According to research from Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), which used data from MAB and home buying apps, prospective buyers are becoming more financially prepared and have growing confidence that they can find and buy a property within a “shorter, more achievable time frame”.
The report said there was a “significant acceleration” of that time frame between 2022 and 2023, when the median time frame fell from eight months to six months and has stayed stable since then.
MAB said the move from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, combined with the pressure of rising interest rates, has “created an environment where buyers were able to move more quickly to secure a property”.
The broker firm said the trend has since “stabilised as the market has adjusted to the new economic reality”.
This confidence is echoed by figures that show that 88% of first-time buyers in 2025 expect to buy their home in the next 18 months, a rise from 75% in 2021.
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MAB said this shows that prospective buyers are “more empowered” and more “proactive and realistic” in their approach, as they are “actively planning their path to homeownership” rather than waiting for market conditions to change.
Around 97% of aspiring buyers expect to become homeowners in the next three years, and 3% said it would take them 10-plus years to purchase.
Rachel Geddes, strategic lender relationship director at MAB, said: “Our latest research signals a new era of confidence for prospective buyers, who are taking more of an empowered approach to getting on the property ladder.
“This proactive belief, coupled with the expertise and insight of a mortgage broker, can place prospective buyers in an even stronger position to streamline their home buying journey.
“The sharp reduction in expected purchase times also aligns perfectly with Project 28 – a new charter we’re supporting in collaboration with fellow industry bodies to significantly shorten the property transaction process. Through this, we’re giving buyers increased confidence, helping reduce delays, and improving the home buying process overall.”
