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The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘It's a shock': if you think Adelaide housing is affordable, think again
When people think of Adelaide, they may ponder its good food and wine or its many churches. Historically, it was viewed as a well-priced place to live and work. But years of surging property prices have made it less affordable than some of the world's most famous cities, including London and New York, when income levels are factored into living costs. Even those with a front row seat to the change have trouble comprehending it. 'It is a shock for someone like myself, who was born and bred here and always thought of Adelaide as being one of the most affordable places to live with the quality of lifestyle that we have,' says David King, a property agent who assists buyers entering the market. 'The traditional first-time buyer is now being priced out of houses and that has led to a quite large increase in unit prices across Adelaide. Now even a unit is becoming out of reach.' King, a buyer's agent at property group Cohen Handler, says prospective buyers in Adelaide are frustrated. 'There are people who come to us often through a level of frustration that they've been out there looking and missing out on so many different properties. They are just sick and tired of being out there every weekend.' Adelaide is the sixth least affordable metropolitan market listed in the recent Demographia International Housing Affordability report, which measures housing costs to income in 95 markets across eight nations. The South Australian capital, which is less affordable than global cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Toronto, is now Australia's second-least affordable city, after the perennially expensive Sydney. While Hong Kong is at the top of the list, it is suffering from a depressed housing market, in a trend that will probably soon give Sydney the unenviable title of world's most unaffordable city. Demographia blames a global affordability squeeze on governments using urban containment strategies, which it defines as a focus on densifying housing within city boundaries as opposed to expansion. Australia has also been gripped by concerns that state and federal government policies are fuelling demand through their policies, without adequately addressing supply. While housing affordability across the country deteriorated during the Covid pandemic, as wages fell behind rocketing home values, most of Australia's major cities have been expensive for decades. Some of the biggest price gains occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with near double-digit annual percentage gains, backed by the 'increasingly significant role' of investors pumping up demand, as noted by Treasury at the time. This coincided with the Howard government's 1999 decision to reduce capital gains tax for investors. Home prices as a multiple of Australians' incomes have more than doubled since 1980, according to the OECD's measure. The same figure has only risen by half as much in the UK and barely moved in the US. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Prof Hal Pawson, an expert in housing policy at UNSW, said that affordability has deteriorated faster in Australia than in most comparable countries as bigger tax exemptions allow investors and owner-occupiers to pour more money into the sector. 'Australia's a country that, probably to a greater extent than even other anglophone countries, has an obsession with property as a place to put your money,' Pawson says. Geography also plays a part. Australia's layout and remote centre mean people congregate towards big coastal cities, contrasting with the more common practice across Europe and the US of inland cities. Adelaide, now less affordable than the more heavily populated Melbourne, is a good example of a city being squeezed by its terrain, given that it is locked between the ocean and the hills. Recent coverage of Australia's housing crisis has focused on soaring demand and sluggish supply of new homes, with growing city populations held back by rising construction costs and lengthy project approval processes. But in Germany, which also faces those issues, incomes have grown faster than home prices over recent decades, making property more affordable. Housing enjoys fewer tax breaks in Germany, while rent caps and stronger protections for tenants mean much of the population is happy to rent long-term. Christian Danne, a Berlin-based economist, says price-income comparisons hardly apply because half the population isn't looking to buy a home. 'Ever since the 1950s, it's a renters' market,' he says. 'The most prized possession in the UK and Ireland is your house, but for a very long time in Germany, the most important status symbol was your car.' More than half the German population rented a home in 2024, whereas only about a third of Australians are tenants. Amid a shortage of housing stock, rents for new tenants have been rising fast in Germany, putting pressure on young people and migrants entering the market. But those already settled into a rental are usually spared the steep increases. 'Price increases are very predictable once you're living in a place, so there's literally no incentive to buy and own a place other than personal preference,' says Danne, a consultant at DIW Econ. Australia has seen bigger hikes in both existing and new rent costs in the last five years, with average rent prices up nearly 20% and the advertised price of new rentals up nearly 50%. Affordability advocates in Australia are focusing their attention on rental rights, which are a state issue. The thinking is that improving tenancy rights may lower the value of rental properties and depress rental prices, easing affordability at the expense of landlords, as it does in some overseas markets. Bruce Djite, the South Australian executive director at the Property Council of Australia, says Adelaide's past affordability advantage has been 'completely eroded' and policymakers aren't reacting by increasing supply fast enough. 'We are not acting like we're in a crisis [but] a lot more needs to be done,' Djite says. 'If we continue on like this, we will get a reputation for not just being unaffordable, but being completely inaccessible.'
