First time buyers ‘returning to The Smoke’ reveals Rightmove
New analysis by the portal reveals many first-time buyers are looking at properties in cities albeit not in uber-expensive London.
First-time buyers are flocking to some cities, new Rightmove analysis shows, while few are choosing coastal locations.
A study by the portal compared 50 of the main cities across Great Britain (excluding London), with the biggest and most popular coastal areas.
Over the last 10 years, the number of FTBs looking to move to cities is up 16%, though this varies significantly.
Dundee has seen the biggest jump in first-time buyer enquiries (+176%), followed by Edinburgh (+91%) and Doncaster (+74%).
Completely flat
But the number of FTBs looking to move to popular coastal areas is completely flat compared with 2015.
And London does not follow the city trend, with overall first-time buyer demand in London down by 7%, with higher asking prices a likely reason, Rightmove says.
The analysis looked between January and May 2025, compared with the same period in 2015, and measured enquiries for typical FTB properties (measured by 0-2 bedroom homes).
It looks like there’s even more appeal from potential first-time buyers to live in cities.”
Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove, says: “Comparing where we are now versus a decade ago, it looks like there’s even more appeal from potential first-time buyers to live in cities, though the data does show that it can vary quite widely from city to city, and it will also depend how first-time buyer friendly a particular location is in terms of the type of homes that are available for sale.
“Coastal areas haven’t seen the same level of growth as cities from this type of buyer, and again it may be partly due to the availability of suitable homes in these areas for first-time buyers as well as affordability.”
Unaffordable
Mary-Lou Press, President of NAEA Propertymark, says: “It’s likely we will continue to see a shift in first time buyer activity within city centres as London remains increasingly desirable yet unaffordable for many people stepping onto the property ladder for the first time.
“This is likely pushing many to enter more affordable cities and it’s unsurprising that Scottish cities are placed firmly at the top, as these can offer a blend of career opportunities, landmarks, and access to green spaces, all at a lower cost than many other major UK cities.”
