DIY = repairing what the landlord won't.

I don't know about across the Atlantic but here, in the UK, house prices are getting to be truly ridiculous. As an example, a first time buyer - single or couple - in the early eighties could purchase a decent little house or flat for less than £10,000. Now, the exact same house or flat will probably cost you from £90,000 upwards. Add to that the need for extra space to allow for having a family and the price is well and truly over the £100k mark minimum. What regular worker earns the £35,000 per year to afford such a luxury as a home?

Despite this, every other night on the TV where we used to have DIY and home improvement programmes, we now have 'how to pay off your mortgage in 2 years!' What mortgage?

DIY, to me, means repairing what the landlord won't, and doing it as cheaply as humanly possible. Pillowslips from the charity shops rolled up and stuffed with anything make excellent draft excluders for drafty doors! Old duvet covers make excellent curtains, again for hanging over drafty doors. Duck tape across your locks keeps the whistling wind at bay. 10p hardback books lodged under that wobbly wardrobe soon balance it up and the old-fashioned wire coathangers unfold nicely to create an adequate aerial for that old TV - or for clearing that blocked sink. A pot of baking soda helps absorb the moisture from those damp patches and a nice pot plant actually can survive on a windowsill on not much more than the condensation.

I think they should have a reality show that demonstrates how a NORMAL frugal living citizen can earn enough to pay rent at the same time as saving for a house or even apply for a mortgage, let alone raise the deposit. And that's only if they can find a house within budget in the first place. UK landlords have it all sewn up - minimise the term of the lease so tenants have NO guarantees that they can stay longer than 6 months at any given time, and then the mortgage lenders provide the facilities for 'buy to let', ensuring that tenants continue to pay other peoples' mortgages but haven't the wherewithall to apply for their own. My quest is to beat this system... I want a house to call my own home, bought and paid for before my retirement. I don't care how much DIY it requires, I'll take crash courses in roofing, plastering and bricklayiing if I must, just show me how to get from 'A' (skint) to 'B' (mortgage-free homeowner). Answers on a postcard to.... and 'find someone rich' is not an acceptable answer.

If anyone knows of any websites, TV programmes, DVDs, Videos or books that explain in simple terms how to achieve the status of homeowner as a single, minimum wage earner, PLEASE forward the details and I'll share them with all my like-minded friends.

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Here in the U.S. it really all depends on credit. I can't say what it takes in the U.K. For the past 5 years here, if your credit was okay, you could buy a house with nothing down. Of course then you had a mortgage plus a mortgage for your down payment which meant that your chances of losing your house are a good bet for the lender. Plus with adjustable rate mortgages, your rate could go up from 6% to 11.5% which is a huge amount when you are paying on large mortgage amounts.

Here housing has gone up tremendously in the past few years. In many places it has doubled or tripled making it all the harder for regular wage earners to afford anything.

The division of them thats got and them that don't has widened a lot, probably as much here as there.

I wish I could give you some advice on what to do there but here, save as much as you can for a down payment, pay all of your bills on time so your credit is good and look for a house for which you can afford the mortgage payments. Here 10 to 20% down is normal to get into a house.

I wish you the best in your quest.
Susan from ThriftyFun

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