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- News.com.au
Can quirky homes get Qlders on the property ladder?
Queenslanders have made some of the quirkiest things into homes and one prominent architecture expert reckons this ingenuity may just help the next generation of homebuyers during the housing crisis. Throughout the Sunshine State people are living in planes, trains, space station-like bubbles, war bunkers and even a Barbie dream house, with their creations driven by budget constraints, inventiveness and a desire to standout. But where some may view these quirky residences as oversized curios, Grand Designs Australia and Restoration Australia host Anthony Burke sees them as the work of trailblazers. The professor of architecture said experimenting with home designs could lead to more affordable homes for Australians. 'We're going to have to invent our way out of this (housing) problem,' he said. 'Australia is very risk adverse when it comes to our houses and that hasn't budged much since the 1950s 'We need Australians to engage with a bit more risk-taking with our architecture. 'And while (quirky homes) aren't necessarily the answer to the housing crisis, they are a good step towards breaking us out of business as usual.' Mr Burke said he was seeing an increase in Australians willing to experiment with home building and renovation, particularly younger people. 'There's a new generation of Australians who can't afford a new home,' he said. 'They are the group that is going to reinvent what a house looks like because they can't afford a house like it has looked for the past 70 years. '(Quirky homes) are necessary to change our thinking. 'I think we're going to see more of them is the next 20 years, the way we haven't in the past 40 years.' Buyer's agent and managing director of Cohen Handler, Jordan Navybox said while 'quirky' homes were once the purview of eccentrics, unique luxury homes were growing in popularity in South East Queensland. 'Prestige buyers do want a level of exclusivity and uniqueness,' he said. 'They want a home that is one-of-one. 'Brisbane is finally seeing this fashion and lifestyle movement and there are more architects pushing the boundaries in Brisbane. 'Rob Mills is a Melbourne architect doing a lot in Brisbane right now and so is Luigi Rosselli from Sydney. 'It's super fashionable now to have a really beautiful and unique house and the more fashionable that becomes, the more boundary pushing we will see.' Lynn Malone of Queensland Sotheby's, who is selling 'Alkira', a futuristic concrete residence built above a lake in Cape Tribulation, said it was more difficult to sell a quirky home but the trick was to know the buyers to target. 'Buyers' reactions are often polarised — some are captivated by the unexpected and folly, while others have concerns about comparable property sales and valuations,' she said. 'The objective is to identify and reach the niche audience that aspires to acquire a property such as 'Alkira Resort House' and has the financial capability to purchase. 'Too much uniqueness, such as a remote location in Far North Queensland, can be a drawback for a traditional buyer. 'However, most prospective buyers for 'Alkira' view remoteness, privacy, and exclusivity as compelling attributes.' Ms Malone said truly unique homes attracted strong interest when they hit the market. 'The challenge lies in translating that tremendous interest into genuine buyer inquiries,' she said. Ms Malone said she had seen an increase in buyers willing to consider more quirky homes. 'Especially in the luxury real estate sector, buyers seek properties that offer authenticity, design innovation, and a connection with nature, particularly when buying a second or third residence,' she said. Mr Burke said in general, owners of quirky homes could be broken down into two groups – those looking to experiment and those looking to express their personality. 'Some are inventions by necessity, such as inhabiting a train carriage because that's all they could afford,' he said. 'Some, like the Bubble House (in Ipswich), are a labour of love and an experimental thesis. 'There's also the really formally flamboyant house, which are more about puffing up and saying 'I'm here, I'm doing something different'. 'It's not an idea, it's a power play. 'But the person with the lifelong thesis they've had in sustainable housing, that's a labour of love and that comes from a strength of idea.' Mr Burke said Aussies tended to appreciate the passion builds. 'There is an army of good taste cops out there that shake their but most people see something usual like the Bubble house and say 'good on you for having a crack',' he said. 'Australians, we love the underdog, the renegade, the brave eccentric.' Mr Burke said most who set out to build a unique home were the type to care little about the opinions of others. 'These are kind of places that stay in a family for as long as someone can live independently and, by that time, they've become landmarks,' he said. 