Is London facing a mass exodus of homeowners?

Rising living costs and prohibitive transport prices are forcing young talent to rule out the capital as a prospective place to live and raise a family, eschewing the career benefits that the city offers.

It’s no secret that many view property prices in London as extortionate, with homes costing up to 13 times the average worker’s wage and skilled service workers having to work in the region of 14 years just to afford a deposit on a 60sqm house. For many decades, this has been an acceptable part of the capital’s lifestyle, where the benefits of job availability, high levels of pay and the ‘bragging rights’ of living at the epicentre of the international business world are worth the hassle of expensive living.

Recently, however, the tide has shown a change of direction – and the number of those leaving London to enjoy shorter commutes and cheaper living is rising rapidly. Even those whose families have lived in the capital for generations are upping sticks and fleeing to pastures new.

London itself has always attracted highly-skilled workers to help it solidify its position as the most successful city on the planet, but it is now facing a huge crisis, as those same workers are finding the living costs too much to bear. In a recent poll, four out of five Londoners in their twenties admitted to considering leaving the city for good, begging the question how long the capital will continue to function at such a high level if it can’t retain the best talent?

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The greatest concern for attracting talent is that many younger people of child-rearing age are slowly realising that they would be unable to afford to raise a family in London, so would be forced to choose between their career and the urge to have children.

Another huge issue for those looking to move out of the capital is finding a UK homebuyer with the necessary wealth to afford their homes, along with the huge day-to-day expenditure the city requires. However, considering that many moving to the city are in house-sharing situations due to exorbitant rent prices, the pool of those wealthy enough to buy a London home is becoming smaller and smaller.

Of course, there are other options for sellers, such as house buying companies who can help those looking for a quick house sale and will buy any home for cash, but the continuing exodus of workers (63,000 families in 2015 alone) does not bode well for the city’s future – with Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham-based companies offering similar career prospects but with a cheaper lifestyle and a shorter commute, leaving London facing the prospect of a talent vacuum.

Are you one of the many homeowners looking to sell your house quickly? Ask National Homebuyers for advice, as we guarantee to buy any home. Call 08000 443 911 or request a call back to find out how much you could get for your property.