Gen Z may be known for being tech savvy, but they’re also showing their smarts when it comes to home buying, with a surprisingly large number preparing to buy their first home before the end of the decade. Here’s how Gen Zs are making their home-buying plans happen. They don’t call it the ‘great Australian dream’ for nothing. Owning a home remains a leading goal for many Australians and a recent Westpac survey found more than one in three (35%) Gen Zs – that’s chiefly people aged in their 20s – plan to buy their first home in the next five

To save or to pay down your home loan, that is the question. Ok, so it’s not Shakespearean levels of contemplation – but it’s still a big decision facing many Australian families right now. Let’s take a look at what the majority of home owners are leaning toward. A growing number of home owners have given up waiting for rate cuts and are making home loan savings of their own – by knuckling down to reduce their mortgage balance. A survey by Agile Market Intelligence found 69% of home owners – the highest percentage this year – are making it

Property prices are running hot as we head into summer, and the market is tipped to dial up even further over the next 12 months. Here’s how it could shape your home-buying plans. Aussie home values are sprinting into summer, with property price growth hitting the fastest pace in over two years in October. The price hikes are unlikely to stop there. A record nine out of ten (88%) respondents to a recent API Magazine survey expect home prices to climb higher. It seems the experts agree. PropTrack believes we could see further price rises over spring and summer, while the Commonwealth Bank says “we

Season 21 of The Block may be over but the sales are not, with two homes failing to find buyers at auction. It’s a different story across the broader market though. As auction clearance rates heat up we explain how to get your auction game on.  Life may imitate art, but reality TV doesn’t always reflect reality. The Block’s latest final episode is a case in point. Two of the five homes failed to sell at auction. One didn’t even attract a bid. But auction clearance rates in our capital cities are doing better. Cotality reports auction clearance rates over the past two weeks

If you’ve just boarded the home buyer express, chances are ‘value’ is high on your list of neighbourhood must-haves. Well, it turns out that house hunters who are happy to stay on the train for just one more stop can be rewarded with savings totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you’re house hunting, it’s not uncommon to want to snag a bargain. One possible solution? Check out the local rail map. New research by PropTrack shows house hunters could save hundreds of thousands of dollars simply by looking at suburbs one extra train stop from the city. Staying on track in

They say there’s nothing quite like a parent’s love. Well, perhaps except for a parent’s love plus an extra $40,000 to help buy your first home. Today we’ll look at the pros and cons of family support – plus other ways to buy a first home that give mum and dad a break. Saving a first home deposit can be an endurance test. Nationally, it takes an average of 5.6 years to save a 20% deposit. The catch is that deposits tend to grow slowly, while property prices can rise quickly. In the past 12 months alone, home values have climbed 4.8%.