'They become a bit precious, think mid-century Seidler homes and Robin Boyd homes.' Mr Burke said he appreciated those homeowners, builders and architects ready to take the risk and do something outside the box. 'New materials, new technology, new processes – they will take a while to land in meaningful ways, but we need early adopters,' he said. 'Things like rammed earth are already coming back into play, which is good to see.' Mr Burke said he hoped to see the experimentation occurring overseas start to influence Australians homeowners. 'They are 3D printing houses in Texas, mushroom houses grown and built out of mushroom are happening in the US and Europe, and we're even seeing architectural structures made by silkworms.' SOME OF QUEENSLAND'S QUIRKIEST HOMES 1. Bubble House – Karalee Built by architect owner Graham Birchall, this home took a decade to complete and is made from 11 intersecting circular domes. The house began as a thesis idea more than 40 years ago and ended up a 20-room family home with 1050 sqm of floor space. 2. Alkira Resort House – Cape Tribulation This remote concrete masterpiece was designed by visionary architect Charles Wright and is positioned over a man-made lake and surrounded by 30ha of wilderness including a beach. It took the original owner, stamp collector and property developer Rob Perry, five years to design and build the six bedroom, seven bathroom house. The unusual swimming pool shape and surrounding roofline is based on the silhouette of the head on the 'One Pound Jimmy' postage stamp issued in Australia in the 1950s. 3. Barbie Dream House – Agnes Waters This eye-catching home is spread across four levels with a party zone that includes a built-in bar, space for a pool table and guest bedrooms. Like any good dream house, it has a bright colour scheme, a pool and plenty of space to entertain or just relax. You can even see the ocean from the decks. 4. Train carriage home – Booie Marketed as one of a kind and currently for sale, this 2.67ha property comes with a home created from a Melbourne train carriage. The stainless steel carriage, measuring around 23m long and 2.9m wide, has a kitchen, dining, and lounge area, complete with original train handrails, a bathroom and a bedroom. There is also an added second bedroom and deck plus the block has a big shed and dam. 5. Silo house – Kairi This two-bedroom, one bathroom home is built into the side of historic grain silos that were bought for just $5000 in 2010. The home sits in what was originally the office and weigh station, but all the machinery from the silos has been kept on site. The silos themselves are accessed from inside the home, with a door opening to the first two silos and a shaft that runs underneath all four. 6. Gill House – Norman Park Designed to look like the gills of a shark, this modern riverside home is spread across four levels and has four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Inside there is a 6.3m high void, marble-clad fireplace, a master suite that takes up an entire level, a round bathtub sitting under a skylight and a four-car stacker in the garage. The property looks out over the Brisbane River and is currently for sale. 7. Chateau sur-Ciel – Willow Vale The name of this Gold Coast property aptly translates to 'castle in the sky'. Designed and built over a period of ten years by the original owners, the home has medieval-themed games room, a moat, a chapel and horse stables. The six-bedroom home was inspired by a love of European art and architecture. 8. Bunker house – Miles The couple behind Possum Park Caravan Park, 20km north of Miles, turned a WWII bunker into their home after buying an abandoned air force base in 1986. The 12m-long ammunition bunker, made from 10-inch thick concrete and covered with 1m of dirt, contains a bedroom, bathroom, office and open plan kitchen and living room. The couple have also converted more bunkers, an army igloo, a plane and train carriages into guest accommodation. 9. Elysian Falls dome house – Flaxton Artist Cath Wild designed and built this aircrete dome house on her property in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The four-dome structure is the first aircrete dome to have council build approval and covers just under 90 sqm. Ms Wild made about 6000 aircrete blocks to complete the home and the build took about three years. 10. Renovated church – Innisfail The former St Andrew's Presbyterian Memorial Church in Innisfail isn't your typical church – it was designed by architect Eddie Oribin in the modernist organic style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now converted to a private residence, the home has triangular brickwork, patterned screen walls with green glass inserts, tulip oak walls, polished timber floors, original diamond shaped leadlight windows, a burning tree motif and a copper flower bowl. There are three levels with open plan living, dining and kitchen, and a bedroom on a mezzanine level.
