Invest
Is home ownership still a good investment?
Australians are waiting longer to buy more expensive property assets that perform relatively poorly compared with other asset classes, new research has found.
Is home ownership still a good investment?
Australians are waiting longer to buy more expensive property assets that perform relatively poorly compared with other asset classes, new research has found.
According to research by investment managers Fidelity International, the average Aussie in 2018 bought their first home at 35, compared to 24 three decades ago.
Anthony Doyle, Fidelity International’s cross-asset specialist, believes younger people might be put off by diminishing returns.
“There are a number of reasons for this trend, including housing affordability, tighter lending standards and changing living preferences amongst younger generations,” Mr Doyle explained.
“However, one consideration that may be influencing the home purchase decision amongst younger Australians may be lower return expectations of first home buyers versus older generations,” Mr Doyle said.
Investors who were born in the ’50s and purchased property at age 30 (1980s) saw the value of the family home grow by 187 per cent.
When repeated for those born in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s who also bought a home in their 30s, the total returns fell significantly.
“For those born in 1980 that purchased their first home in 2010, the performance of their house has been relatively poor relative to other asset classes, rising by only 9 per cent in real terms over the course of the decade,” Mr Doyle said.
In comparison to other assets over the same time, global equities grew by 145 per cent, Australian equities made 97 per cent more and Australian bonds grew by 63 per cent.
Mr Doyle also highlighted why he does not believe housing prices will continue to grow in the medium term.
“Given the current high level of Australian house prices relative to incomes, without higher wages growth, it is difficult to see the recovery in house prices seen over the last six months of 2019 being sustained over the medium term,” Mr Doyle said.
However, the investor noted that the housing market could see a short-term spike as interest rate cuts and the potential for quantitative easing from the RBA act as a “tailwind for house prices”.
“Given the low absolute level of interest rates, it is unlikely that those purchasing a house today will experience the high house price returns that older generations of Australian home owners have experienced,” Mr Doyle concluded.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Property
Young buyers poised for a comeback as 5% First Home Guarantee takes effect
In a move set to reshape the Australian property landscape, the government’s revamped First Home Guarantee is poised to open the doors of homeownership to a new generation of young AustraliansRead more
Property
AFG Securities waives settlement fees for first-home buyers, signalling strategic shift
In a strategic move aimed at easing the financial burden on first-home buyers, AFG Securities has announced the elimination of settlement fees on select loans, potentially saving customers up to $699Read more
Property
From trust woes to wealth: Australian agencies' secret to boosting prices
In Australia’s residential market, trust is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a pricing variable. Persistent distrust of real estate agents is depressing vendor outcomes and inviting regulatory heat, but ...Read more
Property
Reality check for first home buyers: Affordable suburbs with 5% deposit
In a significant development for Australian first home buyers, a new property search tool from Aussie Home Loans is set to transform the way prospective homeowners approach the market. As the Federal ...Read more
Property
Trust as a performance multiplier in Australia's real estate market
In Australia’s A$10–11 trillion housing market, trust is emerging as a crucial factor that sellers and agencies can no longer afford to overlook. Traditionally viewed as a soft metric, trust is now ...Read more
Property
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie makes a splash with Belmont buy as real estate consolidation looms
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie’s acquisition of the Belmont office, including its rent roll, is less about shopfronts and more about balance‑sheet resilience. In a market where listings ebb and flow with ...Read more
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Young buyers poised for a comeback as 5% First Home Guarantee takes effect
In a move set to reshape the Australian property landscape, the government’s revamped First Home Guarantee is poised to open the doors of homeownership to a new generation of young AustraliansRead more
Property
AFG Securities waives settlement fees for first-home buyers, signalling strategic shift
In a strategic move aimed at easing the financial burden on first-home buyers, AFG Securities has announced the elimination of settlement fees on select loans, potentially saving customers up to $699Read more
Property
From trust woes to wealth: Australian agencies' secret to boosting prices
In Australia’s residential market, trust is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a pricing variable. Persistent distrust of real estate agents is depressing vendor outcomes and inviting regulatory heat, but ...Read more
Property
Reality check for first home buyers: Affordable suburbs with 5% deposit
In a significant development for Australian first home buyers, a new property search tool from Aussie Home Loans is set to transform the way prospective homeowners approach the market. As the Federal ...Read more
Property
Trust as a performance multiplier in Australia's real estate market
In Australia’s A$10–11 trillion housing market, trust is emerging as a crucial factor that sellers and agencies can no longer afford to overlook. Traditionally viewed as a soft metric, trust is now ...Read more
Property
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie makes a splash with Belmont buy as real estate consolidation looms
LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie’s acquisition of the Belmont office, including its rent roll, is less about shopfronts and more about balance‑sheet resilience. In a market where listings ebb and flow with ...Read more
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
