Graduates

[UnquietDad]

So says the article here.

While I have every sympathy for anyone (graduate or otherwise) trying to buy a house in today's market, is there a bit too much protesting going on here?

I don't think the article specifies what age of graduate they have interviewed, but if this is the old "22-year-olds moaning about not being able to buy a semi with a garden in a nice part of London" thing again, I want to line them all up and slap them with the Wet Kipper Of Reality.

It's like the "I didn't spend three years at Uni to do the photocopying" mentality. What on earth makes people think they have the right to buy a house? For goodness' sake, rent for a bit. It gives you more freedom and it isn't necessarily more expensive.

Most people don't buy a house until they are in their 30s now. DW and I bought our first house - a poky 3-up, 2-down - 10 years ago in our mid-20s, which seemed frighteningly early. We've since taken out a full 25-year mortgage again in our 30s to up to a much bigger house - we won't have paid it off until we're 56-ish, but that's our choice.

upwind- i can see it's more difficult if you're trying to get on the property ladder and already have kids. for me it was different, i didn't mind living in a crappy area for a couple of years with a couple of friends..just like extending my student years really. i wouldn't have wanted to raise children where my first house was.

upwind - agree with dizzybint - that your situation is different from the one I was thinking of. But I am still convinced that there are younger people who are not prepared to make sacrifices to save

Hatwoman - of course there are plenty of young people who are not prepared to make sacrifices to save. Have you considered what they would be making those sacrifices for? We could buy our own home now but when we look at what is available in our price range it is grim.

Why miss out on holidays and the latest fashions from topshop? If you save the money instead, it won't necessarily bring you closer to buying any place you could want to live.