Courier-Mail
03-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Courier-Mail
Can quirky homes get Qlders on the property ladder?
Queenslanders have made some of the quirkiest things into homes and one prominent architecture expert reckons this ingenuity may just help the next generation of homebuyers during the housing crisis. Throughout the Sunshine State people are living in planes, trains, space station-like bubbles, war bunkers and even a Barbie dream house, with their creations driven by budget constraints, inventiveness and a desire to standout. But where some may view these quirky residences as oversized curios, Grand Designs Australia and Restoration Australia host Anthony Burke sees them as the work of trailblazers. The professor of architecture said experimenting with home designs could lead to more affordable homes for Australians. 'We're going to have to invent our way out of this (housing) problem,' he said. 'Australia is very risk adverse when it comes to our houses and that hasn't budged much since the 1950s 'We need Australians to engage with a bit more risk-taking with our architecture. 'And while (quirky homes) aren't necessarily the answer to the housing crisis, they are a good step towards breaking us out of business as usual.' Mr Burke said he was seeing an increase in Australians willing to experiment with home building and renovation, particularly younger people. 'There's a new generation of Australians who can't afford a new home,' he said. 'They are the group that is going to reinvent what a house looks like because they can't afford a house like it has looked for the past 70 years. '(Quirky homes) are necessary to change our thinking. 'I think we're going to see more of them is the next 20 years, the way we haven't in the past 40 years.' Buyer's agent and managing director of Cohen Handler, Jordan Navybox said while 'quirky' homes were once the purview of eccentrics, unique luxury homes were growing in popularity in South East Queensland. 'Prestige buyers do want a level of exclusivity and uniqueness,' he said. 'They want a home that is one-of-one. 'Brisbane is finally seeing this fashion and lifestyle movement and there are more architects pushing the boundaries in Brisbane. 'Rob Mills is a Melbourne architect doing a lot in Brisbane right now and so is Luigi Rosselli from Sydney. 'It's super fashionable now to have a really beautiful and unique house and the more fashionable that becomes, the more boundary pushing we will see.' Lynn Malone of Queensland Sotheby's, who is selling 'Alkira', a futuristic concrete residence built above a lake in Cape Tribulation, said it was more difficult to sell a quirky home but the trick was to know the buyers to target. 'Buyers' reactions are often polarised — some are captivated by the unexpected and folly, while others have concerns about comparable property sales and valuations,' she said. 'The objective is to identify and reach the niche audience that aspires to acquire a property such as 'Alkira Resort House' and has the financial capability to purchase. 'Too much uniqueness, such as a remote location in Far North Queensland, can be a drawback for a traditional buyer. 'However, most prospective buyers for 'Alkira' view remoteness, privacy, and exclusivity as compelling attributes.' Ms Malone said truly unique homes attracted strong interest when they hit the market. 'The challenge lies in translating that tremendous interest into genuine buyer inquiries,' she said. Ms Malone said she had seen an increase in buyers willing to consider more quirky homes. 'Especially in the luxury real estate sector, buyers seek properties that offer authenticity, design innovation, and a connection with nature, particularly when buying a second or third residence,' she said. Mr Burke said in general, owners of quirky homes could be broken down into two groups – those looking to experiment and those looking to express their personality. 'Some are inventions by necessity, such as inhabiting a train carriage because that's all they could afford,' he said. 'Some, like the Bubble House (in Ipswich), are a labour of love and an experimental thesis. 'There's also the really formally flamboyant house, which are more about puffing up and saying 'I'm here, I'm doing something different'. 'It's not an idea, it's a power play. 'But the person with the lifelong thesis they've had in sustainable housing, that's a labour of love and that comes from a strength of idea.' Mr Burke said Aussies tended to appreciate the passion builds. 'There is an army of good taste cops out there that shake their but most people see something usual like the Bubble house and say 'good on you for having a crack',' he said. 'Australians, we love the underdog, the renegade, the brave eccentric.' Mr Burke said most who set out to build a unique home were the type to care little about the opinions of others. 'These are kind of places that stay in a family for as long as someone can live independently and, by that time, they've become landmarks,' he said. 