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More mortgage brokers are expecting an increase in the amount of first-time buyers coming onto the housing market – the first time they have thought this since 2007.

According to a survey by the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, activity for first-time buyers is up on average by 0.9% and for home movers up 0.7%. It says this may reflect a turning point as brokers start to see a symbolically important return of confidence and activity to the market.

IMLA has found that since summer 2007, brokers' projections for first-time buyer and home mover business have been consistently downbeat, with a low point in May last year. But now, as more people come into brokers' offices with bigger down-payments, there are signs that the housing market might just be starting to pickup.

Peter Williams, IMLA's executive director, says: "We are not out of the woods yet but there are early tentative signs that the market is starting to return – at least from intermediaries' perspective.

"There is a modest improvement in mortgage availability and estate agents are starting to report a rise in property sale, but further work still needs to be done to improve availability of mortgages in the sector."

If you think you may have what it takes to climb onto the housing ladder, talk to a mortgage adviser. An adviser is the very best person for a first-timer – he or she will help you understand what you need to spend to get hold of a mortgage, what your monthly commitments might be, what the dangers of mortgages are, the consequences of not paying your loan and they will give you an idea of how your future could be.

There are a lot of people talking about green shoots but we might not be there quite yet. Regardless, there is no reason why you can't see where you stand, where you could be in a year and what you have to do to make sure you have a sure footing on the UK property ladder.

SOURCE: IMLA, 03/06/09

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