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Why home ownership is out of reach for millions of Aussies

Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here More than one-third of Aussies believe they will never afford to buy a home, a new survey has revealed. House prices have boomed in the last two decades, with the gap between income and the price of property rising to an all-time high. New research from data comparison firm Finder showed 35 per cent of Australians - up to 9.5 million people - now say they will never own property. Millions of Aussies are being pushed out of the housing market. (Joe Armao/The Age) Finder's Graham Cooke said many are feeling like they are being shut out of the market, even if they have good jobs. "Record prices, steep borrowing costs, and saving for a deposit are locking people out," he said. "In many suburbs, even a six-figure salary won't comfortably cover a mortgage." The survey also found almost half of all Australians are living paycheque to paycheque, and 12 per cent feel insecure in their current job. The housing crisis is a conundrum experts around the country are trying to solve, and one theme has become clear, according to the survey of housing experts. Experts in Australia agree that housing supply must be increased restrictions must be eased. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) "We need to increase the housing stock. That means the government should play an enabling role by introducing and coordinating policies that remove barriers to housing development," Mala Raghavan from the University of Tasmania said. Addressing immigration is also a potential solution, according to another expert. "The only options are to reduce demand or increase supply," Noel Whittaker from the Queensland University of Technology said. "The way to reduce demand is to limit immigration and reduce all these government schemes that are allegedly making homes more affordable. "As far as supply goes, I'm pessimistic; there's a huge bottleneck, and the bureaucratic processes of government at all levels make it nearly impossible." national Australia finance money housing CONTACT US