An Age of Magic

Can you afford a mortgage today?

I was reading recently about how the growing trend of adults continuing to live with their parents due to the fact that young people these days are finding so much more difficult to get their foot on the property ladder. And it is true. The days of cheap mortgages are clearly numbered and as for cheap or affordable housing…you can just about forget it. You cannot afford to buy in the cities and even the rural areas have seen a huge boom in property values due to the interest in living in the country. So why is this and what do you do?

I blame two factors; the banks and the real estate industry. Estate agents and banks have conspired to spoil the house-buying party over the past few years. If the banks will lend it, the agents can charge it. Simple. Until it all goes wrong, and it has done so often. So here’s hoping that when these professions get their own houses back in order, and common sense returns, houses will become affordable again. But who can see this happening in the near future? Access to affordable mortgages for those wanting to buy and live in their own home should not become an impossible dream.

As it has been the norm for a child to inherit his/her parents house in the past people were content to wait years. They rented and saved then moved into Mum and Dads house. Now they rent and save and find it difficult to do anything else; the problem is on retirement - having enough money to keep paying that rent or be able to buy that house. 

I would say that mortgage brokers are having a field day right now as potential housebuyers are lining up to grab what is left at the cheaper end of the mortgage market and there are still good deals to be found. It pays to get an expert to do the legwork for you though - saves you heaps of time and gets you the best deal around. You have to live with the results for many years afterwards!

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