The term property ladder—or housing ladder[1]—, widely used in the United Kingdom, describes the relative differences in constant terms from cheaper to more expensive housing.
According to this metaphor, an individual or a family can progress by stages from starter homes (for younger first-time buyers who are typically at the bottom of the property ladder) to move-up houses to more expensive houses that are at the top.
"Getting on to the property ladder" is the process of buying one's first house and holding a place on the property market.
The Oxford English Dictionary traces use of the phrase "property ladder" back to 1941 in the journal Eugenics.
[2]