The unexpected best UK city for first-time buyers

The Swansea marina in Swansea was voted the best place to buy for first-time buyers
The Swansea marina in Swansea was voted the best place to buy for first-time buyers (Picture: Getty Images)

With mortgage acceptance rates hitting a 15-month high earlier this year, you may be wondering, where’s the best UK location for first-time buyers?

In unexpected news, a study has found that the city you might want to buy in isn’t found in England or Scotland.

A mid-sized Welsh city has claimed the top spot when it comes to where new home-owners should put down roots.

The best place in the UK to buy a house for newbie buyers is… Swansea.

Taking the 30 most populated cities in the UK, the study took the areas and ranked by average house price, crime safety score, traffic index score and life satisfaction score.

These stats were then amassed into an overall score out of 100 – with Swansea landing the top overall score of 82.

Scenic view of Swansea, Wales, which has been voted top for first-time buyers in the UK
Swansea has a high life satisfaction rate and low house prices (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Quality of life in Swansea

Swansea also had one of the highest life satisfaction scores at 7.5, meaning the city’s residents have good levels of personal wellbeing, according to ONS.

It was also found to have lower crime levels, so you can feel safe, as well as lower traffic levels – meaning you aren’t going to struggle to get out of your drive way.

A big selling point for the Welsh city is its average property price, which is £196,029, according to Land Registry.

But it’s not just a bargain location. It comes with a pretty nice lifestyle, too.

Things to do in Swansea

Dubbed Wales’ ‘waterfront city’, Swansea sits right on the sea. Just a few minutes walk from the city centre is a five-mile stretch of sandy beach sweeping from the industrial docklands right up to the bustling seaside village of Mumbles.

Cycle paths line the bay to offer bikers a magnificent Sunday afternoon ride, where fish and chips on the Victorian Pier await those energetic enough.

Though Swansea lost out on their bid for UK City of Culture 2017 to Hull, there is cultural gold oozing from every corner of the city.

Swansea is home to several literary and music festivals, including Proms in the Park, while big names regularly perform at the Liberty Stadium, the Grand Theatre and Brangywn Hall.

Beach in Swansea, Wales on a sunny day
Swansea is full of great beaches and walks (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

And the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is just one of the many celebrated galleries in the city.

At the top of the long list of green spaces is Singleton Park, with acres of unspoiled space alongside a botanical gardens and boating lake.

There’s also Clyne Gardens, with its wonderful floral displays, and Cwmdonkin Park, where Dylan Thomas was inspired to write much of his poetry.

Voted as the most beautiful city back in 2016, Swansea is on the doorstep of the Gower Peninsula – and therefore has some of the best beaches in Britain nearby.

Which other UK cities are good for first-time home buyers?

Taking second spot for the best UK city for first-time buyers is the more expensive Edinburgh.

The home of the Fringe festival, the city scored 78.5 out of 100 overall. The average property price is a little steeper than Swansea, at £337,558, but it has a lower crime rate than the former.

If you’re a commuter, you might be interested to know that traffic scored poorly, although the wellbeing of Edinburgh’s residents was high at a score of 7.7 – the highest score of the entire study.

So, if quality of life is most important to you, then Edinburgh should be your new home city of choice.

Scenic view of buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is perfect for those looking for a work-life balance (Picture: Getty Images)

Totaljobs found that Edinburgh had the best work-life balance, offering residents higher rates of local happiness and access to affordable housing.

Third on the list finally brings England into the mix. The study, by Invezz, found Plymouth to also be first-time buyer friendly.

With an overall score of 74.2, the Devonshire city has an average house price of £217,534, but has a higher crime rate than both Swansea and Edinburgh.

It does rival Swansea for its life satisfaction score though, with an overall 7.5 rating.

Plymouth has the cheapest childcare costs at £700 per month (still extortionate in our opinion) beating Edinburgh – where it sets parents back £1,064.76 per month.

The coastline of Plymouth in South Devon
Plymouth in South Devon is also a great place for first-time buyers (Plymouth: Getty Images)

Public transport in Plymouth will cost you only £55.50 per month and the average house price is only £241,257. However, it has high levels of pollution and a longer commute time, with an average of 33 minutes.

Rounding out the top five best UK cities for first-time buyers is Sunderland in fourth and Newport in fifth.

Sunderland has an average house price of just £138,138 – and while there is a slightly higher crime rate than the top three, it still received an overall score of 74 out of 100.

Newport will cost you around £229,808 if you want to purchase a house and there’s a lot of traffic, although it still received a 7.3 score for life satisfaction.

The best cities in the UK for first time buyers

  1. Swansea – score 81.5/100
  2. Edinburgh – score 78.5/100
  3. Plymouth – score 74.2/100
  4. Sunderland – score 74/100
  5. Newport – score 68.3/100
  6. Leeds – score 68.1/100
  7. Blackpool – score 68.1/100
  8. Sheffield – score 68.1/100
  9. Stoke-on-Trent – score 68/100
  10. Derby – score 66.6/100

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.



source https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/04/unexpected-best-uk-city-first-time-buyers-20395975/
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