My mates tease me that I'm 'fifth generation Colney Boy' but while our family haven't been here that long we do have at least three generations still in the village including both my grandparents. My situation is quite difficult at the moment. Since I came back from university I've been living back at home with my parents. I was lucky and had a good job in packaging design in London, but the wages still didn't give me the option to move out. After two years in that job I decided to venture out on my own two feet, dismissing the property ladder in favour of travelling to Australia. Having had the best year of my life I returned to the stark reality of no job, and nowhere to live. Luckily my parents accepted me back into the family home and after a year of poorly paid jobs, I've just been able to land another great job in design, again based in London. The biggest problem I face is that I simply can't afford to buy a property anywhere near where I live at the moment or near my work. While renting could get me closer to my job, it is in my opinion dead money. Why should I pay my landlord's mortgage when I could be paying my own? My parents are realistic and do charge me rent, which I'm only to happy to pay seeing as they treat me rather well. But with property prices in London Colney now meaning I'd need at least £110K just for the most basic one bedroom flat, I'm starting to get worried.
I know in reality I could purchase a property with my brother, but that would mean both of us having to make a long term commitment together. Even then I couldn't guarantee we would be able to choose an area which is suitable for both of us. My best bet is either a complete collapse in the property market or a sudden lottery win! In the mean time I'll still have to live with my parents trying to save for a deposit and possibly having to concede to the renting market. Read other case studies >> Have you had problems getting on the property ladder? Have you just got on it? If so, how did you manage it? Do you want to upgrade but will have to move away from the area to do so? Tell us your experiences using the form below. | 
