Australian Housing Market

When you read articles about Australian housing affordability, it is often comparing the single average adult wage to house prices, from generations ago.

The articles generally say something like, ‘a house was worth three times the annual average wage back in the sixties and is now worth 10 times the average wage. This shows housing has become unaffordable.’

You can’t compare the two because back in the sixties it was one wage bidding on real estate.

The state of Australian housing

The days of Dad going off to work, while Mum tends the children are long gone, just like the black and white TVs of that era.

It is now usually at least two incomes bidding on Australian real estate, land price has quickly factored that in. So you can’t compare the two figures.

These days you need to find historical figures for combined household income and compare the two.

When you do that you may find housing affordability hasn’t run away at all, but is simply keeping pace with wages.

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All advice is general in nature and has not taken into account your personal circumstances. Please seek independent financial advice regarding your own situation, or if in doubt about the suitability of an investment.

The value of any investment and the income derived from it can go down as well as up. Never invest more than you can afford to lose and keep in mind the ultimate risk is that you can lose whatever you’ve invested. While useful for detecting patterns, the past is not a guide to future performance. Some figures contained in our reports are forecasts and may not be a reliable indicator of future results. Any actual or potential gains in these reports may not include taxes, brokerage commissions, or associated fees.