Glasgow is the best city in the UK for first-time buyers, according to Aldermore.

The city offers good opportunities to get onto and move up the property ladder, with an average first-time buyer selling price of £141,644 and an annual house price increase of 6.5%.

First-time buyers are successfully buying in the city, making up two thirds (64%) of sales.

The lender undertook a comprehensive study of 50 cities across the UK, ranking them by affordability, available housing stock and lifestyle considerations for first-time buyers.

It found that Scotland and cities in the North of England dominate this year’s ‘Appeal Index’, with Dundee and Aberdeen rounding out the top three.

Liverpool and Edinburgh took fourth and fifth place.

Less attractive first-time buyer locations

Southern cities in the UK failed to make this year’s top 10, due to a lack of affordable options for first-time buyers.

In fact, the South was overrepresented in the bottom of the Index, even though lifestyle and wellbeing scores for these cities were relatively high.

The lowest ranking destinations were Maidstone, Chelmsford, Basildon, Bournemouth and Luton.

Jon Cooper, head of mortgage distribution at Aldermore said: “While some of the cities lower on our Index might have a lot to offer in terms of lifestyle, for many younger buyers in these areas, higher prices might make owning your own home feel unattainable.

“The past two years have brought to the fore the reality that for many people, finances are not always straightforward. Having gaps in employment, less than perfect credit or an inconsistent income shouldn’t penalise borrowers or rule them out of owning their own home.

“We help first-time buyers and other borrowers who don’t fit the cookie cutter mould of other lenders, by digging into the detail of each individual application in order to better understand a borrower’s financial picture and help realise their homebuying dreams.”