Leaving University - next steps getting a job and joining the property ladder
You’ve just spent 3 to 5 years of glorious independence; studying at University to set yourself up for a career down your chosen path. You have bathed in the celebrations of getting a 2:1 or just missed and got a 2:2, or even excelled with a first. The smell of success and independence is sweet. No more books, it is time to make your stake in the world. Time to say this is who I am. Then the world reveals what has been hidden away from since you were brought into the world – it ‘aint that easy.
One of the biggest challenges you face is where are you going to live. Unless you're more lucky than most, the UK is a place of very high property prices and rents. This article looks at some of your options.
If you are leaving university and want some advice on securing accommodation, call us on 0207 112 5388.
Leave university, nowhere to live, Mum can I come home?
The costs of living once you leave university are expensive and you may feel like you have limited options available to you. Some post-university students rent, using the money they earn from a job to pay their rent; however most end up going home whilst they decide which job to get or where they want to move to next. Once you have made the decision to live at home, it becomes even harder financially to leave and it can have a real impact on how you emotionally feel.
27 years old and living at home?
Your washing is done, food cooked, ironing starched…heaven? Or hell? What about all those years of independence, doing what you wanted, making your own decisions. What happens when you meet someone whilst you are out? Do you ask them to come back to your mum and dad’s house and then watch them run a mile?
It is human nature to want to evolve and for most, living at home is too restrictive after years of independence. But how can you move out? You’ve seen your friends start to rent and get stuck there because of the high rent demand from Landlords and buying a house is completely out of the question…or is it?
Is Buying out of reach
If you are buying on your own, buying a home can fell like a distant dream with the average house price reaching £250,000 (Jan 2014). According to the Daily Mail, it costs 9 times your salary to buy a home and when mortgage lenders only accept 4 to 5 times, this means you won’t be able to buy on your own.
Joint Ownership is a solution to this and has become the new solution for Londoners who can’t afford to buy on their own, so they team up with others like them and buy together. Split the deposit, mortgage repayments, living costs and legal expenses. Most see it as a short term investment where they will live for a few years until they can buy a place of their own or even shared in a loving relationship.
Parents Gifting Deposit
It is becoming normal for parents to help gifting the deposit for their children to help them move on from living at home. Some parents even benefit from gifting the deposit when it comes to inheritance tax. See HMRC for more information. The challenge is the amount of gift needed to buy a house; due to high house prices this might be out of their reach to gift a full deposit. Share a Mortgage can help, even with a small gifted deposit of £5,000 parents might still be able to help their children buy a house.
First of all you need to calculate if you can afford a mortgage. Use our mortgage affordability calculator to help with this.
A 10% deposit on a £200,000 house is £20,000 and split 3 ways is £6,666.67 each. The deposit doesn’t need to be split equally.
How £5,000 can help you buy a 3 bedroom home worth £200,000
James’ parents gifted a deposit of £5,000 so he could buy a house. Michael and Emma have savings of £5,000 and £10,000 respectively and as Uni friends you decide to buy a home together for £200,000 with a 10% deposit with a fixed mortgage rate of 4.49% paid over 25 years. After 2 years they sold for £217,000. Here is how it works.
|
|
Deposit Invested |
What is their share of the property? |
What is their share of the increase in property value over 2 years? |
Total paid to each person if sold after 2 years |
|
James |
£5,000 |
25% |
£4,250 |
£9,250 (original deposit plus increase in property value) |
|
Michael |
£5,000 |
25% |
£4250 |
£9,250 (original deposit plus increase in property value) |
|
Emma |
£10,000 |
50% |
£8,500 |
£18,500 (original deposit plus increase in property value) |
|
Total |
£20,000 (10% Deposit) |
|
£17,000 (£217,000 sale price less £200,000 purchase price) |
|
This is a simple example that doesn’t factor in purchase or sale costs like stamp duty, legal fees or Estate Agents charges; but it shows how the initial deposit can be invested to making buying a home affordable. Use our Mortgage Affordability Calculator to see the full costs of buying.
Want to club together, but don’t know anyone? Share a Mortgage can help
Share a Mortgage is a community of people looking to partner up with lime-minded homebuyers to buy a property together. Whether you buy as friends, family or with a Mortgage Buddy you met through Share a Mortgage, you will get expert support with independent mortgage advisers, RICS Property Surveyors and Conveyancing Solicitors.
You will also be offered Shared Ownership Protection, our unique Declaration of Trust and cohabitation agreement, which protects your individual stake in any property you buy with others in a legally binding agreement and gives you the option to set house rules to help your share work as harmoniously as possible.
Summary
If you are stuck living at home after University and want to get out, there are options available to you. With a small deposit you can still club together and buy a property of your own and get back to living independently.
Join Share a Mortgage - just email us at help@shareamortgage.com for more information.
