A new survey commissioned by National Savings & Investments has found that an overwhelming 84 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds believe buying a property abroad is a more viable option than buying in the UK.

Analysts blame the UK''s runaway house price inflation for the trend, with the Land Registry''s latest figures showing a nine per cent year-on-year rise in national property prices for Q3 2007.

That pace shoots up to an incredible 14.1 per cent for the capital, leaving countless numbers of first-time buyers (FTBs) priced out of the market and turning to property investments abroad instead.

Adam Godwin, marketing director of Dream Homes WorldWide, argued that the growing desire among FTBs to invest in overseas property embodies a pragmatic approach to indirectly getting on the property ladder.

"Rental income from an overseas asset could fund the monthly rent in the UK," he explained, adding that if FTBs are careful to select an emerging market they will benefit from robust capital appreciation which within in a few years could be enough for "that all-important deposit".

Recent research from Scottish Widows found that taking out a joint mortgage is another increasingly popular avenue being pursued by FTBs.