'UK's oldest first-time buyer' finally gets his own bungalow aged 86
The 'UK's oldest first-time buyer' has finally stepped on to the property ladder, aged 86.
People are getting a place of their own later and later in life as property prices and mortgage rates surge, but usually if people do buy a place, they do it sooner than Edward Simon Jones.
The pensioner - who goes by the name Simon - spent the majority of his life living on his family's farm, before moving into assisted care facility Marleyfield House, in Buckley, Wales.
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He spent the past year in the facility, but he's always wanted his own home, and now he's bought himself a £147,000 bungalow in nearby Flintshire.
Looking forward, Simon wants the bungalow to be his forever home.
"I'm so excited to finally have a place of my own," he said. "I loved it at Marleyfield but I want to spend the remaining years I have in my own home.
"It's been a long time coming but it's certainly worth the wait."
However, Simon's niece, Lynne Palin, said his new start represents a huge loss for the care home he has left behind.
She said: "His solicitor joked that he must be the oldest person in Wales to buy their first home.
"He lived on the Bychton Hall family farm in Mostyn for all his life, before moving in to Marleyfield.
"At Marleyfield he was known as being a real character, and a bit of a ladies' man - so no doubt he'll be missed there.
"The home's cat, Mikey, even slept on his bed every night."
But while Simon had a blast, he has no regrets about his decision.
Lynne said: "Simon's always maintained that he wants to spend the last years of his life in his own place, and he's absolutely delighted to have the keys to his new bungalow.
"He has solar panels on the roof of the bungalow, and he thought that means he'll be getting free electricity."
Sadly, electricity is far from free at the moment, but at least Simon has managed to get on to the property ladder.
The outlook for first-time buyers is grim in the current climate, with one expert recently going as far as using the technical term - 'f****d'.
Buying agent Henry Pryor, who has been working in the business for 39 years, said people only realistically have a chance with current house prices and mortgage rates if their parents already own a home.
Pryor told LADbible: "I'm really happy spending as much time as necessary with the next generation.
"They've been properly f**ked over by my generation. And they need to know the reality rather than what their parents say.
"We've loved the situation, the stupidity at the moment, of mum and dad lending money to the kids, so that kids can afford the prices that mum and dad and mum and dad's mates want to charge for their homes.
"That's not sensible. It means if your parents don't own their own home, you'll find it incredibly difficult to get your own home yourself.
"If your parents don't own the home, you will likely only to be able to rent a home.
"If your parents give you a leg up, the bank of mum and dad is the ninth largest mortgage lender in the country."
Jake Massey