Majority of homeowners couldn’t afford to buy their house

Three out five homeowners would not be able to afford their property if they had to buy it at the current valuation, Consumer NZ has revealed.

The figures were gathered through the organisation’s sentiment tracker, which tracks how New Zealanders feel about a range of issues.

About 58 percent of respondents did not think they would be able to purchase their home at its current valuation, 9 percent did not know, and 33 percent said they could.

For people who did not own property, the tracker found more than 40 percent felt totally locked out of the market.

Consumer NZ spokesperson Gemma Rasmussen said housing was respondents’ biggest concern, even above COVID-19.

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“Our runaway housing market has solidified New Zealand as a country divided by property wealth. If you don’t have a foot on the property ladder, the dream of owning your own home is becoming increasingly unlikely. At present, the average house price is more than 12 times the average national income,” Rasmussen said.

“We asked New Zealanders what their biggest concerns are at present, and from both a national and financial perspective, the answer was housing… Regardless of whether you own a home or are renting, New Zealanders are deeply concerned about the state of housing.”

Those aged 60-69 were least likely to be able to afford to buy the property (66 percent), followed by those aged 50-59 and those 70+ (59 percent). Approximately half of those aged 18-29 would still be able to afford their property.