Less than 2% of homes on the market currently offer any form of buying scheme support, despite strong demand from buyers struggling to overcome the high cost of homeownership, according to new analysis by estate agency Yopa.
The firm’s latest research shows a sharp imbalance between appetite for government and industry-backed affordability schemes – such as shared ownership, Help to Buy, and Deposit Unlock – and the availability of properties offering these initiatives.
Just 1.8% of homes listed for sale across Britain include access to a buyer assistance scheme, highlighting a major shortfall in the type of support many prospective homeowners now need.
The supply gap is particularly stark in major urban centres.
BUYING SCHEMES
Glasgow, for example, has just 0.1% of homes on the market offering any kind of buying scheme. Even in the best-performing cities – Newcastle (2.6%), Plymouth (2.4%), and Portsmouth (2.2%) – the proportion remains marginal.
However, analysis of sales data suggests that this lack of supply is not matched by lack of demand.
One in three homes (34%) marketed with a buying scheme have already been sold subject to contract, a clear sign that when support is available, buyers are quick to act. In Edinburgh, 71.4% of such homes have been snapped up, with Newcastle (67.9%) and Nottingham (65.5%) also recording high take-up rates.
CRITICAL MISMATCH
Verona Frankish, Chief Executive of Yopa, says that the figures expose a critical mismatch between what buyers need and what the market is providing.
She adds: “Demand for support is evident, yet the share of homes offering that helping hand is negligible.
“With stamp duty relief thresholds rolled back and affordability pressures mounting, the government’s only firm pledge so far – more housebuilding – is a long-term solution. We need short-term intervention too.”
