http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18410689

I know a ridiculous amount of people in their early 30's who still live at home/only just moved out, so...

I know for a fact that if you'd taken me when I bought me house and dropped me into today, I couldn't possibly have afforded it. Not a hope in hell.

Jon

I know the only reason that the Wench and I are able to have a mortgage is that her parents are guarantors on it and lent the Wench a certain amount towards the deposit.

It'll re-enforce the class system IMO. Poor people have to rent, middle class can afford small homes, rich people can have what they want.
My plan was to use any inheritance from my parents in twenty years to help by my son a home if he couldn't afford one. That plan has been scuppered now I'm having two.
They'll just have to work hard at school and get well paid jobs...... or they'll be screwed.

The house we have is a repossession, so the mortgage is small compared to others in the area. I guess you have to trawl through the estate agents and see what they have that’s not in the window.

That's precisely what my mate did, and don't get me wrong it's a good idea, but he's the sort of person who buys a car that should be scrapped and spends thousands fixing it

It's definitely something I'll be considering come the time

When I moved to Sheffield in 2000 I could afford a house on my own (2 up, 2 down in a poorish area). when I left in 2006 there would have been no way I could have afforded my house but it gave me a good deposit for my current house

I think I've mentioned this before but despite earning more than the average person, there's no way I could afford a decent home despite being 29. I suspect I won't be able to afford my own house until I'm 40!

I could afford a two bedroom flat, but
my needs are greater than that.

Houses can just be affordable for couples, but single people will really struggle.

That's probably my downfall.

I could afford a £100k house in a rough area in Birmingham but I'm trying to get out the rough area! I need to move closer to work as petrol is hammering my wallet (£200-300/mth) as well my time in commuting. The areas closer to work are nicer but much more expensive - around £250k for something that I want. That means realistically I need £50k in my account as a minimum. Yet before the banking crisis, my friends were able to buy houses and are still fine with mortgages.

Have you actually tried talking to your bank about a mortgage? I was shocked to very recently find I could borrow up to 90% on about 20x my salary at a lower rate than I'm already paying...

Nope. Figured they'd just laugh me out.

Once I've completed my training, I'll go have a chat with them.

I don't think it'll make any difference - the "class" system only exists in the minds of people who think they belong in the class above the one they think they're actually in and those who like to use it to explain every problem that exists in the world (if religion doesn't work).

How well you do in life is all down to how much effort you're prepared to put in to achieve your goals, and that applies to everyone irrespective of background.