By David Jarvis More and more people are having to wait until their fifties before buying their first home. The number of first-time buyers who have passed their half-century rose by 29% between 2018 and 2022. It means some people are signing up for their first mortgages at the same age their parents or grandparents may have finished paying theirs off. And the official statistics revealed an even bigger rise in numbers taking their first steps on the property ladder in their 40s – while twentysomething house buyers slumped. The situation is caused by soaring property inflation with separate fi…