Average First Home Buyer Needs $120K Deposit

The average deposit needed to enter the property market has reached a record $120,000 according to analysis by comparison site Finder,

Finder’s senior editor of money Sarah Megginsons was shocked when the figure reached such lofty heights.

“Many first-time buyers can’t afford the hefty deposits,” Ms Megginson said.

“Australia has recently been through a house price boom and the increased deposit requirement as a result is making it much harder to crack into the market,” she said.

“Getting on the property ladder is becoming out of reach for many with affordability deteriorating.”

According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics lending data, Finder put the average loan size for the first-home buyers at $479,610 in April — almost $33,000 higher than a year earlier and more than $40,000 higher than two years ago.

However, Ms Megginson has the latest figure at about $120,000 for a 20% deposit on the average $600,000 first-home buyer property.

While the deposit amount has reached a new peak, the price falls predicted by the likes of CBA and other major banks, should come as good news to those looking to get into the market.

Despite this, with the RBA adjusting for interest rates to fight soaring inflation, affordability remains an ongoing issue.

Higher rates will increase repayments and reduce borrowing capacities, which Ms Megginson noted means people won’t be able to borrow as much.

“The actual amount first-home buyers can borrow is going to fall, as well as the fact that repayments are going to increase,” she said.

The ABS data showed the number of new owner-occupier loans to first-home buyers fell by 4.4% in April, to be 34.3% lower than a year earlier. However, it remained 4.2% higher than pre-pandemic levels in February 2020.

The Finder survey found 75% of first-time buyers paid or are planning to pay less than a 20% deposit.

That included 14% who planned to or did pay just 5% upfront.

Only 16% of those surveyed had or planned to put down a 20% deposit, while another 9% expected to have more than 20%.

Requiring more than 30 percent of household income to service a home loan has long been considered the benchmark for ‘housing stress’. Yet research shows it is becoming the new normal. The 2024 ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report reveals home loans on only 17 percent of homes are ‘serviceable’ if serviceability is limited to 30 percent of the median national household income.

Based on 40 percent of household income, just 37 percent of properties would be serviceable on a mortgage covering 80 percent of the purchase price. ANZ CoreLogic suggest 40 may be the new 30 when it comes to home loan serviceability. “Looking ahead, there is little prospect for the mortgage serviceability indicator to move back into the 30 percent range any time soon,” says the report.

“This is because the cash rate is not expected to be cut until late 2024, and home values have continued to rise, even amid relatively high interest rate settings.” ANZ CoreLogic estimate that home loan rates would have to fall to about 4.7 percent to bring serviceability under 40 percent.

CoreLogic has broken down the actual household income required to service a home loan on a 6.27 percent interest rate for an 80 percent loan based on current median house and unit values in each capital city. As expected, affordability is worst in the most expensive property market, Sydney.

Sydney

Sydney’s median house price is $1,414,229 and the median unit price is $839,344.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $211,456 to afford a home loan for a house and $125,499 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $120,554.

Melbourne

Melbourne’s median house price is $935,049 and the median apartment price is $612,906.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $139,809 to afford a home loan for a house and $91,642 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $110,324.

Brisbane

Brisbane’s median house price is $909,988 and the median unit price is $587,793.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $136,062 to afford a home loan for a house and $87,887 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $107,243.

Adelaide

Adelaide’s median house price is $785,971 and the median apartment price is $504,799.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $117,519 to afford a home loan for a house and $75,478 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $89,806.

Perth

Perth’s median house price is $735,276 and the median unit price is $495,360.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $109,939 to afford a home loan for a house and $74,066 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $108,057.

Hobart

Hobart’s median house price is $692,951 and the median apartment price is $522,258.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $103,610 to afford a home loan for a house and $78,088 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $89,515.

Darwin

Darwin’s median house price is $573,498 and the median unit price is $367,716.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $85,750 to afford a home loan for a house and $54,981 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $126,193.

Canberra

Canberra’s median house price is $964,136 and the median apartment price is $585,057.

Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $144,158 to afford a home loan for a house and $87,478 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $137,760.

Average First Home Buyer Needs $120K Deposit

Finder’s latest figures show that only a few first home buyers plan to put down a 20% deposit.

New research suggests spending 40 percent of household income on loan repayments is the new normal