I'm in my early twenties and have had to move back into my family home due to the pandemic and postgraduate study at the local university (not the city I lived in during my undergraduate degree). I'm working part time but not earning loads of money at the minute, just enough to live on while I study. I really miss the independence I had before and am thinking about starting to make plans to move out (obviously if I decided to do this I'd need to work more hours/start saving in earnest). The problem is that I have no idea where to start!
What do you think I should know? I'm single, so wouldn't be living with a partner, though I might be able to share with a friend or two if our plans matched up.
Would I be better looking for somewhere to rent rather than to buy? I do have money in a Help to Buy ISA which I could use towards a deposit but one of my issues is that I'm not sure if I'd want to stay in the UK long term or if I'd like to live abroad in the future, so not sure it's sensible to aim at the commitment of a mortgage? But at the same time I'd prefer to get on the housing ladder ASAP and not rent permanently.
I'm not even sure what other questions to ask tbh, please just share any wisdom and tips you might have!