In 2023, I struggled to rent a house as demand was a lot greater than supply. In the end I had to play dirty and get my friend that worked for an estate agent to get me a house that I liked that was listed through his agency.

Several months later I moved out and moved back home and saved for a deposit. The process of buying a house was long, stressful, and my mortgage advisor was as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. The first property was a probate sale, which was declined by the lender as unsuitable, the second property (now my house) was sold due to a divorce and there was no chain. The lender was a pain in the arse and my advisor was also unhelpful, it took 4 months from applying for the mortgage until the original lender declined to lend. I applied for my own mortgage in the end and got an offer 3 days later. My solicitor had most of their work done, in the 4 months that it took the original lender to decline, so after the offer arrived, it was plain sailing from that point. The sellers solicitor was also quite good which helped.

So basically, if you've a good solicitor at both sides and either a good mortgage advisor or the confidence to apply for a mortgage yourself (which really isn't all that difficult if you're a PAYE employee) and the property isn't falling down or subject to other issues, then it's straightforward. There are matters such as bidding wars and gazumping (I suggest you research these) which are normally tied to demand for housing in the area, which can be problematic, but don't let that in itself deter you at all.

At the end, it's worth it.