Housing Affordability A Struggle For Aussies

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.

Former Aussie Rules player Jeff Chapman’s dream beach house, which has had its praises sung by The Independent in the UK, is back on the market with a revised – and more competitive – price guide.

The contemporary pavilion-style residence Alinghi, created by celebrated architect James Grose, was voted one of the top five beach houses in the world by the British newspaper and has been operating as a luxury holiday rental earning up to $7000 a week.

The one-time Melbourne forward and founder of Bennelong Funds Management, and his wife Carena Shankar, listed the five-bedroom getaway back in mid 2024 with hopes of about $8 million. The prestige property is now back with new agent Pauline Karatau of Ray White New Farm and the amended guide now sits at $6.5 million.

As part of the private 5ha Rocky Point estate, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef overlooking Honeymoon Bay, the glamorous holiday home shares not only a private beach with just four other neighbours, but also a 30m saltwater pool, a full-size tennis court, a beach cabana with barbecue facilities and a full-time live-in caretaker on site.

Alinghi seemingly floats against the cliffs of North Queensland’s Capricorn Coast consisting of two pavilions and shallow reflections pools for ultimate serenity. Residence number 5 is home to a two-storey main pavilion with large living spaces spilling onto semi-enclosed areas framing enviable ocean views. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, including two with ensuites. The second pavilion is a private retreat housing the main bedroom suite with an additional study or wellness space.

Crafted by Grose to leave minimal impact on its natural environment, the house features external materials sourced locally including rich cedar, plus glass and Travertine stone specifically chosen to blend and weather with the landscape over time.

The low maintenance property is also relatively self sufficient thanks to water tanks collecting the region’s abundant rainfall. Despite it’s northern Queensland address air-conditioning is an after-thought due to the clever cross-ventilation design principles and deliberate orientation capturing ocean breezes that flow through the large footprint.

Alinghi’s external lightning has also been carefully designed to be low voltage with minimum impact upon the local wildlife including wallabies, echidnas, goannas, turtles and even a diverse range of native birds. From the private terraces throughout winter, homeowners can also track the migratory whales.

Alinghi is a 90-minute drive away from Agnes Waters and its sister town of 1770 (also known as Seventeen Seventy). It is approximately 120kms from Bundaberg, which is home to a well-serviced domestic airport.

Alinghi is listed for sale with a price guide of $6.5 million via Ray White New Farm agent Pauline Karatau on 0418 733 773.

Housing Affordability A Struggle For Aussies

Buyers and renters alike have more pain ahead according to the REIA.