Survey highlights stress faced by first-time home-buyers

Almost two-thirds of first-time buyers found the process of purchasing a home the most stressful experience of their lives, according to a survey published by the EBS today.

Sixty-four per cent of respondents to the survey said buying a house was the most stressful thing they had ever done, up five percentage points on a similar study conducted last year.

Finding the right property was identified as the most stressful aspect of home-buying, followed by moving in and taking out a mortgage.

Elsewhere, just 29% said they understood the mortgage process very well, while 35% said they had to take time off work to deal with mortgage matters.

Nineteen per cent also said they got help from their parents for a deposit on their property, down from 27% in 2004.