If you listened to the doom merchants, you would think first-time buyers (FTB) in Shepperton had no chance at all. According to the loudest voices, buying a first home is impossible, the ladder has been pulled up, and the only people who buy their first homes today are lottery winners or those with wealthy parents.

If you’re planning to buy a home soon, you might assume the best place to start is on the property portals, Rightmove, Zoopla, or OnTheMarket. But the truth is, the savviest buyers are seeing homes long before they ever appear online. Here’s why registering with an agent puts you one step ahead.

The new annual surcharge on homes over £2m has been positioned as a targeted, progressive measure, yet this is overwhelmingly a London and South East tax. Outside those areas, the proportion of £2m homes barely registers.

A client shares their experience after selling their Sunbury family home with Newboulds & Co