Blue Chip A to Z

The housing boom of the last decade has priced many first-time buyers out of the property market, according to the charity Shelter.

The charity’s Roof Affordability Index found that the price of an average first-time property rose from £52,674 in 1997 to £159,494 last year.

The figures showed that buyers’ average income had become smaller compared with the price of a property.

Prices are now starting to fall, but mortgages have become harder to secure.

Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7350968.stm