levels prompting buyers to be more cautious about what they can afford.
The gap between the country's most and least expensive markets remains wide. St Albans in Hertfordshire tops the table at £401,352, while Middlesbrough remains the most affordable location in the analysis at £90,929.
Colleen Babcock, Rightmove's property expert, said: "Affordability continues to shape where first-time buyers are looking, and we're seeing the strongest price growth in areas where homes remain within reach for more people."
"Lower-cost locations are still seeing strong interest, with competition for homes helping to hold prices up. In more expensive markets, tenants are taking a bit more time and thinking more carefully about what they can afford, which is keeping growth relatively flat."
Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark, said the data reinforced a familiar pattern. "These figures show that affordability continues to drive first-time buyer activity, with the strongest price growth concentrated in areas where homeownership remains within reach," he said.
"While demand remains strong in many northern English and Scottish markets, buyers still face challenges from higher mortgage costs, ongoing living expenses and saving for a deposit.
"The differences in price growth across the country highlight the influence of local market conditions, with affordable areas continuing to attract strong demand.
"To help more people onto the property ladder, governments across the UK must prioritise increasing housing supply and improving affordability."
