So, it turns out that my husband and me are 'second-steppers'. Well, that's news to us, but that's the terminology for people that are ready to make their second step on the property ladder. Going through the process of being a first-time buyer there seemed to be quite a bit of support and information, as well as financial products catering for us. By contrast, it is possible to get to this stage of making the next step without even realising there's a name for it!

Like many second-steppers, we are a working couple who are planning on starting a family soon, though clearly for some a baby may already be in tow! As the family grows, and more additions arrive, quite often the first property is no longer going to be appropriate. In our case, we have lived in a flat that we purchased around 10 years ago, and are looking to move toward a 3 or 4 bedroom home that will be a better fit for family life.

There is quite a significant price difference between the average first home and the idea home for the Second Stepper – typically around £126,000. This is around the ballpark for what we are looking at, so whilst there's quite a big jump in price, we do have some sort of plan.

We have built up quite a significant equity level in our current home, and so when it comes time to sell we should have reduced the gap in funds to purchase our next property, meaning it should be possible. We had advice from an early stage to overpay our mortgage when possible and have been able to continue to add to our savings little by little, which is advice that we would say has worked well for us.

As we are now hoping to be first-time sellers, we are seeking the advice of Cameron Estate Agents, as we have read that one of the biggest issues we could face is finding the right property, and this could delay the sale of our own home, they should be able to help us at all stages!

Share this article