It is hard. To save a deposit you need a long term plan,to be willing to make serious sacrifices and to accept that the first thing you buy will be small and possibly not where you’d like to buy. If you earn reasonably and are willing to do these things, you should be able to buy in a few years.
So, are you willing to both move back home to live with parents, so you can save on rent and significantly increase your savings? If this isn’t possible, due to living nowhere near parents, are you and partner willing to rent a room to share, in a shared house?
Are you willing to each take on an extra 10-15 hours of work per week in evenings or weekends? This will boost savings?
Are you willing to forgo holidays and other expenses such as car finance, holidays, takeaways etc?
Are you willing to look at cheaper areas and 1 bedroom flats?
If you earn reasonably and do these things for 4-5 years, I think you’d be able to buy a flat.
The trouble is, people who are 26 like OP, seem to want a family home and to want it right now, without making sacrifices. Many don’t make sacrifices but spend a lot on rent and an expensive lifestyle which means they only increase their savings by a tiny amount…..and by 30 are no better off than at 25. By 35 they are in the same position and often now have 2 kids and now need a family home, not a 1 bed flat.
I agree that buying before kids makes all the difference….even if it’s a small flat. Those who have kids young, whilst in rented will have a much harder job to buy in many areas of the country. Those who spend their 20s saving hard and not living in expensive rentals, will usually afford something if they are in a couple, earn reasonably . If people can save £1-1.5 per month, within 5 years, they have £50-75k for a deposit. That will be very hard if renting expensive flats or houses. Living with parents or being in a house share which is cheaper, is probably the only way to achieve this saving rate for many people.
Too often people decide it’s too hard. They save a bit, get discouraged by it growing slowly, so blow the lot on an expensive holiday to cheer themselves up.
New builds, help to buy schemes etc are really expensive. People need to be prepared to consider less good areas, small and run down properties. But too often,people won’t consider these and also won’t really consider making sacrifices. It sounds harsh, but real determination and making a plan to grow the savings and recognising that the first property might not be what you’d really like or where you’d like it to be are vital.