First-time buyer demand strengthens in Q1 as confidence builds amongst buyers

The research shows that across Britain as a whole, 34.8% of first-time buyer suitable homes had found a buyer in Q1 2026, up from 32.8% in Q4 2025, representing a quarterly increase of 2.1pp. 

Sheffield has seen the largest increase in first-time buyer demand versus the previous quarter, with the proportion of homes sold subject to contract climbing from 18.2% in Q4 to 41.5% in Q1, an increase of 23.3pp. 

Edinburgh has also seen a considerable uplift in first-time buyer demand, rising from 35.3% to 54.5% over the quarter, while Cardiff has seen demand climb from 22.2% to 33.3%, up 11.1pp. 

Portsmouth and Plymouth have also seen strong quarterly improvements, with first-time buyer demand increasing by 10.9pp and 9.0pp respectively. 

However, despite these quarterly improvements, it is Newcastle where first-time buyer demand remains strongest overall, with 55.0% of suitable homes having already found a buyer in Q1.

Edinburgh also continues to see strong demand at 54.5%, whilst Leicester ranks third where 51.5% of suitable homes have already sold subject to contract. 

Whilst demand has improved, the availability of first-time buyer suitable homes remains extremely limited. Across Britain as a whole, such properties account for just 2.1% of all homes currently listed for sale, although this is up from 1.9% in Q4 2025 and 1.8% this time last year. 

Portsmouth remains home to the largest proportion of first-time buyer suitable stock, where such homes account for 3.4% of all properties currently listed for sale. London ranks second at 1.7%, followed by Bristol at 1.6%. 

Verona Frankish, Chief Executive Officer at Yopa, commented: 

“It’s great to see that confidence amongst first-time buyers is building, with our research showing that demand has picked up during the first quarter of the year. 

This is despite the fact that mortgage rates haven’t fallen as quickly as many may have expected. However, the landscape is far more favourable than it was a year ago and this is clearly being reflected by the uptick in first-time buyer activity. 

Whilst we’ve also seen a marginal improvement in the availability of first-time buyer suitable homes, supply remains extremely limited and accounts for only a very small proportion of the market overall. So whilst confidence is returning, increasing the number of suitable homes available remains key to sustaining this momentum.”

Data tables and sources

• *Stock and demand data sourced from Rightmove for sale listings (19/03/2026).

• FTB stock availability based on the percentage of total listings that are listed with the aid of a buying scheme.

• FTB demand based on the percentage of buying scheme listings that have already been sold subject to contract.

• Buying schemes refer to government and industry initiatives that help people afford and purchase homes, including shared ownership, Help to Buy schemes, and deposit assistance programmes such as Deposit Unlock.

• View the full data tables and sources online here