A first-time buyer who bought her own two-bedroom home at the age of 24 says young people should be willing to “make sacrifices” to get on the property ladder.

Manchester-born Sarah Yates, now 27, has been saving for a house since she was 14 years old and working a paper round. 

Sarah was “fortunate enough” to live with her mum and dad until she bought her first house, she told the Manchester Evening News.

“I started looking to get on the property ladder when I was about 24,” she added.

Sarah, who’s now a journalist. worked a paper round until college, when she quit after a classmate ”mocked” her. She then took a job at Clarke’s before bagging her first job as a reporter aged 19. 

For other young people looking to buy their first home, Sarah says people should be willing to make sacrifices. 

She added that picking up second jobs can be helpful, but missing out on some nights out may be necessary. 

The reporter put her first offer on a £120,000 house in her home town of Hazel Grove but she was beaten to the property by another buyer. 

Realising she was priced out with her £145,000 budget, Sarah started looking at houses in the suburb of Edgeley, Greater Manchester, which she has described as an ‘up and coming area’. 

Then she found it: a house with a £140,000 asking price. 

She said: “It was in an absolute state, it was run down and everything needed doing to it, but that appealed to me because I liked the idea of being able to put my own stamp on it.” 

‘I wanted somewhere where I could completely do up the kitchen and bathroom, paint the walls and put new flooring in everywhere.’

After a detailed inspection, the owners accepted an offer of £139,000. 

In March 2020, she picked up the keys and got started on renovations. 

Sarah believes she got a good deal as she purchased the house just before lockdown, when there was huge economic uncertainty, and people were concerned about their job security.

Instead of turning to a broker, Sarah found the best deal using Martin Lewis’ mortgage calculator on his Money Saving Expert website.  

Cutting out the middle-man, she says, helped her save some extra cash. 

During nine months of lockdown, Sarah ripped up and renovated the house. 

She scouted out the cheapest products, learnt how to reseal windows via YouTube tutorials and paid family and friends to help out with jobs. 

She’s also rented one of the bedrooms to her cousin.

The result is a minimal aesthetic, that she likes to keep ‘light and airy’. 

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