Housing Affordability A Struggle For Aussies
Buyers and renters alike have more pain ahead according to the REIA.
2 min
The proportion of income required to make loan repayments increased 0.2% points to 37.3% over the March quarter, while the proportion required to meet median rent jumped 0.5% to 23.5% according to the Real Estate Institute of Australia.
REIA President Hayden Groves said housing affordability nationally has become increasingly unaffordable, pressure eased in some locations.
“Housing affordability improved in New South Wales and the Northern Territory, remained stable in the Australian Capital Territory but declined in all other states,” Mr Groves said.
“Rental affordability declined in all states and territories except the Northern Territory.
“Tasmania remains the most unaffordable state to rent with income to rent needed sitting at a huge 30.8 per cent.”
Despite this, the number of first home buyers has decreased to 29,093 a drop of 22.5% in the quarter and a fall of 33.9% over the past 12 months.
“First home buyers now make up 31.6 per cent of owner-occupier dwelling commitments, a decrease of 2.7 percentage points over the quarter and 8.7 percentage points over the year,” he said.
“The number of first home buyers fell over the March quarter in all states and territories.
“Declines ranged from 10.5 per cent in Western Australia to 40.2 per cent in the Northern Territory.”
According to Mr Groves, the average loan size for first home buyers increased by 0.9% over the quarter and 11.7% in the past year to $474,54.
The total number of loans for owner-occupied dwellings decreased in all states and territories over the March quarter, ranging from 8.2 per cent in Western Australia to 21.3 per cent in New South Wales.
With house prices rising so sharply, the average loan size rose to $603,395 in the March quarter, an increase of 2.1 per cent over the quarter and an increase of 19.2 per cent over the past 12 months, making it the largest annual increase since the current ABS series began in 2002.
As Australia’s family offices expand their presence in private credit, a growing number of commercial real estate debt (CRED) managers are turning to them as flexible, strategic funding partners.
Knight Frank’s latest Horizon 2025 update signals renewed confidence in Australian commercial real estate, with signs of recovery accelerating across cities and sectors.
Blending brutalist strength with warm, refined interiors, Rumah is a bold architectural statement in Brighton’s coastal enclave — a designer family home where luxury meets liveability.
2 min
Rumah means “home” in Indonesian and Malay, and it’s clear this designer property in Melbourne’s coveted beachside enclave of Brighton is a dream house in any language.
The uber-contemporary residence is a collaboration between builders Belot Property, Seidler Group architects, and the interiors team at Golden.
The result is a modern marvel that combines a brutalist concrete exterior ready to weather its coastal setting with inviting interiors using a mix of textures, from French oak to metal and brick finishes.
Just listed with Kay & Burton Bayside agents, Rae Mano, Matthew Pillios and Jamie Mi, the prestige property is on the market via a private treaty campaign with price expectations of between $10.5 million and $11.5 million.
Created to be a great entertainer while maintaining a level of discreet privacy, Rumah is, at its heart, a warm, family-friendly home that ticks all the boxes for detail-oriented design connoisseurs.
A palette of contradictions, Rumah blends angular and rounded forms, features hard steel and glass, and effortlessly incorporates the earthy finishes of brick and timber for a holistic sensory experience.
Beyond the oversized pivot door sits a large structural column wrapped in gold leaf, setting the tone for the rest of the residence. The three-storey layout offers a choice of multigenerational spaces, from the ground-floor everyday living level to the accommodation wing on the top floor and the large basement “clubhouse.”
At the heart of the home, a gourmet kitchen features a dramatic island bench, high-end appliances, and a full butler’s pantry. Multiple spaces feed off the kitchen, including a vast dining area and a large living room, which both spill out through full-height glazed doors to either a side barbecue terrace or the poolside deck to the rear.
Even the downstairs entertainer’s room – also known as the club – is effectively poolside thanks to an innovative glass viewing window framing swimmers and cleverly connecting the subterranean level to the rest of the home. This games room also houses a sophisticated bar, a wine cellar, integrated night club style lounge seating and a full bathroom.
Additionally, the lower floor features a hidden laundry room, two store rooms, direct access to a huge five-car garage with a convenient turning circle, and an extra bedroom or home office.
Via the private elevator, the top floor is dedicated to after-hours living. It has four spacious bedrooms, each with its own ensuite and walk-in wardrobes. In the luxurious primary suite, there is a hotel-inspired ensuite with a unique kidney-shaped freestanding bath and a dressing room.
Rumah’s added extras include warming indoor and outdoor fireplaces, automatic blinds, feature lighting, marble accents, bespoke wallpaper, built-in bedheads, an external spa and low-maintenance landscaped gardens.
Positioned on the corner of William and Halifax Sts, the 21st-century beach house is opposite William St Reserve, close to Brighton Primary School.
Rumah at 91 William St, Brighton is on the market via private sale with Kay & Burton Bayside and has a sales guide of $10.5 million and $11.5 million.
The late rock star and his wife, model Iman, visited the house after seeing a news story about its unusual design by local architects Shim-Sutcliffe.
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot star in an awkward live-action attempt to modernize the 1937 animated classic.
