Owning your own home

Sparky, had a word with the other half, who works in the policy team at Shelter (and is policy lead on private rental sector and first time buyers).

If you are single, and live in an expensive area, such as London, part-buy part-rent can be the best option as the other option is just renting forever. You should consider that if you want to sell it will be harder to shift as it is a reduced market, and depreciation can definitely still be an issue, but it could definitely still be a better option than renting forever, if you can afford it, as at least you're still be building up an asset of a kind.

Good points here. I've come to a similar conclusion is splitting it into parts could be useful, or just admit to an unpleasant defeat of renting forever (though it has to be significantly less than buying). Though I know many people who are unable to raise the massive sums required for deposits right now and who pay a good deal more in rent than the property would cost if buying (say £750 rent on a £500/month/25yr 5% deposit effort); and location is the other killer. Right now I'm living in with family again (suck maxima) on the fringe of the lake district, 4 bed C16th farmhouse with a bit of an orchard + barn + outbuildings + low low rural rates etc and the approx mortgage monthly is less than what my brother is currently paying on a stripped out student house share (3 of them) on a tenement in Glasgow. Location is everything :p

Always amazed at the number of 20 something couples who appear on these property program's, both working average jobs, yet able to move from couple sharing south london bedsit squallier directly into country palace - not because of the difference in price/value/ one vs. the other, but how 2x 20 something have acquired the pricey bedsit squallier in the first place, I can only put it down to inheriting vast swaths of Yorkshire at some point or other?

Said townhouse is in the currently wholly undesirable north east of england ;) Hence why no one wants.