In an interesting piece in ThisIsMoney, Mira Bar-Hillel thinks she's spotted a trend. If there are fewer first-time buyers and more people renting for longer... it's because they want to. In a move toward the metropolitan rent-culture you see in Paris, Manhattan and other major cities, young professionals are placing central location and proximity to their friends before security, and putting off house purchase until they can buy something bigger further out of town. The piece is based on new research, which tells us: most of the young renters polled intended to rent until they were in their 30s; 80% had negative feelings about a big financial commitment; a third chose renting because it meant they could live with or closer to their friends.

First-time buyers - it's all their own fault [July 1]