Kirstie Allsopp sparked a strong reaction on Twitter with her comments
(Picture: Getty Images)Property expert and TV host Kirstie Allsopp has sparked a fierce Twitter debate after she suggested young people could buy a house if they cut out luxuries.
The Location, Location, Location presenter suggested a house was within reach of young people if they saved money and cut out expenditures such as Netflix and gym memberships.
Allsopp, 50, bought her property with family help at the age of 21, when the average price of a house was approximately £51,000 and said it “enrages” her when people claim they can’t afford to buy a home.
She told The Sunday Times: “When I bought my firs property, going abroad, the easyJet, coffee, gym, Netflix lifestyle didn’t exist.
“I used to walk to work with a sandwich. And on payday I’d go for a pizza, and to a movie, and buy lipstick. Interest rates were 15 per cent, I was earning £11,500 a year.”
She added: “I do think you have to ask yourself what your degree is giving you. Could you get a job at 18, stay at home with your parents for three years, and save every single penny, enough for a deposit?”
Allsopp acknowledge it required “enormous sacrifices” but said it “enraged” her when people claimed they simply could not afford to buy.
Her comments sparked outrage among some people on Twitter at a time when the cost of living is surging across the country.
To be fair to Kirstie Allsopp, if you cancelled your Netflix and PureGym subscription and instead saved that £40 a month, as long as the housing market doesn’t go up at all then in just 54 years you’ll have enough for a deposit on an average house
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) February 6, 2022
Kirsty Allsopp has a point. Instead of buying a coffee this morning, I used the £2.50 to put down a deposit on a house.
— Anna Birley (@annamayb) February 7, 2022
Kirstie Allsopp is quite right. I just cancelled Netflix and bought a house for £5.99.
— Carl Maxim (@carlmaxim) February 6, 2022
One person added: “In next week’s Sunday Times, Kirsty Allsopp explains how people can heat the homes they haven’t been able to afford by burning their own left leg in the hearth.”
Steve Wright said: “Millenials feeling OK this Monday morning? Well here comes Kirsty ‘Just don’t be poor’ Allsopp with a hot take to bring you down a peg.”
However others took to social media to say they agreed with Allsopp’s comments.
One woman said: “She isn’t wrong. I know people who at 21/22 bought out of London, and travelled in then benefited from house prices increasing - think long term, not ease of access and comfort.”
According to figures from Halifax, the average price of a UK home is now £276,759 as of January 2021.
While house prices have risen across the country, wages have not increased as quickly with the median wage in the UK registering at £31,285 according to Statista - it was £17,803 in 1999.
Brits are also set to face a cost of living crisis after the energy price cap was increased from £1,277 to £1,971 per year last week, and is expected to reach £2,000 in October.
The Bank of England also revealed inflation is now 5.4 per cent and is set to rise even further later this year.
This also comes as council tax rates are set to be increased from April in combination with a 1.25 per cent increase in national insurance payments.
