#325: Clearing the Deposit Hurdle - Why the Old 20% Benchmark No Longer Stacks Up and How Buyers Are Adapting
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#325: Clearing the Deposit Hurdle - Why the Old 20% Benchmark No Longer Stacks Up and How Buyers Are Adapting
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🎙️ In this eye-opening episode, Dave, Cate and Mike dig into brand-new research on housing affordability from MCG Quantity Surveyors. But instead of looking at mortgage repayments, this report flips the focus to deposits — an obvious entry hurdle for buyers. What they uncover is staggering: the time it takes to save a 20% deposit has tripled or even quadrupled since the 1970s. However, the Trio also delve into the deposit size and question whether 20% is all that applicable in today's day and age.
📊 Mike explains why deposits matter more than repayments in understanding affordability. Back in 1975, saving a 20% deposit took around six months of income. Today, it takes two years or more — before repayments even begin. Prices have risen 30–40× since the mid-70s, while wages have only grown 10×. The gap is where affordability has collapsed, and it’s clearly visible across every Australian capital city.
🏡 Cate takes us through the hard numbers: Sydney’s deposit multiple has jumped from 29 weeks of income in 1975 to 121 weeks today. Melbourne has moved from 32 to 97, Brisbane from 28 to 104, and Adelaide from 35 to 114. Even Hobart, once the most affordable, has shifted from 40 to 93. These figures make one thing clear — buying into the market now requires a far longer savings journey, even at a reduced deposit size.
💰 Cate shares a Sydney case study. In 1975, a family needed just $6,860 for a 20% deposit — achievable in seven months. Fast forward to 2025, and the required deposit has blown out to $282,000. At today’s incomes, that’s more than two years of full earnings. Factoring in tax, rent and everyday living costs, translates to a decade or more of disciplined saving.
📉 Brisbane paints a similar picture. Back in 1975, buyers could scrape together a deposit in six months. Today, despite lower house prices compared to Sydney, Brisbane buyers still face a two-year deposit hurdle. With house prices in Brisbane and Adelaide surging 70% since COVID, affordability in these “cheaper” markets has eroded just as sharply.
🏦 The Trio also break down the role of government schemes — from first-home buyer grants to stamp duty concessions. While these policies help individuals in the short term, they’re stimulatory, adding buying power but pushing prices up. The result? Affordability worsens for those left out of the schemes, and the saving treadmill just speeds up. Yet Dave and Cate shed light on some of the advantages and initiatives on offer for today's first home buyers. Is the 20% hurdle a fair one to contrast to the old days?
🚦Dave reminds listeners that the affordability gulf isn’t about monthly repayments — it’s about the growing difficulty of getting through the deposit door. But he also promises to share a counter episode on deposits! Stay tuned...
And our gold nuggets!.....
Cate Bakos's gold nugget: Cate explains the difference between the deposit and the servicing. Both are very important, but mutually exclusive.
David Johnston's gold nugget: Dave has some great suggestions for our first homebuyer listeners, from planning, to assessing their needs, to starting with a smaller property as a stepping stone. "You need to be pragmatic, because the earlier you get into the property market, the better."
Mike Mortlock's gold nugget: Mike conducts this research because he loves to start a conversation. He also mentions some statistics that Alan Kohler shared on the ABC (see notes in our shownotes).
Shownotes: https://www.propertytrio.com.au/2025/09/01/clearing-the-deposit-hurdle/
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