• One in five Australians are walking such a fine mortgage tightrope that they could lose their homes if interest rates rise by even 0.5 per cent.

The love affair with property has pushed Australia’s residential housing market to an eye-watering value of $6.2 trillion.

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 14:  Melburnians keep cool at Brighton Beach on January 14, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. Temperatures are expected to reach over 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Victoria over the next four days.  (Photo by Craig Sillitoe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Craig Sillitoe/Getty Images)