Many would argue it’s been a long time coming, especially those who desperately want to own their own home and get on the housing ladder. But, despite the average deposit for a home being double the size of ten years ago, last year saw the number of first-time buyers hit the highest level in a decade. The figures from UK Finance, the trade body for Britain’s banks show a total of 365,000 buyers took ownership of their first home in 2017, an increase of 7.4% compared to 2016 and the highest number since 2006.