St Albans has been named as the best city for first-time buyers, scoring 94.7 out of 100 for quality of life (QoL), the latest findings from Wayfair revealed.
Lisburn in Northern Ireland ranked second with a score of 75.7, while Stirling, Scotland, claimed third place with a score of 72.2.
After the recent Autumn Budget announcement about the return of the £300,000 Stamp Duty threshold from April 2025, first-time buyers have been urged to enter the property market before the tax changes take effect.
Searches for ‘Stamp Duty first-time buyer’ increased by 450% over the past 90 days, indicating growing interest among potential homeowners.
Wayfair’s First-Time Buyer Index combines QoL and the average time it takes to save for a deposit.
The study found that six out of the top 10 cities for first-time buyers are in England, with Coventry and Newcastle-upon-Tyne also among the top five.
St Albans scored highly on health care and safety indices, making it an attractive option for first-time buyers.
Lisburn also scored well, taking an average of 34 months to save for a house deposit, benefiting from low pollution levels and affordable living costs.
Stirling, centrally located between Glasgow and Edinburgh, also featured strong scores in purchasing power and healthcare.
A spokesperson from Wayfair said: “Buying a house can be a long yet exciting process that provides freedom to have creative reign over your new space.
“Our latest research has been compiled to create an index for first-time buyers to assist them in understanding which cities are the best and most achievable for getting on the property ladder.
“Once buyers have the keys to their first home, we look forward to Wayfair helping furnish and decorate their new space to make it their very own unique haven.”
