Number of older first-time buyers on the rise
December 2, 2025 by Brendan O'Neill
Property Market
The number of people over the age of 40 who are buying a first home is on the rise, according to the latest housing market figures to be published.
Those figures were published by Santander and they show that those aged 40 or over now make up 22% of the first-time buyer market. At the same time last year, the figure was just 18%. In response to its findings, Santander stated that first-time buyers have been getting older on average for some time now. It then added that this includes people buying a first home when over the age of 60.
In fact, the percentage of people in that age range who are buying a first home has gone up by 14% in comparison with last year. According to the figures released by Santander, its oldest first-time buyer this year was aged 70. Last year, the oldest was 67.
This has ramifications for younger people who are trying to move from renting to buying. Santander pointed out that regulations and policy changes had been made by lenders to help them, but that it clearly isn’t enough. There has been a drop of 23% in the number of first-time buyers who are 25 years of age or under.
Santander’s head of homes is David Morris. He spoke to Mortgage Solutions:
“This year has been very much the year of the buyer, with regulatory changes giving buyers renewed confidence that owning a home is within reach.”
It will keep demand for CeMAP training courses at a high level.
Written by
Brendan O'Neill
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