Kokova Magazine

The UK's leading contemporary home show, Grand Designs Live sponsored by Direct Line will feature an even bigger Ask an Expert area this year where visitors can get advice from a range of experts including architects, financial advisors, interiors designers and one of the country's top experts on first time buying - Kate Faulkner.

With the average age of first time buyers at 29 and warnings from the National Housing Federation that those with no third party help are at 37 and could soon reach 43, getting on the property ladder is even harder than ever.

However, as Kate Faulkner, property analyst and commentator, tells us it is not all doom and gloom for those wishing to buy their first house - she suggests that first time building could be the answer.

There are five reasons as to why first time building is now more affordable and possible than ever:

• Land prices are up to 20% lower than they were pre credit crunch so now is an optimum time for people to consider first time building
• There is less competition for land, as small to medium developers are being starved of funding
• This is the first time accelerator mortgages are available at the same time as a market crash
• There are some fantastic kit houses available to buy for first time buyers which could help you fix up to 40% of your costs and you can do some good deals on the materials you might need
• Good tradesmen are more readily available to work on your project due to the slowdown in construction

Many people dream of building their own home but are under the impression it would cost much more than they could afford.

As a result the first time buyers may opt to buy a house 'to renovate' but this can end up being more expensive, take longer and as a result you don't benefit from the 30% uplift in value building your own home can deliver.

What can put first time buyers off the idea of building their own home is confusion over what a self-build actually entails. Many people are building small properties with one to two bedrooms at great prices across the UK - a self-build doesn't have to be a mansion!

Of course finding land in the crowded South East is difficult, but as you move out of the Home Counties, pockets of land you can build on spring up on quite a regular basis.

Kate Faulkner

In an effort to help first time buyers recognise their self-build potential there is fantastic expert advice, as well as support and education available to help them realise their dream home can become a reality at Grand Designs Live.

Expert in residence, Kate Faulkner will be giving much sought after advice to all budding first time buyers at this year’s Grand Designs Live in Ask an Expert sponsored by Velux.

This area will play host to top industry experts on hand to offer free 30 minute consultations on all aspects of a visitors' projects - whether building, renovating or re-modeling.

Experts in every field will be present including financial advisors, project managers, RIBA accredited architects and even trusted tradesmen.

Grand Designs Live London sponsored Direct Line by runs from Saturday 5th to Sunday 13th May 2012 at ExCeL London.

Book tickets in advance and save £4, book online at www.granddesignslive.com

Or call the 24 hour box office on 0844 854 1348 + kids go free.