'They become a bit precious, think mid-century Seidler homes and Robin Boyd homes.' Mr Burke said he appreciated those homeowners, builders and architects ready to take the risk and do something outside the box. 'New materials, new technology, new processes – they will take a while to land in meaningful ways, but we need early adopters,' he said. 'Things like rammed earth are already coming back into play, which is good to see.' Mr Burke said he hoped to see the experimentation occurring overseas start to influence Australians homeowners. 'They are 3D printing houses in Texas, mushroom houses grown and built out of mushroom are happening in the US and Europe, and we're even seeing architectural structures made by silkworms.' SOME OF QUEENSLAND'S QUIRKIEST HOMES 1. Bubble House – Karalee Built by architect owner Graham Birchall, this home took a decade to complete and is made from 11 intersecting circular domes. The house began as a thesis idea more than 40 years ago and ended up a 20-room family home with 1050 sqm of floor space. 2. Alkira Resort House – Cape Tribulation This remote concrete masterpiece was designed by visionary architect Charles Wright and is positioned over a man-made lake and surrounded by 30ha of wilderness including a beach. It took the original owner, stamp collector and property developer Rob Perry, five years to design and build the six bedroom, seven bathroom house. The unusual swimming pool shape and surrounding roofline is based on the silhouette of the head on the 'One Pound Jimmy' postage stamp issued in Australia in the 1950s. 3. Barbie Dream House – Agnes Waters This eye-catching home is spread across four levels with a party zone that includes a built-in bar, space for a pool table and guest bedrooms. Like any good dream house, it has a bright colour scheme, a pool and plenty of space to entertain or just relax. You can even see the ocean from the decks. 4. Train carriage home – Booie Marketed as one of a kind and currently for sale, this 2.67ha property comes with a home created from a Melbourne train carriage. The stainless steel carriage, measuring around 23m long and 2.9m wide, has a kitchen, dining, and lounge area, complete with original train handrails, a bathroom and a bedroom. There is also an added second bedroom and deck plus the block has a big shed and dam. 5. Silo house – Kairi This two-bedroom, one bathroom home is built into the side of historic grain silos that were bought for just $5000 in 2010. The home sits in what was originally the office and weigh station, but all the machinery from the silos has been kept on site. The silos themselves are accessed from inside the home, with a door opening to the first two silos and a shaft that runs underneath all four. 6. Gill House – Norman Park Designed to look like the gills of a shark, this modern riverside home is spread across four levels and has four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Inside there is a 6.3m high void, marble-clad fireplace, a master suite that takes up an entire level, a round bathtub sitting under a skylight and a four-car stacker in the garage. The property looks out over the Brisbane River and is currently for sale. 7. Chateau sur-Ciel – Willow Vale The name of this Gold Coast property aptly translates to 'castle in the sky'. Designed and built over a period of ten years by the original owners, the home has medieval-themed games room, a moat, a chapel and horse stables. The six-bedroom home was inspired by a love of European art and architecture. 8. Bunker house – Miles The couple behind Possum Park Caravan Park, 20km north of Miles, turned a WWII bunker into their home after buying an abandoned air force base in 1986. The 12m-long ammunition bunker, made from 10-inch thick concrete and covered with 1m of dirt, contains a bedroom, bathroom, office and open plan kitchen and living room. The couple have also converted more bunkers, an army igloo, a plane and train carriages into guest accommodation. 9. Elysian Falls dome house – Flaxton Artist Cath Wild designed and built this aircrete dome house on her property in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The four-dome structure is the first aircrete dome to have council build approval and covers just under 90 sqm. Ms Wild made about 6000 aircrete blocks to complete the home and the build took about three years. 10. Renovated church – Innisfail The former St Andrew's Presbyterian Memorial Church in Innisfail isn't your typical church – it was designed by architect Eddie Oribin in the modernist organic style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now converted to a private residence, the home has triangular brickwork, patterned screen walls with green glass inserts, tulip oak walls, polished timber floors, original diamond shaped leadlight windows, a burning tree motif and a copper flower bowl. There are three levels with open plan living, dining and kitchen, and a bedroom on a mezzanine level.
