House price falls are tempting first-time buyers back to the property market, research indicated today.

And around 26 per cent of home-hunters desperate to get on to the property ladder by clinching a property deal during the coming year are said to be first-time buyers, up from a low of just 22 per cent in July of this year, according to the property website Rightmove.

The group said the small increase in the number of first-time buyers who thought they would be able to get on to the property ladder coincided with a rise in the number of people who think house prices will fall during the coming year.

A third of first-time buyers now expect the cost of property to be lower in 12 months’ time than it is now, up from only a fifth who felt this way during the previous quarter.

Miles Shipside, director of Rightmove, said: “Lower property prices might well strike fear into the hearts of property-owners, but it will be music to the ears of those eager to take their first step onto the property ladder.

“The success of agents in convincing sellers’ to be more flexible on price lowers one of the key hurdles faced by first-time buyers and sets a precedent for all sellers in a chain to accept their share of the reductions.

“The required mobility of the market cannot be satisfied by short chains and cash buyers, and recovery will be quicker if more sellers are willing to negotiate on price and in doing so make it easier for those purchasing for the first time.”

The research also showed that only 28 per cent of people are trying to buy their first home on their own, with 69 per cent buying as a couple and 2.5 per cent buying with their parents. Just under one per cent of people plan to buy a property with a friend.

More than half of first-time buyers are now aged between 25 and 34, with less than a fifth aged under 25.

Meanwhile, the National Housing Federation found that a first-time buyer in London now needs to earn nearly £100,000 in order to buy an average priced home.

Even if people opted for one of the cheapest 25 per cent of properties, they would still need a salary of more than £50,000, nearly double the average income for someone in the capital.

Belinda Porich, head of the Federation’s London region, said: “The Home Truths report shows that buying a house is not a realistic prospect for the vast majority of Londoners.”