Aibu to think that buying a property is impossible for single people?

[Iggleonkupsy]

I'm single and childless, I work really hard and although I try to also have a social life, I save as much money as I can to put towards a deposit someday. But I just get deflated when I look at properties that are so expensive. I relocated to this area about 5 years ago and although I could probably move to a different city and find a job in what I do, I don't feel like I should have to..I've built my life here, I have a good support network. I just get so down at the thought that buying somewhere will not happen. Why do they build these new homes if they aren't affordable? 200k for a 1 bed tiny apartment is not affordable is it?

Well no, you haven't but you've said a city in the south west. The same applies to Bath, Gloucester and Exeter. You need to look at a wider radius.

Even couples and families have to do that to get what they want within budget

YANBU.

I live in an expensive area in the south west. I can’t afford to buy even with a partner so I don’t know how else a single person could with the affordability requirements.

I bought my first place in the southwest 4 years ago for 98k, it’s a nice two bed flat. Is 200k for a one bed really what it costs where you live? I’m struggling to think of places in the southwest that cost that much, that don’t also have cheaper housing a few miles away?

According to Rightmove you are correct @Silverray. It's just a case of being a bit flexible

@userxx

It's not 'rubbish'.

Just because society has massively changed in paradigm of single-occupancy housing obviously doesn't mean that buying or living alone has been catered for, or this thread wouldn't exist.

Housing has to be planned for, and that also includes pushing aside the housing needs of families (that a large proportion of those single person households will become at some point). As well as a population increase in that time, and and an increase in age expectancy.

So you have more people wanting to live alone before having a family, more older people living longer in family sized homes and more people overall. These ALL have an effect on the housing problem.

And I'm not sure that building single occupancy housing is the thing I'd be targeting either.

I would say that simply searching on rightmove and finding a cheapish place doesn't necessarily mean that this place is a genuine prospect. I did the same when moving to a new area but when I investigated further the cheap properties were often money pits requiring major investment or they were in a downright dangerous area, that wouldn't have been obvious from an idle rightmove search. It's not always that people are inflexible.

I live in a London commuter town and you can get 1 bed apartments in for 100k here - my guess is if you aren’t in London / Birmingham / Manchester then there’s a bit of pickiness going on here. A lot of couples need to make compromises about where they live

Exactly what crisps said! To be honest I can't find anything cheaper than about 150k even searching out of the area I'm in, and they are in dangerous areas.
I guess waiting until I hopefully meet someone or saving further is the only way. I've said multiple times that I'm happy to live out of where i currently live, but properties aren't much cheaper anyway!

Absolutely, and I'm happy to make compromises, I really am. But I'd rather not move to a dangerous area on my own. If I had a partner I'm sure I wouldn't mind as much.

Out of interest, what London commuter towns have properties for 100K?

£50,000 for a shared ownership 2 bed flat in Bournemouth town centre. Yes, you pay rent on the remaining part and have the option to increase your stake over time in tranches. Own parking space - extra help for key service employees. police, fb, ambulance NHS, teachers. Similar schemes around the country - hopefully near you.

The ones surrounding Bath and Bristol aren't in unsafe areas. And there are lots of them. 200k has got to be an exaggeration

@crustycrab But are they shared onwership? only for the over 55s? Within commutable distance from wherever OP happens to work? Needing absolutely loads of work doing?

No, take a look. There is plenty to choose from. I've bought a fair bit of property in several parts of the UK. I'm not speaking as a novice. All too often people get it into their head that something is unachievable and feel it is "unfair" when in actual fact it just takes some compromise and flexibility.

No way should OP move to an unsafe area but if she is in a city in the south west then the reality isn't 200k for a 1 bed flat.

None of them are necessarily commutable though. Only been to bath once but it seemed a hassle to drive in.

It's difficult but not impossible.

You HAVE to change things or you'll still be saying this in five years time.

When I wanted to buy as a single person, I did the following:

• Sold everything of value that i owned
• Got two extra jobs - an evening job and a weekend job. I sacrificed my social life but it was worth it.
• Had a no spend year (no holidays/clothes/cinema/meals etc..
• took on extra work in my day job so that I could get a rise in salary

My first place was a studio flat in Cheshire. So incredibly cramped and pokey but it was worth it as it increased in value by £30 over five years. Then I moved to a 2 bed semi, again, it increased and I moved up, again, slightly better house, slightly better area.

It can be done but sacrifices have to be made.

The days of one person having a normal job and buying a 3 bed semi in leafy suburbia in their 20s are over unfortunately.

Have you asked for family and friends for help? Maybe a short term loan over 5 years?

Very commutable, several towns a 20 minute train ride away at around £6.00 per ticket.

But you're doing a great job at proving my point crip

YANBU. There's no way I could afford a house on my own, but then I couldn't afford to rent on my own either and had to house share before I met DP.

I have never been so poor as when I was single - it is really crippling to have to cover all the expenses alone.

I've said it before, but we are going to end up with a MASSIVE housing crisis when the younger generation - who are never going to be able to afford to buy in the majority - become elderly and can no longer afford to rent privately.

Where are they going to live?

I completely agree zap

Yes commutable distances I guess are an issue too! Depending where people work in a city, whether the place these cheaper houses are have a train station.

Dp bought his 2 bedroom house for 85k before we met so was single, yabu to say that single people cant buy. Completely dependent on where you are. If you want to be based in a specific location then you have to deal with what that means, amd if that means you cant buy then you decide if its a dealbreaker for you. But no need to generalise.

The days of one person having a normal job and buying a 3 bed semi in leafy suburbia in their 20s are over unfortunately

I don’t know when these days were. My parents were married in 1950 in their 20s , they could afford a small terraced house in the inner city of a northern town. But my father had a well paid professorial job ( I’m assuming that’s not what you mean by a normal job ) and my mum worked in an office for 13 years before she had kids.

They didn’t move up to a 3 bed semi until they were in their 30s and he had been promoted to a senior job.

Other relatives who got married in their 20s lived in small flats and had two incomes ( eg salesman and secretary ) .

In laws got married in mid 1950s , also had two good jobs ( surveyor and secretary ) and they had a terraced house in a new town.

Most of them didn’t have the luxury of a university education, they were working from 16 or 17. So by their late 20s they had 10 years of work behind them.

None of these couples had two cars, overseas holidays or went out for meals every weekend - things that many people now see as basics. Their social life was going to friends/ family for drinks or meals , or a few drinks at the bowling club. They went out for dinners on birthdays .

When they got married their homes were kitted out mostly with hand me downs and a few wedding gifts. They didn’t redecorate Every few years or have new bathrooms and kitchens every few years when they went out of style. They had a few outfits and their work clothes.

I think there’s a lot of talk about how easy it was then but they had very different lifestyles and expectations . They spent more on their homes and far less on consumer goods, hobbies and entertainment.

stressed if you had read the full thread you'll see that I've already said my op was worded a bit wrong.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but what about half rent half buy properties? Would that be an option?

The reality about these regeneration practices is that council housing is abolished and is only partially replaced with fewer ,more expensive and less secure housing association homes

In 2015 it was calculated that a household income of over £52"000 would be needed to pay the average £303 WEEKLY rent of an affordable two bed home in Aylesburys SE5 postcode area.