Revealed: London’s 40 first-time buyer hotspots
Looking for a place to call your own in the capital is tough if you're a first-time buyer – although house price growth is lower, most places are still out of reach.
But new research has listed the 40 areas in London where first-time buyers are still thriving, with prices in some of the most popular areas even falling below £300,000.
The research, by Hamptons International, divided areas into flats and houses. Walthamstow came out as the top spot for apartments, with 63 per cent of homes sold to first-time buyers at an average price of £334,000.
Sutton has the same percentage of homes sold to first-time buyers – although they are cheaper, at £265,000, while Deptford followed, with 61 per cent and an average price of 359,728.
First-time buyer hotspots: flats
| Area | Flats sold to first time buyers | Price of a flat |
| Walthamstow | 63% | £334,086 |
| Sutton | 63% | £265,060 |
| Deptford | 61% | £359,728 |
| Lewisham | 60% | £352,114 |
| Peckham | 59% | £377,776 |
| Leyton | 56% | £313,809 |
| Eltham | 55% | £259,408 |
| Canning Town | 53% | £355,811 |
| Hayes | 52% | £244,758 |
| Surbiton | 50% | £404,686 |
| Finsbury Park | 48% | £466,276 |
| South Tottenham | 44% | £318,706 |
| Mortlake | 44% | £599,641 |
| Ilford | 43% | £227,635 |
| Leytonstone | 41% | £339,776 |
| Stoke Newington | 40% | £476,393 |
| Wandsworth | 40% | £534,893 |
| Penge | 38% | £311,426 |
| Bethnal Green | 33% | £497,994 |
| Croydon | 33% | £261,741 |
For those looking for a house, Tottenham came top of the pile. Some 42 per cent of homes in the area are sold to those climbing the first rung on the property ladder, with average prices of £446,000. That was followed by South Norwood, at just over £402,000, and Stratford, at £456,000.
First-time buyer hotspots: houses
| Area | Houses sold to first time buyers | Price of a house |
| Tottenham | 42% | £446,026 |
| South Norwood | 41% | £406,287 |
| Stratford | 40% | £455,659 |
| Belmont | 40% | £765,746 |
| Barking | 37% | £367,447 |
| Walthamstow | 35% | £533,578 |
| Eltham | 34% | £440,931 |
| Chessington | 33% | £412,417 |
| Wood Green | 33% | £633,891 |
| Abbey Wood | 33% | £336,439 |
| North Harrow | 32% | £522,666 |
| Collier Row | 32% | £358,730 |
| Plumstead | 30% | £371,236 |
| Belvedere | 29% | £320,121 |
| Sydenham | 28% | £662,821 |
| East Ham | 28% | £355,537 |
| Northolt | 23% | £407,722 |
| Greenford | 23% | £456,962 |
| Gants Hill | 22% | £452,494 |
| Harrow Weald | 21% | £527,251 |
According to the research, last year 90 per cent of new buyers in the capital bought their first home in outer London, up from 60 per cent in 2009, suggesting first-timers are still feeling squeezed.
But it also pushed up the number of buyers going for a house, rather than a flat – according to Hamptons, the proportion of houses sold to first time buyers has risen in every year since 2012.
“Traditionally life stage tends to dictate where first time buyers chose to start putting down roots," said David Fell, research analyst at the estate agent.
"Under-30s make up most new purchasers of flats in zones two and three while those buying their first home a little later in life head for a house in the suburbs.
"And with more new buyers putting down roots further out in a house rather than a flat, they’re staying in their first home for longer before selling up to find somewhere bigger.”