I was asked at an APIA event: “What is the biggest obstacle first time buyers have?” I said “most of them are financially ready but mentally not ready.” We often hear the statistics: 40% of properties are bought by investors (the data is misleading, as it includes the movers whom have bought their new properties but not yet sold their existing properties. I personally think the definition of the investors should only including these people with over 50% of their total income being rental income and it shouldn’t include the people might have one own home and have purchased another for their family to live in etc.) and about 20% bought by the first home buyers. It seems that the investors are pushing the first time buyers out of the market, but really they are just more confident in buying properties while the first home buyers don’t. Then there is the conclusion that “the first home buyers can’t afford to buy.” Surely there is always something fits into their budget. I have been dealing with some of the first home buyers, and I found the main issue is the fear they have, they didn’t want to buy! There are pre-approvals I did for them, and some of them decided not to go ahead. They simply couldn’t handle the stress. The rest of them would need a lot of encouragement to go through the process. If you are one of them, and you are serious of getting into property, serious about your future, serious of your financial freedom, I would suggest you to find someone you could trust, a buyer’s agent, an experienced property investor, a mentor, or a mortgage advisor whom also has property investment background that could guide you through the process. It is actually a lot of fun if you have the support.
~Lucia