Average house prices in Scotland are set to rise by a fifth within five years, it has been revealed.
New research by PwC shows the cost of a new home will grow faster in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK this year and reach £172,000 by 2022, while separate findings revealed nearly half of Scots not yet on the property ladder believe they will never own their own home.
Another survey of people not yet in the market found a third think the only way they will be able to afford to buy a home is with a partner.
The latest How Scotland Lives research from Bank of Scotland shows that 48% feel that they will never buy their own home, and just 29% feel confident about buying a house in the future.
The research shows a snapshot of how Scots feel about getting on the property ladder, and reveals that home ownership remains a goal for many, but only a hope for others.
More than one in ten parents are concerned that their children will never be able to buy a property and nearly a third of Scots said they believe that it is normal to think that they will never own their own home.
Of those Scots living at home but aiming to buy a property, 79% expect to be able to make their first purchase before the are 36, and just under half (48%) aim to do so between the ages of 26 and 30.
More than one in three (35%) expect to use the government's Help to Buy scheme, while 29% said they would save the money they need to get onto the property ladder by working additional hours or getting an additional job.
According to research by Skipton Building Society 31% think the only way they will be able to buy a home is as a couple, while again one in ten believe they will never be in a position to purchase a property of their own
On average, those polled believe it will take them around five years to own a home.
PwC has also analysed the recent marked trend towards fixed rate mortgages, which in 2017 accounted for 94% of new mortgages compared to only around 50% in 2010.
At the same time, only around 28% of UK households now have a mortgage, as opposed to renting or owning their home outright.
Combining these two factors, PwC estimates that only around 11% of all UK households would be immediately affected if mortgage interest rates rose, compared to around 24% in 2012.
David Brown, government and public sector leader for PwC in Scotland, said: "The Scottish housing market is set to grow at a faster pace than anywhere else in the UK in 2018, and we predict a 20% increase in the average house price, to £172,000, between 2017 and 2022.
“Such an increase is likely to widen the gap between wage growth and house price growth, which could impact activity in the market, though this will be mitigated to some extent by the ongoing shortage of new homes being built in Scotland.”
Meanwhile, the total value of Britain's property market has fallen by nearly £27 billion since the start of the year, analysis by a website has found.
Zoopla now puts the total value at £8.19 trillion - down by £26.9 billion since January 1.
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