There is no mad rush for first-time buyers to get on to the property ladder, a commentator has suggested.
Helen Adams, managing director of FirstRungNow.com, said that young Britons should first focus on making sure their job was secure before they seriously considered investing in housing.
Other factors for consideration included getting a good price on the new house and obtaining a mortgage, she added.
"We may see property prices dropping a little bit more or this may be bottoming out, it's difficult to say," Ms Adams noted.
The Energy Saving Trust offers advice to Britons looking to climb the property ladder for the first time.
These include finding out how much a house costs to run - which may be key to achieving
cheaper gas and electric bills - and querying how old the
gas boiler is, as it may need replacing if it is over 15-years-old.
