First-time buyer numbers to rise The study's findings suggest the proportion of this sector of the market will move closer to its pre-credit crunch levels of around 40pc. Would-be buyers are also getting younger, as the average age of those hoping to buy their first home in the next year has dropped by one year to 31, compared with when the survey was carried out in October last year. Miles Shipside, director of Rightmove, said: "The results come as a welcome surprise. The property market needs this upward trend in first-time buyer activity to continue, as first-time buyers perform an essential role at the bottom of the property market food chain. But he cautioned: "There is still a minefield of economic uncertainties to navigate for those intending to purchase their first home." Property analyst Hometrack reported today that house prices "stalled" in June and said it expects them to slip by up to 2pc in the next six months amid weakening demand and uncertainty over the eurozone. A Bank of England report last week said that would-be buyers with low deposits are likely to have a particularly tough time finding mortgage deals in the coming months, as lenders tighten their criteria and borrowing becomes more expensive. Lenders also believe that the recent ending of the first-time buyer concession, which was introduced in an attempt to kick-start the market, had the effect of bunching up sales which would have otherwise taken place later in the year, as people rushed to beat the deadline. The findings also indicated that aspiring home owners, many of whom are trapped in the rental sector which has seen big rent rises, have been saving hard to try to raise a deposit. A third of would-be first-time buyers told the survey that raising a deposit is their biggest concern, which is a drop from more than four in 10 people a year ago. The biggest concern for an increasing proportion of people considering buying their first home was trying to find a suitable property, with 30pc of people saying this, compared with 23pc a year ago. Nearly 20,000 potential buyers took part in the survey.