More than half of aspirant homeowners pessimistic about chances

July 20, 2026 by Brendan O'Neill

Property Market

A survey has found that over 50% of people who want to buy a home are dubious about their chances.

This survey was carried out by HomeOwners Alliance (HOA). It shows the number of people who do not own a home but wish to buy in the future has risen. In last year’s survey, 64% of respondents said they wanted to buy, whereas this year it was 73%. However, the survey also shows that many are sceptical that they will achieve that dream.

Over half of them – 52% – stated they were doubtful it would happen. HOA is arguing that the survey results show that these people are unduly gloomy about the property market.

It points out that many of them believe things that are not true. For example, 62% of respondents were under the impression that the minimum deposit available is 10% of the property value. In truth though, it is possible to get a mortgage with a lower deposit requirement than this.

Furthermore, 49% of those who took part in the survey thought four to five times their earnings was the maximum borrowing amount. This is also not the case, as some lenders are prepared to offer higher amounts.

Paula Higgins from HOA said to Mortgage Strategy:

“Some face very real affordability barriers, but others may be counting themselves out because of outdated assumptions about deposits, borrowing limits or their eligibility for a mortgage.”

This highlights why there is so much need for mortgage advisors with CeMAP training, to counter such misinformation.