Getting on the property ladder is an exciting period for first-time buyers, but it comes with its challenges too. From gazumping to delays in receiving the keys, mortgage applications to smooth passages through conveyancing and, of course, actually finding the home of your dreams, a first-time buyer will go through a wealth of emotions.
The First Time Buyer Anxiety Index explores the journey of the first time buyer, analysing the impact of each step on excitement, enjoyment, stress and anxiety.
Surveying 500 first-time buyers split into two segments (250 currently going through the process and 250 having completed on their first home within the last two years), the report looks to understand both those in the midst of it all, and those looking back on their journey, where hindsight is perhaps a wonderful thing.
You can download the full report below:
The headline findings
Nine in ten first-time buyers (90%) go into the process confident that they understand it. What happens next tells a different story.
- 71% hit unexpected costs
- 68% had delays from solicitors
- 66% had survey issues
- 63% had a purchase fall through
- 62% were gazumped
- 62% had a mortgage application rejected
A quarter of those who faced these challenges had their mental health negatively affected.
When anxiety peaks
Waiting for completion
It is not buying the house that causes the most anxiety, it is waiting on everyone else. Conveyancing, legal work, administration and paperwork have the biggest impact on mental health, because control is out of the buyer’s hands. Anxiety peaks at the final stage, waiting for completion, at 28%, although excitement is still higher at 31%. One in five first-time buyers felt their anxiety rise during surveys, conveyancing and obtaining a mortgage.
Too many viewings
Excitement builds from the first viewing to the fourth or fifth, when 47.2% of buyers feel excited, and then tails off. Stress and anxiety climb from the very first viewing and become the overwhelming feelings after four or five. By 11 to 20 viewings, a third of buyers (33.3%) feel stressed.
Buying with someone else
Buying with a partner, family member or friend heightens anxiety and stress by over 10% in some cases, and dampens excitement too. Solo buyers report anxiety levels significantly under the average.
Hindsight
Buyers who have already completed look back on the process as significantly more anxious than those going through it now describe it.
Professional advice counts for more in hindsight
While they are buying, first-time buyers find family and friends (34.7%) and online articles (33%) the most helpful sources of guidance. Looking back after completion, the professionals come out on top, with estate agents (40.8%) and mortgage brokers (40%) rated most helpful.
Asked what advice they would give the next first-time buyer, the most common answer was to be patient. The second was to use the experts.
“Professional support allows first time buyers to understand the process fully from those who are experts in the space. What is really evident from this study is that people spend a lot of time listening to friends and influencers during the process, and while they can of course provide valuable experience, actually in hindsight, it’s the professional advice and guidance that comes up trumps for those looking back on the process having completed.”
Louise Stephens-Pantoja, Head of Operations at LPL
About the research
The First Time Buyer Anxiety Index 2026 surveyed 500 first-time buyers. Half were going through the process and yet to complete, and half had completed on their first home within the last two years. Demographics collected included age, gender, region and who they were buying with.
If you use these findings, please credit LPL and link to this page.
Buying your first home? Our house purchase solicitors work on a fixed fee from £695 plus VAT, and our First Time Buyer Guide covers what to expect.
